City Hatch as an Alternative to Scorpio!

[cooldhaya]

Since its just going to be within city i suggest you i20 Crdi! If its highways ideal choice should be Punto because of its good build and stability. i20 is a poor handler at highways!

 

[jayadev]

I drove the Punto 90HP as well as the normal. The 90HP is only better on the highway. If you are not doing much spirited driving on the highway, stick with the normal one.

peter, if considered the budget, above said may hold true to an extent.

with my own experience using the the same.
initially i too believed it was all same when i read all the reviews in interenet, but later i realized difference between them,which shines only when it runs couple of 1000 kms .
90hp has the vgt motor,expect better nvh refinements,better mileage and the best part is highly efficient ACC.
when it comes to drivers feel and handling there is no car to match it .

so if their is any chance of going long drives or over bad roads in future then it would be wise to chose punto90hp over i20.

as said for city use then such things as handling,drive feel,built quality and et all can be ignored .
so i20 crdi can be opted for
@excellent and modern gear shift ,
@ softer/urban steering,
@ac should be good(not sure about it i have noted people complaining about inefficiency in reviews and forums),
@looks would be sujective (as i do not like the look of i20 but my brother say punto and i20; equals each other in his eyes)
@and may fetch better resale value later.
regarding the Ass of i20 i have heard people complaining about the long waiting periods but that should be alright soon considering it is hyundai.

raj must be already aware of all these , it would be great if he go for a TD immediately and finalize to his taste.

 

[jayadev]

just remembered about infamous steering rattle issue in i20 .

Raj, do give a serious note for it.

 

[raj_5004]

thanks a lot friends. I have sent a test drive request for both punto 90 hp & i20 CRDi through their website. I got an SMS from Fiat saying that i will be contacted soon. Today being sunday, I am expecting their call by tomorrow.

Raj,
Congratulations for the new job.

if you are ready to ignore the sluggish initial pickup,long clutch travel and old gen gear shifts,then punto 90hp is the ultimate hatch you can go for.
[i think metropolitan cities and maharastra are taken care very well by fiat A.s.s. its the suburbs and other part of the country which suffer .]

else for your requirement i20 is the right choice.

Thanks buddy. You know what, I like the Punto more than the i20.

Even though I feel the i20 has a better engine, it misses the style, solid build quality & the heavy feel of the punto (which i love in my scorpio) & the ride quality as far as i have read from reviews, is better in punto.

Also, i feel punto is comparatively more "exclusive" than i20.

I would recommend i20 CRDi when comparing with 90Hp beast.

my pick: i20 CRDi.

I too vote for i20 CRDi. Looks good and is backed by good A.S.S of Hyundai.

Sigh! Everyone recommends the i20!

Has to be the Punto.

Good fun to drive.

I drove the Punto 90HP as well as the normal. The 90HP is only better on the highway. If you are not doing much spirited driving on the highway, stick with the normal one.

Well, i would drive only in the city but the difference in price between top end punto & punto 90 hp is just 34k. So i am thinking, why not opt for the latest variant instead?

Since its just going to be within city i suggest you i20 Crdi! If its highways ideal choice should be Punto because of its good build and stability. i20 is a poor handler at highways!

I love the fact that i20 comes with electronically retractable mirrors with turn indicators. i just love that feature. Also, now audio visual navigation in a LCD touch screen is available in i20 Asta as option...

peter, if considered the budget, above said may hold true to an extent.

with my own experience using the the same.
initially i too believed it was all same when i read all the reviews in interenet, but later i realized difference between them,which shines only when it runs couple of 1000 kms .
90hp has the vgt motor,expect better nvh refinements,better mileage and the best part is highly efficient ACC.
when it comes to drivers feel and handling there is no car to match it .

so if their is any chance of going long drives or over bad roads in future then it would be wise to chose punto90hp over i20.

as said for city use then such things as handling,drive feel,built quality and et all can be ignored .
so i20 crdi can be opted for
@excellent and modern gear shift ,
@ softer/urban steering,
@ac should be good(not sure about it i have noted people complaining about inefficiency in reviews and forums),
@looks would be sujective (as i do not like the look of i20 but my brother say punto and i20; equals each other in his eyes)
@and may fetch better resale value later.
regarding the Ass of i20 i have heard people complaining about the long waiting periods but that should be alright soon considering it is hyundai.

raj must be already aware of all these , it would be great if he go for a TD immediately and finalize to his taste.

just remembered about infamous steering rattle issue in i20 .

Raj, do give a serious note for it.

the biggest problem with i20 is the waiting period of 6 weeks. I cant wait for that long. Punto is readily available of the colour & variant is available in stock.



A strange query:

Which car among i20 & punto is more theft proof? Fact is, after the theft attempt in my scorpio, I am a bit paranoid. At my work place, I have the park the car on the road.

I know both cars are equipped with the latest anti-theft features but all these features can be hacked by smart thieves. which car among these is unlikely to be picked by thugs??? I guess it must be the Fiat as it does not enjoy the resale value of the Hyundai.

