Buying a Premium Hatch!

[Nuvo]

First the questionnaire:

Your Budget: Between 5.5 to 6.5 L - less is better. I can never stretch it to beyond 6.5 L

Your Location: Tricky, I am in a transferable job. So I will need a car which has long service interval and niggle free. I can plan for a scheduled maintenance cum vacation but attending niggles on regular basis would be a problem

Top 5 Priorities: Handling cum steering feedback, engine performance/pick up for quick overtaking, seat comfort with good under thigh support, look & exclusivity for stealing eye glance, cost of ownership (FE cum maintenance)


Monthly Running: 1200: city & highway breakup is 50-50..


For Which Purpose: Family Trips.

Max. Seating Capacity: 3: but people will be well built.

Priority of Fuel Type: Petrol

Body Type:Which type of vehicle you would prefer more? For example, Hatchback since good sedans are out of my budget .


I have so far test driven Beat, Figo & Fabia. Interested in Punto 1.4 but local dealer informed that due to weak demand they do not have Punto 1.4

I own(ed) Unicorn & FZ-16 and addicted to confidence inspiring handling and effortless powertrain (G/B & clutch). I expect similar level of refinement from my car as well.

I am not too keen on Maruti-Suzuki as they are pretty common. I also feel Hyundai cars do not inspire much confidence to push them in corners (no offence to Hyundai owners-strictly my opinion only).

My observation regrading Beat, Figo & Fabia (Please correct me wherever I am wrong or I should re-look):

Beat: +ve: Head turning look
: Feedback from steering
: Overall interior quality
: Refinement untill pushed hard
-ve: Seats lack underthigh support (both front & rear)
: Tyres loses grip in corners
: awful stereo: will need mods

Figo (P) +ve: Feedback from steering
: Handling:
: short throw G/B
: Refined engine
-ve: Seats lack underthigh support (in front)
: Plastic quality (some part feels hard & some parts look filmsy)
: Dated look
: Lack of power: required some thought process for overtaking.

Fabia (P) +ve: Seats are very comfortable
: Steering adjust, driver seat adjust
: short throw G/B
: Smooth Powertrain (G/B & clutch)
: Felt peppier than Beat & Figo.
-ve: Will cost 6.20L on road
: Looks are good but not a head turner (interior & Exterior)
: Service
: Ownership cost likely to be high

Kindly suggest me suitable options.

 

[shailinder]

How about Polo ? Did you test drove Polo ? If not then try her out. Polo is a good car to own and 1.6 is a good engine. If you are looking for head turners then Polo, Punto are the best. If comfort is prime concern then Fabia (because rear legroom in Polo and Punto is not as generous as Fabia).

So I would suggest set your priority by what do you want the most and then second and third.

Probably then you will be able to reach to a conclusion.

 

[Nuvo]

Test drive of Polo is on card. But I think Polo 1.6 would be beyond my reach. It had to Polo 1.2

My priorities are mentioned in order of importance/preference.

I have heard that Polo is not quite spacious: waiting for test drive to find it out. Two dampening things of Polo for me:

1.Waiting period,

2. HU without aux-in & USB. So even after shelling > 6L rupees , I will have to account for an HU because I can not live without my iPod.

 

[shailinder]

Top 5 Priorities: Handling cum steering feedback, engine performance/pick up for quick overtaking, seat comfort with good under thigh support, look & exclusivity for stealing eye glance, cost of ownership (FE cum maintenance)

See Nuvo,

Either I am unable to understand or priorities are little too vague to determine anything as of now.

If you can please set numbers like:

1. Space
2. Ride and handling (Not necessarily steering feedback).
3. Comfort (Roomy, Thigh support, shoulder room etc.)
4. FE
5. A.S.S
6. Availbility of spares and cost.
7. Safety.

That way people will be able to provide more inputs and you can later on work accordingly.

All the best.

 

[jayadev]

what i understood is Punto 1.4 is the all-round choice for nuvo ,but sadly local dealer does not have it in stock.

what about talking to dealer about it and forwarding mail to fiat india (manufacturer)?

i bought my punto 90hp in similar manner within 12 days.

i am sure if you have an eye for punto (red) which is a sure head turner then dealer can definitly do something for you.

