Is Fiat Punto Sluggish?

[nithin_v]

Punto is Sluggish : A common myth that has been projected across the automotive forums. A lot of doubts are there among members about this topic.
Let us discuss the the timings

From Auto Car India (Disclaimer: Do not know about the reliability but thinks they are reliable compared to others)
20-80 in 3rd Gear // 40 - 100 in 4th gear // 0 - 100

Swift D - 11.96 / 14.72
Punto 90D - 13.97 / 14.72
Punto D - 12.57 / 15.22
Ritz D - 12.52 / 15.36
Figo D - 13.45 / 16.36
i20 D - 15.51 / 19.01

All timing in sec

Petrol

30 - 80 Kmph timings in the 3rd Gear

Punto 1.4 - 14.11 secs
Swift 1.2 - 14.98 secs
Punto 1.2 - 15.27 secs
i10 1.2 -15.52 secs
Polo 1.2 - 16.83 secs
i20 1.2 - 16.98 secs

40 - 100 Kmph timings in the 4th Gear
Punto 1.4 - 19.53 secs
Punto 1.2 - 21.72 secs
i20 1.2 - 22.23 secs
Swift 1.2 - 22.41 secs
Polo 1.2 - 23.04 secs
i10 1.2 - 29.92 secs

0-100 Kmph

i10 1.2 - 13.02 secs
Swift 1.2 -13.09 secs
i20 1.2 - 15.21 secs
Polo 1.2-16.5 secs
Punto 1.4 -16.58 secs
Punto 1.2 - 18.16 secs

In real life scenario's we usually drive mostly in 3rd / 4th gear. So the in gear acceleration is important than the 0-100 drag race chart. From this we can say that the mid range is good for punto and its not sluggish for a normal driver.

(Reference : Auto Car India forum )

 

[jayadev]

Re: Is Punto Sluggish ?

These figures have been used a hundred time and you what is the end result. Punto is looser on 0-100 tests and overall winner in long journeys. hope that clears everything.

 

[nithin_v]

Re: Is Punto Sluggish ?

Hi Jayadev,

This is more to clarify or discuss on so called belief that the performance measures are 0-100 km/h figures. Better to have an insight on so called 'performance measures' and so i took punto as a best example. Help in others who are confused with long list of hatch backs

 

[point_city96]

Re: Is Punto Sluggish ?

Nithin_V,
Could you please tell me the date of issue(I mean the month) of the Autocar magazine from which these figures are taken.Reason I am asking is the i10 1.2(Kappa2) takes 12.xx seconds to reach 100KM/h from standstill .

I think if you go by such figures then I think Fluidic Verna will be slowest in the segment I think(if at least in any one column of in gear acceleration is taken into account),but that is not the reality because no one really said that verna diesel is a slouch rather it is said the diesel mill is very comfortable and requires less down shift.You can correct me If I am wrong.

We should also know that petrol cars have poor in gear acceleration but that doesn't make petrol cars sluggish I think.You can correct if I am wrong.

 

[FJ CRUZER]

Re: Is Punto Sluggish ?

Oops, I jumped on this thread to read what raj_5004 has so say about this. Interestingly there is no response
Where are you my friend, please jump in I need to read your views as you have first hand experience of the Pintu

Swift D - 11.96 / 14.72
Punto 90D - 13.97 / 14.72
Punto D - 12.57 / 15.22
Ritz D - 12.52 / 15.36
Figo D - 13.45 / 16.36
i20 D - 15.51 / 19.01

Nitin, Can you confirm stuff related to Punto (bold above). I mean how can Punto 90hp be slower than Punto D?
Please correct if my assumption is wrong

 

[jayadev]

Re: Is Punto Sluggish ?

There is no need to see any figures for punto in India.

It is the heaviest car of the lot and slowest in 0-100kmph. main reason: 1st gear ratio is very huge and
have very large gap in 1st gear to second gear ratio .

that 1st gear has been very helpful due to immense torque it provides on slopes ,ramps and humps car never stalls.

 

[raj_5004]

Re: Is Punto Sluggish ?

Oops, I jumped on this thread to read what raj_5004 has so say about this. Interestingly there is no response
Where are you my friend, please jump in I need to read your views as you have first hand experience of the Pintu

There are other Punto experts on board, so I chose to keep quiet.

If you ask me, is Punto sluggish? Well, yes it is. I am comparing it to the Polo, i20, Scorpio, Innova, etc.

But is it slow? No. In the hands of a guy who has driven the Punto for a long time, he can keep up with the rest of the hatches, as he knows how to effectively use the gears. Yes, you do need to work the gears to keep up the pace.

Nitin, Can you confirm stuff related to Punto (bold above). I mean how can Punto 90hp be slower than Punto D?
Please correct if my assumption is wrong

It seems fishy. In the first two gears, there is no difference felt in the 75hp & 90hp Punto. But 3r gear onwards, the 90hp does feel faster.

 

[FJ CRUZER]

Re: Is Punto Sluggish ?

There are other Punto experts on board, so I chose to keep quiet.

If you ask me, is Punto sluggish? Well, yes it is. I am comparing it to the Polo, i20, Scorpio, Innova, etc.

But is it slow? No. In the hands of a guy who has driven the Punto for a long time, he can keep up with the rest of the hatches, as he knows how to effectively use the gears. Yes, you do need to work the gears to keep up the pace.



