Fiat must allow the winner to win

If only Fiat could stop outsourcing service, Grande Punto will take the gold, and the silver medal will have to be cancelled.

I have now driven over 500 km with my GP 1.3 DD. Since I love the car, everything in this second review will appear to biased, to which you - as the reader - have every right to object. But the reason for writing any review is to show bias, whether for or against.

Okay, let's start. First the looks. You loved the Boeing 747. You always wanted to own to own, but the government would't let you own one - even if you could afford one. Fiat has answered all the objections with the GP. The GP looks like a majestic bird sitting on the ground - when fired up, it will smoothly accelerate and take off. Please note I am not flattering Fiat - I am only trying to flatter. I hope I succeed (to some extent).

Second, the mileage. What use is a majestic bird if it corrodes the linings of your pocket ? The Boeing 747 could never do 15 km to the litre before first service. My GP is doing it. So neither me nor you should complain.

The interiors are goofed up. For some reason, Fiat does not appreciate people to smoke a cigarette inside a car, whereas statistics suggest that at half the people in Europe have smoked a cigarette at least once inside a car. Everything else is fine. Although this point belongs more to exteriors than to interiors, I even like the fact that I have to bang the door hard to ensure it is shut. (I prefer to shut the door rather than close the door). At almost 6 feet tall (my mother always wanted me to be tall), I find legroom to be ample, both in front as well as in the back. I am not sure whether this is relevant, but GP looks - maybe even is - at least a foot longer than Ritz (which I find a nightmare to look at) and half a foot longer than i20 (which I find Yet Another Hyundai Ugliness to look at).

For some reason, I always find it in my GP to be difficult to shift from fourth gear to fifth in my GP. If anybody could be kind enough to post me a tip, I shall be grateful. I might even send a DD of USD 1 million.

Last, but not least - particularly in the case of Fiat, we should tackle the point of service. When Fiat first visited India (classified under 'Tourism'), they convinced everyone that after purchasing a good car, one needs to bang his head against the wall till one is dead. The situation is much better during the second visit. Now one is permitted to stop once one has received serious head injuries. We end up where we begun : If only Fiat could stop outsourcing service, Grande Punto will take the gold, and the silver medal will have to be cancelled.