Honda Jazz (Base version) or Fiat Punto 2012 1.2 Dynamic?

[basis]

Dear Friends,

Now in this year I have to take a final call on my First car.

Actually me and my Friend Tapan having the same requirement (100%) and taste.

Point to be noted.

1> Our daily running will be almost zero.
2> Will use for week-end within city shopping,
3> Once in 2-3 months long drive (say... bangalore to OOTY, Mannar etc.)
4> In case of any emergency
5> Want to keep the car for 10+ years
6> Car should be low in maintenance
7> Car should have a "Feel Nice" (not only good) factor.
8> Build quality should be great.

Now, After a long long research we zeroed two cars. And only Petrol cars.

1st Choice > Honda Jazz
2nd Choice > Fiat Punto 1.2 2012 Dynamic

* Issue with Jazz is it is 50 K more costly then punto
* Issue with Punto 1.2 is it is so called under powered , and offcourse much less power-full then Jazz.

Now Can the owners and the guys who has exp. in both please enlighten me?

What is the miledge of Punto 1.2 2012?

The Punto 1.2 2012 Dynamic It have got ABS+EBD and Driver seat hight adjustable ...right?

Thanks in advance.

[Fadetoblack]

For petrol hatchbacks, Honda Jazz is the best choice with a niggle free engine and good ASS. Though u might need to wait for quite a while to get your hands on the car.

[JazzSelect]

No second thought on petrol vehicle, its Honda Jazz.

[raj_5004]

Close your eyes & go for the Jazz buddy. Its the best petrol hatch right now.

[P3T3R]

For pure driving pleasure; Punto
For the extra space; Jazz

Being a Fiat loyalist I would always recomend a Fiat. I have driven both the cars and I must say that the Jazz will not please you on the highway as it's very underpowered. However it's a pleasure to drive in the city.

[basis]

Thanks to all the friends for your time and effort.

As today I spoke to some Punto 1.2 owner and my colleagues all told me to avoid Punto 1.2 and to go for Jazz only.

But one guy told like:

Q : Issue with Punto 1.2 is it is so called under powered , and offcourse much less power-full then Jazz.

A. Here people make mistake . People are impressed by giving paper figures.Honda Jazz Power 90 PS @6200 RPM Torque 110 NM @4800 RPM on such high RPM ?Punto 1.2 Power 68 PS @6000 RPM Torque 96 NM @2500 RPM. on such low RPM Wow !Power is only reving capacity of engine. Torque means rotational force of engine to drive the car.So torque figure is important while choosing car.honda gives full torque @4800 RPMBut if you go for punto then max. totque of Punto is only @2500 RPM such a low RPM.In Punto you have to press less throttle for getting full potential from powerband. Less gear changes & better low end totque. Honda feels gutless city ride as well as highways .Because max torque of Honda is @4800 RPM. In real world we can' accelerate car upto 4800 RPM in any gear for getting full potential outpur from its engine.So cars giving max torque @ lower RPM is always wise choice. So friend dont'be impressed by seeing power figure of H Jazz.Because if you go for JAZZ , in Ghat section (hilly area) Punto 1.2 will easily beat HOnda Jazz. Then you will feel disappointed by seeing low powered car is "King of Ghat"

Can anybody clarify this?

Also the question is how many times I will ride a Ghat

[FJ CRUZER]

@basis,

After going through the requirements and choice option I can figure out this for you!

* Issue with Jazz is it is 50 K more costly then punto

* If you want to keep it for 10+ years, do not bother about the 50k difference. It is worth it in the long term.

* Issue with Punto 1.2 is it is so called under powered , and offcourse much less power-full then Jazz.

* For a petrol hatch "Honda Jazz" is the winner in all aspects. Do not even bother what the figures (KMPL, Power, torque) suggest.

No offense to Punto / other petrol hatch owners, but since the price cut by Honda, the jazz has become the obvious choice for petrol heads.

[nithin_v]

Hi
Please have a test drive and decide. We zeroed in Jazz and Punto 1.4 when planned to buy a car in last november(2011). At that time even Jazz testdrive vehicle was not available and bookings were closed. So we decided to go for punto and we got a discount of 1 lakh for punto . After 1200kms
these are the commnets i have on punto

1.Sturdy built and flat ride
2. Good Highway manners
3. Refined Engine.(May be Jazz is more refined)
4. Getting an average of 12.5 in city and 14.5 in highway

[paigirish]

If your daily running will be almost zero, city shopping, rare long drive, why bother about performance,stats of the CAR. Just see the interior quality,service,and maintenance. Clearly Honda Jazz wins. Best Interiors,Honda's Service is THE BEST,and maintenance is neither low nor high :P, it's avg. Mainly Depends on how you use. And you say Jazz is +50k than Punto. It's obvious as Jazz is Luxury Hatch. Just shared what was in my mind.