It seems fishy. In the first two gears, there is no difference felt in the 75hp & 90hp Punto. But 3r gear onwards, the 90hp does feel faster.

Pity to be ill-informed on this so MUST ask; is the Gross weight different in 75hp & 90hp. If yes, what is the difference in weight?

Scorpio & Innovas are okay, but I did not think the i20 & polo was any better on 1/2 gears. They feel great 3rd gear onwards, Polo feels much better than i20 @ speed exceeding 100kmph. It does feel as if it is firm on the road and the grip gives lots of confidence to the driver, not so much in i20.

I have not driven the Punto on highways/empty roads, so not sure how it goes in comparison.

 

[raj_5004]

Re: Is Punto Sluggish ?

Pity to be ill-informed on this so MUST ask; is the Gross weight different in 75hp & 90hp. If yes, what is the difference in weight?

Yes, but not much.

Kerb weights:

75 hp - 1130 kgs
90 hp - 1144 kgs

Scorpio & Innovas are okay, but I did not think the i20 & polo was any better on 1/2 gears. They feel great 3rd gear onwards, Polo feels much better than i20 @ speed exceeding 100kmph. It does feel as if it is firm on the road and the grip gives lots of confidence to the driver, not so much in i20.

Actually, Punto's 2nd gear is the culprit, it is annoyingly tall which makes it irritating in city traffic.

Hey, I am not considering the dynamics at all, here I am strictly commenting on acceleration figures. Dynamically, Punto is the strongest among all hatches.

I have not driven the Punto on highways/empty roads, so not sure how it goes in comparison.

Punto is a treat on the highways, especially twisty roads. I take my car out on weekends sometimes just for some nice drives, its superb.

 

[FJ CRUZER]

Re: Is Punto Sluggish ?

Yes, but not much.

Kerb weights:

75 hp - 1130 kgs
90 hp - 1144 kgs

14 Kg won't make so much of difference. It's only about 1.25% more weight for the 90hp. So there is no reason it to be slower than 75hp. Something seriously wrong in the figures.

Punto is a treat on the highways, especially twisty roads. I take my car out on weekends sometimes just for some nice drives, its superb.

Humm, I need to look for a Highway drive with somebody in a Punto 90hp.

 

[Crazy cat]

Re: Is Punto Sluggish ?

I think the huge turbo lag is the reason for it to be called sluggish. I took TD of 75 and 90 BHP models and both models lacked driveability. But when the turbo opens up, it surges forward. So, you need to stay in a lower gear all the time.


In gear timings are in favour of Punto, but that doesn't translate into real world driving. No one is going to accelerate all the way to 80 in 3rd gear, this tall range means turbo would be active for most of the time. But on traffic, we tend to drive more in turbo lag part.

 

[basis]

Re: Is Punto Sluggish ?

Guys , stay tuned for my TD on Punto 1.2 ans 1.3 by next week-end.

Though I already did a short TD on Punto 1.2 and the only issue I found with the car in initial pick is "bit sluggishness" observed.

What jayadev mention I do agree with him 100%.

Till the time I took many TD of almost all hatchbacks.

Now I can say Punto 1.2 overall best and real VFM.

Never go by the figures only. You will never get the correct picture.

 

[raj_5004]

Re: Is Punto Sluggish ?

@ Crazy Cat :

You are right. This is a constant debate among FIAT owners. I have driven the i20 (5 speed) as well as the Punto. I feel the Punto has significantly lesser turbo lag.

What is terribly wrong is the gearing. I am sure, with the same setup, if you just plonk in a newer & better gearbox, the Punto can be as fast as the Swift & i20.

Let me try to explain -

1st gear - Its short. If you rev a bit & leave the clutch, the car lurches forward with a gusto revving till 4k in no time. That makes you shift to 2nd. That's okay, its a trait of all diesel cars.

2nd gear - Annoyingly tall. After the sudden burst of power, you suddenly encounter a lag. If you are among the unlucky ones who shifted to 2nd too soon & your rpm is below 1.5k, then you hit a dead spot as the gear is already too tall to pull your heavy car & the turbo is not awake to help you out. Only solution is to wait till the turbo spools.

3rd gear & 4th gear - Reasonable. It does not matter as long as you are in these two gears. Even if you fall below 1.5 rpm (out of the turbo range), the good gearing ensures that the car will pull cleanly. Do not expect a push in the back feeling, that's only after 2k rpm, but the car will not be bogged down either.

I feel the only issue is with 2nd gear. Problem is, in city, you will have to use the 2nd gear quite frequently & that makes the Punto slower. I did a highway trip recently & I could easily keep up with a Vento (which has a stonking diesel motor) and a Baleno.

 

[basis]

Re: Is Punto Sluggish ?

There is no need to see any figures for punto in India.

It is the heaviest car of the lot and slowest in 0-100kmph. main reason: 1st gear ratio is very huge and
have very large gap in 1st gear to second gear ratio .

that 1st gear has been very helpful due to immense torque it provides on slopes ,ramps and humps car never stalls.

very well said.

 

[jayadev]

FJ cruiser and any other Tai memebr, you are welcome to have a drive in my 90hp if you happen to be in kannur, strictly for TAI brothers only!