A Good Buy- Can Still be Better

Exterior

 There is no doubt about it that it is one of the best looking hatchbacks in the market. Upon a closer look, you can feel the solid built of the car and also the quality of the paintjob. You would notice without fail the weight of the doors when you open them and the heavy thud with which they close. You just can't compare Ford Figo or Maruti cars with it. It says all about the good quality of the material which they have used to make the exterior body of the car. The thick sheet material increases the weight of the car making it a bit slower than Swift but you would appreciate the sense of security and the solid feel it provides much more than half a second you would have lost against Swift in drag race.

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort)

This is a bit of a spoiler. I own Emotion 1.3 which has dual tone dashboard and fabric inlay on the doors at the arm rests which look and feel good. But it looks like they have ignored thiings like glove box and lining at the joints of the dashboards. The lid of the glove box keeps dropping after every bump or after a while does not close at all. I got this problem fixed 3 times but due to some loose screw, it keeps coming back. I've seen this problem in Linea as well. Also, if you dig deeper into the glove box and feel around a bit, you can get into car frame components which is obviously not nice. There is some mis-alignment at the joints of dashboard where the two tones meet i.e. around the middle. Since mine is not Emotion Pack, the stereo panel and AC controls bear old-sy looks. The panel looks good in Emotion Pack though. 

The seats are good though. Front seats are comfortable and there is reasonable space and legroom for the rear seats. Rear legroom can be a bit of a problem for a tall person but then, this problem is common to all the cars in A and B class. So you are not exactly shortchanged in this department if you compare Punto to other cars in the segment. In fact, you are reasonable well off as compared to, let's say, Swift. Overall, the cabin feels roomy and my friends appreciated the space and seating(None of them is taller than 5'9", so they did not complain about less legroom for the rear seats :-)).

AC is decent enough for Bangalore but I'm not sure how would it fare in hot climates like in Delhi.

Audio system is okey-tokey: nothing to write home about but definitely not bad either.

Really good thing about Punto: its huge boot which is I think the biggest amongst the hatchback in its segment.

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox

This engine being used by Swift, Ritz and Indica Vista is proof enough that it is the best diesel engine available in the market. It's tuned for a smoother ride in Punto as compared to Swift. This my friend has himself confirmed who owns Swift VDi. Suzuki has tuned the same engine for a bit better performance. So Swift feels a bit perkier which is also due to its lighter weight. But the difference is not much.

The drive quality is good. Pickup is okay which other people feel is good(I own a Ford Ikon 1.6 as well. So I'm still getting used to the cars in this segment. Perhaps this is wrong comparison). But the moment you switch on the AC, you feel a sudden drag on the engine and all that pep is lost. The max I could reach with 5 people and full luggage with AC on was 100-110 kmph. After that, engine begged for more power and I did not push it further. So I leave it upto you how do you rate this performance.

I've driven around 7000 Kms so far. I feel the car is frugal and it gives me approx 17 km/l in city and 23.5 km/l on highway without AC and 22 km/l with AC. So I'm pretty satisfied with the fuel economy.

I'm not very happy with the gearbox. It is still a little shifty and getting into 5th gear is not very smooth. It takes a little practice for getting used to it. Also, I've been having some problem with reverse gear. It would often not engage and would require a firm tug. I showed this problem at the service station. But the service engineer told that the gearbox would become smooth after some more driving. So I am banking on it. But there is nothing major.

Ride Quality & Handling

 Ride quality is good and it takes on the potholes and bumps pretty well. Handling is spot on and it goes where you intend it to go. Stability is good at high speeds. 

But I feel turning radius is a bit more for its size. It is at least as much as my Ford Ikon. Also, ground clearance is low and if you are not careful, you will surely hit the bump with underbody if your car is loaded.

Servicing

As for servicing itself, I've not encountered anything major yet and KHT Motors, Whitefield, Bangalore have addressed to small concerns like wheel alignment and glove box problems (phew! it keeps coming back, maybe due to improper design) immediately.

Final Words

 Overall, it is a very good car and a good value for money. People still don't have very good impression of FIAT (FIAT= Fix It Again Tony :)) but this car is a quality product and you would not regret purchasing it. Let people say whatever they do, but go for it if your first reaction after first look and TD is admiration as it comes straight from your heart. Rest all is drummed in by other people who are not going to own it. It has a proven engine which other car makers use and it is a very secure car. These are the two things which matter the most for the driver.

Areas of improvement  

 Engine can be a bit more powerful though this would mean an improvement for Swift and the likes as well which use the same engine and more for Ford Figo which is even less powerful. But this engine is no laggard.

Ground clearance.

Turning radius

Fit and finish of dashboard components like Glove Box.

 

Very Good Looking, Cabin Space, Fuel Economy, Solid Built, Value for MoneyQuality of Interiors, Turning Radius, Low Ground Clearance, Engine needs to be a bit more powerful