[jayadev]

* Issue with Punto 1.2 is it is so called under powered , and offcourse much less power-full then Jazz.

How much power you need?

I have got 90hp in my punto and other than those initial spirited sessions where i drove to its fullest now I don't.Rarely I go more than 70 on Highways and in city it is 20-40.
What I enjoy is definitely low end torque and drive ability "effortless Driving"

Jazz good points:

snob value-honda owners have a feeling that they opted for wisest choice with niggle free ownership but from my POV it is very much debatable.
there has been many call outs and interior quality of jazz is not something like a benchmark for the price they asked.

resale value : honda does sell well, but Jazz ??

Good space-more the better

light vehicle-may help in fuel efficiency , lesser mechanical wear even better braking. 1055kg

Low ground clearance -160mm

Fe-13-16 kmpl ( 16.7 Arai- honda car website).

Punto:

service and maintenance would be cheaper

Incredible ride quality and drive ability (with a dead pedal) will never tire you on long run

Well built -gives a confidence inspiring safer feel .1090kg.

ground clearance-2012 1.2 punto have massive ground clearance good for unpredictable Indian roads .195mm.

Fe-13.7-17.2kmpl(15 Arai-fiat India website)

Ps:As I drive Punto I have never felt I am driving a super mini hatchback rather it equals a sedan in every aspects.

[nithin_v]

+1 to Jayadev.
Almost all our friends ( me and my wife's) were against the idea of a fiat . They suggested polo, jazz and swift.
We test drove all the vehicles except Jazz. Ground clearance is a point of worry for Jazz as owners i spoke with comment about this. My wife eliminated polo as she was not happy with it's low end torque. We both didn't like built quality of Swift in comparison with punto and polo.
After 1200 kms the avg. speed on cluster is just 29 km/hr with some 300km in highway with a speed of 80 - 100 km/hr. Sure we won't use all 1400cc power in real conditions

[akhilgopalg]

Since you intend to keep the car for more than 10years, i would say jazz is the best pick . Its also the best petrol hatchback in the country. The only problem with the jazz was its price. Now, its totally VFM. You can look for hatchback comparo done by ACI and Overdrive and you can see that jazz is ahead of all others. I do accept it doesn't have the solid handling and ride as that of punto, or even swift , but, overall , jazz is better.

Regarding the low-end grunt, it does lack the low end punch . But, I have read from all jazz owners that ,once you revv past 3000rpm, it just changes into another machine and there is a sudden burst of power. Since you drive rarely in the city, this wont be much of a problem . In the highways, downshifting may be necessary . But, if you're a petrol-head, I'm sure you will love it. Overdrive editor, Sirish once said about jazz, "the engine can be revved all the way upto 6 and a half thousand rpm. Once it reaches there, it kindles the fire of youth in you"

[jayadev]

Regarding the low-end grunt, it does lack the low end punch . But, I have read from all jazz owners that ,once you revv past 3000rpm, it just changes into another machine and there is a sudden burst of power. Since you drive rarely in the city, this wont be much of a problem . In the highways, downshifting may be necessary . But, if you're a petrol-head, I'm sure you will love it. Overdrive editor, Sirish once said about jazz, "the engine can be revved all the way upto 6 and a half thousand rpm. Once it reaches there, it kindles the fire of youth in you"

This is the part we have never liked Honda cars. we means myself and my close friend who owns Honda city.
They have incredible figures on papers and are awesome in performance delivery but in day to day routine life they feel Dud and lifeless.
continuous revving post 3000 rpm means fuel efficiency goes for a toss .and yes Honda cars are good to drive at higher rpm's only (they feels so juicy )but they are not so confidence inspiring as much they should at higher speeds.

conversely this is where Fiat fails (actually wins) they have very balanced kind of car . all of the fiat cars have good mid end torq with great power delivery on low end too (e.g Linea t-jet) so they do not have glittering specs on papers but those who owns it loves and enjoys it from day one.

[Akash]

Honda Jazz anyday. The petrol version of Punto isn't as fun to drive as Jazz. Not even close to it. Also the Jazz base version comes equipped with the safety features like ABS & Airbags which are absent in Dynamic version of Punto.