Please Suggest: Punto 90 HP Emotion Powertech vs Polo 1.5 TDI Highline


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Friends,

I'd need your valuable suggestions to decide my new car purchase. I am looking to buy a premium hatchback within 10L and I considered these vehicles that fit my requirements. I am currently using a Brio and my previous car was a petrol Swift.

Since my daily drive is about 10 to 15 Kms along with a monthly interstate drive, I started with petrol cars but only Swift made the cut in terms of overall driving comfort and peppiness. I found only the diesel variants of other brands effective. I prefer fully loaded variants.

1. Swift Zxi [Waiting period of 3 months. Ruled Out]

2. Ford Figo 1.5D Titanium [Clutch too hard for city traffic. Ruled out]

3. Elite i20 1.4 CRDi [Steering too light for my liking. Asta variant exceeds my budget too. Ruled out]

4. Polo 1.5 TDI Highline

5. Punto 90 HP Emotion Powertech

Polo 1.5 TDI Highline:
Highline is well equipped and all buttons are well placed. During the test drive, I felt the gearbox is a bit stiff and clunky, which bothered me in low speeds as I had to change gears a lot; not sure whether it happens only in new vehicles. Will this smooth out in time? The TD vehicle was only 300 kms old. The ride comfort on open roads gave an absolute pleasure that makes me want to book this right away. But I have two worrying factors:

1. Cost of maintenance and body shop charges. Which Bangalore VW dealer do you suggest for reliable services?
2. Existence of Emission scandal issues in 2016 TDI models.

Could anyone using 1.5 TDI please help me out here?

Punto 90 HP Emotion Powertech:
I gather this variant was released only in July this year. This car made me feel home during the entire TD. In low speeds, I just had to release the clutch gradually and not accelerate. The car pulled well in 10-15 Km/hr. This happened even until the 3rd gear. I felt it's a boon in city traffic, saves a lot of pedal coordination and downshifting. I have read a lot about bad steering ergonomics in Punto but I felt it was placed well. The gearbox is just at the right height, replacing the need of an armrest for highway drives. Oddly so, I kind of like the rubbery feel of gear-shifting. On open roads, the comfort is excellent, absolutely no vibrations. I felt its braking better than Polo's. But the biggest factors where Polo is better is its resale value, I guess.

1. Fiat's dealership and services. Whom do you suggest the best?
2. Resale value after 3 years
3. Reliability of a newly released Powertech variant

Could anyone using Punto please help me out here?

In my opinion from the test drives, there is nothing to choose between Polo and Punto in ride comfort and solid build.

Where VW scores:
1. Top class features
2. Better resale value
3. Better acceleration

Where Punto scores:

1. Exuberant style. Stunning looks and road presence.
2. Better seats, I felt.
3. Great steering and low speed ambling

Why I am so confused is if I choose one, during times of trouble, I feel I'd regret why I missed out on the other one. This is mainly due to the negatives on ASS and Maintenance Cost of both brands.

Any guidance from those who actually used these vehicles would be greatly appreciated.


 
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Fiat Urban Cross is the car for 10 lakhs- it simply blows away all the other hatches in terms of performance and handling, there is no comparison between Abarth engine's 140PS power/ 210 NM torque and that of a Swift or a GT TSI.
Plus the 205mm Ground clearance, all-disk brakes, and the build quality.
 
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Urban Cross diesel comes only in lower variants. T-jet variant exceeds my budget. I feel Fiat's Dynamic variants lack a lot of safety features.
 
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Why don't you take a look at Ford Figo 1.5 DCT? I don't think that you need a diesel with that running and Figo DCT being a high displacement automatic would be able to address all your concerns. Rest, yours truly is owning both Polo C/L MPi and H/L TDi and I don't find the clutch of Figo heavier than that of TDi, maybe 5% heavier which doesn't concern me.
 
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Sure, I'll give DCT a TD. Ford dealers in Bangalore are not that responsive, I have to follow up several times for a longer TD.

Is it safe to buy a TDI Polo now? A month back, dealers said TDI manual had been stopped and now they say it is back in production. They are not willing to give reasons for the temporary halt in production.
 

kkn13

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MJD is a fantastic engine to drive and easy on the pocket too
Have you considered the Baleno?
Ford also looks great and my friend bought a Figo for a good deal(cant remember the exact cost)
They are willing to haggle I believe
 

kkn13

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Booked for an Exotica Red Punto Evo Emotion 90HP yesterday! The OTR after discounts comes to 9.17L + Reverse Parking Sensor. The dealer said they can deliver by end of this month. Now, the wait begins [:)]

Thank you all so much for your suggestions!
Congrats !! The engine is a true killer
I owned a Ritz which has the same engine with FGT instead of VGT
Its mileage etc was very good and it aged very well , sold it because dad wanted a new car and I had started using the other cars more for highway use
KMPL was at 20 and maintenance was bare minimum even with rough use etc
 
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I drive Punto Evo Sports 90 HP and had considered Polo 1.5 TDI as well 1.5 years back. Both cars are good to drive.

Punto over Polo:

1) Steering: Polo's steering feels lifeless in front of Punto.
2) Brakes: More confidence inspiring in Punto.
3) Heavy built quality : Yes, better than Polo. Punto's metal sheet is thicker than Polo.
4) Practical GC of 185 mm: One can venture out in the woods to a fair distance on a Punto. That kind of confidence is very important in Indian road conditions. No scraps till date on my 27.5k kms run Punto.
5) Substantially low maintenance and price. VAG is a lot more expensive to buy and own.
6) Ride+Handling: Polo is almost neck to neck, but still Punto feels more lively around bends, thanks to the brilliant steering (HPS). Also the ride felt more absorbent at higher speeds. Polo's ride is slightly better at lower speeds because of softer suspension setup.
7) Bigger and wider shoes. Not sure if the current powertech 90 HP comes with 16' tyres or not. But they are wider nonetheless than Polo.