 

[cooldhaya]

Hello Nuvo ,


I will give my suggestions or views.


Punto 1.4L fits your bill perfectly. The only negative i see in Punto from your priorities is rear seats are not very comfortable like in Fabia. I personally find Polo to be a bit overpriced and maintenance is going to be very costly. Fabia is a damn good car which satisfies all your priorities but again servicing and maintenance of Skoda is a big question mark.


My final suggestion Punto 1.4L , meets most of your requirements.

 

[Nuvo]

Ok priorities revisited:


1. Ride and handling.
2. Pick up
3. Comfort (Roomy, Thigh support, shoulder room etc.)
4. A.S.S
5. Cost.

Since looks are subjective so I erase it. Further, I am interested in top model with ABS & Airbag. So I guess safety part is covered as well.

@jaydev: Local dealer may deliver a Punto 1.4 after booking. But I was keen on a test drive before booking. I even requested for test drive of Punto 1.2 Emotion so that I can atleast check out interior & comfort part. He has not obliged yet.

Can someone through some light into:

1. Polo vs Fabia aspect.

2. Punto owners may please share how niggle free has their ownership been. Only thing I am worried about Punto is the reported issue of interior build quality & niggles.

3. Any other suggestions like Micra.

 

[basis]

Hello Nuvo ,


I will give my suggestions or views.


Punto 1.4L fits your bill perfectly. The only negative i see in Punto from your priorities is rear seats are not very comfortable like in Fabia. I personally find Polo to be a bit overpriced and maintenance is going to be very costly. Fabia is a damn good car which satisfies all your priorities but again servicing and maintenance of Skoda is a big question mark.


My final suggestion Punto 1.4L , meets most of your requirements.

Only Punto 1.4 E+ available....... No other version for 1.4.

No compare with Punto and Figo....

Figo is a real cheap car from India for poor Indians...IMO

Fab is very good but ownership tooooooo costly.....

Novo...Go for Punto 1.3 MJD ( or 1.2 Fire)

 

[basis]

Polo is overprices, cramped, ownership cost same as Fab. Build quality of Fab,Polo, Punto are same and very good.

 

[jayadev]

lookwise polo is far better than fabia . but quality and quantity fabia wins.
polo is not so good at corners at least i never heard a word of appraisal from anybody yet.

in ergonomic side punto wins against fabia. with blue n me, 15inch wheels,italian looks,great steering response, best in gear acceleration etc making it a ride with better drive ability.


as a diesel punto owner i have no complaints nor issues so far so i vote 10/10 for my car.going on 8500km nothing spent and day by day ride is getting better.

ps:no matter what, before you opt for fiat make sure dealership and service centre in your locality is competent. else niggling issues become unavoidable the very next day of purchase.
as mentioned previously , present lethargic attitude of dealer obviously indicates; better look elsewhere. who knows he may show similar attitude when you go for regular service.

 

[Nuvo]

Thanks for your input guys. I have a small query which may look silly in a discussion pertaining to cars:

Does Punto E+ with USB enabled HU can play files from iPod? Some HU with USB can play files from iPod using the white USB connector cable of iPod. Does Punto HU have that capability?

 

[shailinder]

Thanks for your input guys. I have a small query which may look silly in a discussion pertaining to cars:

Does Punto E+ with USB enabled HU can play files from iPod? Some HU with USB can play files from iPod using the white USB connector cable of iPod. Does Punto HU have that capability?

Hey Nuvo,

Are going to take decision based on this requirement solely, if yes, then people should assist you here. If not, then let us it discuss afterwards. First you need a ride and than HU. Correct me if I am wrong.

You are running to fast, so just a friendly suggestion. Calm your horses for a while. Rest is your choice

I suggest test drive with your near ones and seek their opinion on all cars. I am sure they will give you some clues which will help you in long run. People dont buy cars online nor so frequently.

-- How is the service network in Guwahti area of all the cars being discussed so far ? Let us decide on that front as well. Jayadev rightly suggested about the attitude of Fiat dealer in your locality.