 

[jayadev]

Even though I feel the i20 has a better engine, it misses the style, solid build quality & the heavy feel of the punto

i did no comparison or extensive research before buying my 90hp i did one test drive and found the chilling ACC to be very good with the ride comfort .
one of the the appeal for punto was its 15" wheels.
i was already flattered with multijet(quadrajet) and believed 15 horses would bring everything extra i needed . and it indeed did.(i was lucky enough.)

in my case the research began after the purchase and definitely i did not regret.
rather the results were pleasant .

the best one was the high speed performance even though 0-100 is bit late for punto.
but is quickest in 100-140 and above .even the handling and braking left nothing to be desired at those speeds.

but something which does not fit every body's taste but is rather weird;the car is wonderful for sedate drivers without any judder or jerks in city speed the car doesn't give any surprises and is extremely responsive at high speeds(70 and above) only.

imo: after using scorpio, the the initial pickup of punto will be really annoying .

but if one is keen on exclusivity and uniqueness of punto then do not think again.

 

[type-r]

i say go for punto. it is the most VFM package ( highly debatable) according to me.

 

[Zinam]

But Raj, what about the A.S.S ?

Are you okay with TATA Service in your area ?

 

[raj_5004]

imo: after using scorpio, the the initial pickup of punto will be really annoying .

Is the acceleration that bad? I mean, 0-100 timing of 17 seconds do seem slow but then it should not be frustrating in traffic, thats my only wish.

i say go for punto. it is the most VFM package ( highly debatable) according to me.

As mentioned above, I hope the 90 hp is not too slow.

But Raj, what about the A.S.S ?

Are you okay with TATA Service in your area ?

No, I am not. But i bought the scorpio with my heart knowing that the A.S.S. is bad. same is the case here.

 

[AMG]

You will love the punto as the driving position in it is a little bit higher than the i20.

A strange query:

Which car among i20 & punto is more theft proof? Fact is, after the theft attempt in my scorpio, I am a bit paranoid. At my work place, I have the park the car on the road.

Thieves love anything that is common.

Need a proof:
Pulsar in black colour is the most commonly stolen bike. (all look alike)

This can be avoided by either choosing a different colour or a less popular product.
eg. a red i20 is less likely to be stolen than a silver punto.
But given both cars in same colour, the thieves are more likely to choose the i20.

PS: I am NOT a thief.

 

[RSM]

Is the acceleration that bad? I mean, 0-100 timing of 17 seconds do seem slow but then it should not be frustrating in traffic, thats my only wish.

Acceleration is not slow, but the 1st and 2nd gear is shorter, so since you need to change gear bit earlier, you might feel bit slow. But you will be adjusted your driving style in 1-2 weeks time.

Also, the fiat ecodrive is working on Blue&Me, so you would know exactly how you are driving and what needs to be improved.
And yes if going for Punto, go for top variant.

No, I am not. But i bought the scorpio with my heart knowing that the A.S.S. is bad. same is the case here.

Only issue could be the spare parts sometimes, when its not available, takes time. Don't know still Fiat is slow on this problem.

 

[jayadev]

Is the acceleration that bad? I mean, 0-100 timing of 17 seconds do seem slow but then it should not be frustrating in traffic, thats my only wish.

As mentioned above, I hope the 90 hp is not too slow.


.

punto emo fgt is 17 secs.

punto 90hp is somewhere around 14-15sec when me and my brother checked with mobile timer . but some people have said it to be 13.8sec too not quite sure though.

i said about scorpio, because i know scorpio crdi, how ferociously it accelerates .

on other hand punto 90hp is much sedate and reserved . it wont ever give you that urgent rush or push in city speed. but will be more than happy with silent and comfortable ride.

 

[SandeepK]

My vote for punto. Good sitting position, good handling, sturdy build.
Extra money on i20 is not that worth IMO.

 

[raj_5004]

Friends, test drove the Punto today. The dealer dint have the 90 hp for TD so i drove the 75 bhp diesel.

I was amazed by the refinement of the engine & the way the cabin was sealed from the outside world, not expected from a hatch. I loved the solid build, the ride quality & the steering feel.

the only negative was the poor throttle response, it lacked the enthusiasm of the scorpio.

the top end 90 hp costs 7.98 lakhs on-road with the 75 bhp emotion pack costing 35k less.

I have called the i20 CRDi tomorrow for a TD. lets see how that car fares against the punto.

 

[RSM]

Your experience with Punto is perfect.
The 90HP has less NVH and throttle response should be better.

Let us know your experience with i20 TD.

 

[jayadev]

yes , punto 90hp nvh is better than punto 75 hp the initial throttle response is just a bit better .
but if one do a side by side race with any of the hatchback presently, it will be punto 90hp always one step ahead.
and punto 90hp shares same ac as in linea t-jet with higer compression mean better and faster cooling.

ps:-with my personnel experience, where 75hp shows 120kmph at the same timing the 90hp would be showing 150 kmph something like that....

but we have to consider that the above is not everything about a car to be owned. i wish if after sales service and support were splendid from fiat what an offer it would have been.