Polo over Punto:

1) Outright power, thanks to the much better low end response. Mid-range and Top-end are comparable in Polo and Punto. That being said, the Punto powertech models have adequate power in the lower end.
2) Interioir quality. Its the segment benchmark as far as the interioir quality is concerned. Though I am not a big fan of the looks, which looks rather boring on a performance hatch. Punto Sport's all black interioirs look more sporty but lack in the quality.
3) More features like cruise control.

Both VAG and Fiat suck at their aftersales. One needs to be more vigilant if one in buying cars from their stable.

Just read that you have booked the Punto. Congrats [clap]
 
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Thread Starter #12
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MJD is a fantastic engine to drive and easy on the pocket too
Have you considered the Baleno?
Ford also looks great and my friend bought a Figo for a good deal(cant remember the exact cost)
They are willing to haggle I believe
Enquired Baleno but they said it had a waiting period of 32 weeks.
I liked Ford too but the clutch seemed very hard. I struggled a lot to find the right seating position during the test drive. Somehow, it did not click me as a comfortable hatch in the front seat.

Congrats Dricforc83. You have selected one of the best car in the segment and Red colour looks awesome.
Thanks Kishan3333!

Congrats !! The engine is a true killer
I owned a Ritz which has the same engine with FGT instead of VGT
Its mileage etc was very good and it aged very well , sold it because dad wanted a new car and I had started using the other cars more for highway use
KMPL was at 20 and maintenance was bare minimum even with rough use etc
Thanks a lot! I am looking forward to a lot of highway trips with this car [:)]

I drive Punto Evo Sports 90 HP and had considered Polo 1.5 TDI as well 1.5 years back. Both cars are good to drive.

Punto over Polo:

1) Steering: Polo's steering feels lifeless in front of Punto.
2) Brakes: More confidence inspiring in Punto.
3) Heavy built quality : Yes, better than Polo. Punto's metal sheet is thicker than Polo.
4) Practical GC of 185 mm: One can venture out in the woods to a fair distance on a Punto. That kind of confidence is very important in Indian road conditions. No scraps till date on my 27.5k kms run Punto.
5) Substantially low maintenance and price. VAG is a lot more expensive to buy and own.
6) Ride+Handling: Polo is almost neck to neck, but still Punto feels more lively around bends, thanks to the brilliant steering (HPS). Also the ride felt more absorbent at higher speeds. Polo's ride is slightly better at lower speeds because of softer suspension setup.
7) Bigger and wider shoes. Not sure if the current powertech 90 HP comes with 16' tyres or not. But they are wider nonetheless than Polo.

Polo over Punto:

1) Outright power, thanks to the much better low end response. Mid-range and Top-end are comparable in Polo and Punto. That being said, the Punto powertech models have adequate power in the lower end.
2) Interioir quality. Its the segment benchmark as far as the interioir quality is concerned. Though I am not a big fan of the looks, which looks rather boring on a performance hatch. Punto Sport's all black interioirs look more sporty but lack in the quality.
3) More features like cruise control.

Both VAG and Fiat suck at their aftersales. One needs to be more vigilant if one in buying cars from their stable.

Just read that you have booked the Punto. Congrats [clap]
Thanks! You've hit the nail on the head with the pros of one over the other. Apart from all these parameters, I just felt home when I drove Punto. It just felt right. But I feel my excitement of getting a Red Punto might be shortlived. The dealer promised they had a red one in the stock when I booked it. But, now he says that it was an old stock list. The current list does not have a red one and Fiat should only build it from scratch. Seems like an inane tactic to lure a customer into booking. Now they are strong-arming me to go for Magnesio Grey or White. Though I have nothing against those colors, I feel let down that I might not be getting a red Punto [frustration]
 
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kkn13

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Enquired Baleno but they said it had a waiting period of 32 weeks.
I liked Ford too but the clutch seemed very hard. I struggled a lot to find the right seating position during the test drive. Somehow, it did not click me as a comfortable hatch in the front seat.
Oh, its all down to personal preference in the end after all
The clutch thing is probably because of rough driving since its a TD vehicle after all,I shudder at the thought of the way some people drive manual cars
Personally I loved the Baleno too
I believe the next gen swift is also incoming in the next few months
Maybe you could book the Baleno if you liked it and then see if the Swift matches your requirements more
I doubt there is a better all rounder in the segment other than the Baleno,Punto,Swift and Figo
Polo is short on space and poor A.S.S
i20 is severly underpowered compared to the above cars

I think Vitara Brezza is also worth checking out because of its better ride and road presence however it misses out on some goodies that come with the Baleno and is priced higher too

^^ In case you are revoking your booking of the Punto because of colour options
Punto is a enthusiast car though and is totally worth it
 
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Thanks! You've hit the nail on the head with the pros of one over the other. Apart from all these parameters, I just felt home when I drove Punto. It just felt right. But I feel my excitement of getting a Red Punto might be shortlived. The dealer promised they had a red one in the stock when I booked it. But, now he says that it was an old stock list. The current list does not have a red one and Fiat should only build it from scratch. Seems like an inane tactic to lure a customer into booking. Now they are strong-arming me to go for Magnesio Grey or White. Though I have nothing against those colors, I feel let down that I might not be getting a red Punto [frustration]
Cant you get a new one built from the scratch? Red Punto is hawt, no two ways about it. Even my Punto is red in color. Magnesio grey looks classy with all the chrome treatment, but doesnt exude sportiness. White is better in than aspect, if you want to run some mods on it later.
 
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