 

[Alto_2428]

Hey Nuvo, I strongly suggest you to TD nissan micra. It is more spacious than Polo but has limited under thigh support. It is feature rich in its segment:)But Its A S S is still unknown :(

 

[shailinder]

Nuvo,

I would request to go thru my quest for a hatch. Probably you might get some clues..

Best Hatchback For Long-Term Use?

 

[Nuvo]

Despite my repeated request for test drive of Punto, I am yet to get desired result. I think Punto's case has been lost on me. Sad but I am disheartened by dealer response. It further creates doubt on my mind about after S&S.

But I have one update to share. Owing to heavy price cut of City and rumor of impending price cut of Jazz, I decided to try Honda. Within two days of online request, I got a call from Honda people and they arranged a test drive at my office as per my convenience.

Today I took test drive of base version of Jazz and my observations are as under:

1. First thing I noticed was the lack of seat height adjust. In a premium hatch it should have been standard. Now it is present only in top X version.

2. Seats are comfortable and an average driver may not miss lack of seat height adjust.

3. Though purely electric unit, but steering feels good. Light at low speed but offers decent feel at speed. It feels better than Fabia by a slight margin but lost out to Figo/Fiesta's steering. However steering wheel is great - both to hold and to look at.

4. Ride quality of Jazz has been criticized, but I did not feel the reported harshness from drivers seat.

5. Stereo is good for an OEM: better than Fabia.

6. Low end performance is weak- very weak. Fabia offers better pick up. But engine picks up nicely after 2500 rpm and is addictive. It will be fun on highway. But city driving would be a sore point.

7. G/B is very good. But Fabia is even better.

8. Although Fabia is often praised for ride & handling balance, Jazz did not offer me any scope for complaint. But again Ford with rail like handling seem a cut above. I have not driven any Fiat and my opinion about Ford is from Figo & Fiesta only.

9. Doors does not provide Fabia 'thud' but good nevertheless. I had high expectation from Jazz interiors but they do not look as good as in picture. It was badly maintained and it could be one reason. Fabia on the other hand looks very good but would be a nightmare to maintain.

10. Even with front seat fully stretched, leg room at rear is very good. Under thigh support of all the seats is very good.

Now the offer:

1. 55k flat discount.

2. Insurance amounting to 20k is off.

3. Corporate discount of 6k.

4. On road would be 6.72 L + RTO charge i.e. around 7.00L for Jazz select version which has got alloy wheels & rear parcel tray (both missing in base version which is 11k cheaper).

Comparison with Fabia

1. Fabia now offers free insurance and that makes it around 1L cheaper as compared to Jazz.

2. Fabia has seat height adjuster, steering tilt & telescopic action but misses out on rear wiper+defogger, steering audio control & 60-40 split of rear seat.

3.Honda offers 2+2 warranty & RSA.

4. Honda likely to have cheaper maintenance cost & better dealer network. For me it is noteworthy point as I have a transferable job .

Confusions

1. Jazz is superior car. But 1 Lakh difference is not very tangible. Specially from driving seat.

2.Magic seat & better space utilization is a good thing. But point to be asked how often will we use that much space: specially in a nuclear family.

3. For me Jazz's attraction over Fabia lies in things which are intangible such as warranty, RSA, better quality, cheaper maintenance, Skoda's infamous After Sale & Service etc. But point is: do these thing command 1 lakh premium? All these things are brand specific issue and not model specific issue. If I want to see where I spent extra lakh rupee in Jazz over Fabia where would I look ?

4. I feel owning a Honda would be easier than owning a Skoda and ideally Brio would have been my pick. Since I need to own a car by August so I can't wait till Oct for Brio.

I however must compliment Honda's Sales executive for their approach. I told them that I am considering Fabia as well but they did not push too hard for Jazz over Fabia and allow the brand comparison to took over. They explained that over a long period of time ownership experience of Jazz will make up the initial 1 lakh difference. Surprisingly they gave me a parker pen as gift for test drive gift. Small things: but left a good impression.

Guys help me out with your inputs.