Is Fiat Punto Sluggish?


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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!
I appreciate the offer and accept it. I will make sure to PM you when I plan my trip to Kannur. Thanks for the gesture bro!
 
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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
You are right "nithin_v", Punto may be show in reaching 100Kph, but its handing is brilliant , and even i have swift dzire , if we drive dzire for long time we feel our-self get tired and legs get pained, but punto i love drive, only one negative i feel in punto is route and engine noise if we cross 100kph ..

otherwise my vote is always for PUNTO
 
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Planning of buying a new car and had GP 1.2 Petrol among the shortlisted options but was clueless about the performance as not much info/feedback about the same was not available.

Thanks for the acceleration stats and comparison, Nitin.
Can someone please throw some light on the Top speed and braking performance of the 1.2 FIRE petrol motor?
 
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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.
I very much agree with Crazy cat. Punto is very sluggish in the city. We cannot enjoy turbo all the time as we do not rave up to 80km/h in 2nd gear. Its a pain to drive a Punto in city...I am always left behind after the light turns green at signals [lol]
 
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Planning of buying a new car and had GP 1.2 Petrol among the shortlisted options but was clueless about the performance as not much info/feedback about the same was not available.

Thanks for the acceleration stats and comparison, Nitin.
Can someone please throw some light on the Top speed and braking performance of the 1.2 FIRE petrol motor?
Nandu if you are buying Punto go for the diesel. Punto gives the worse mileage and driving a petrol punto around is not going to be light on your wallet. Also you will enjoy a Punto with a Turbo, as this car is meant for the highway. I would say if you are planning a petrol..and also want a premium hatch..Honda Jazz is your car !
 
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I have Punto MJD with 8500 km on ODO in 4 months. If you ask me if Punto is sluggish, I would say yes for the people who dont know when to upshift the gears properly for Punto. As Raj said if you shift gear too early then you are in dead spot where who will surely feel like you are driving TANK :-P. But I usually change gears at 2200-2300 RPM and this way I never feel Punto sluggish. It's just matter of knowing your car properly and make best out of what it provides instead of cribbing about what it does not provides :-).

P.S. I know I still have to update my Ownership post, but busy schedule has tied me down. BTW Raj I changed my job and now I am in Powai as well . SO we might meet one day for lunch if possible.
 
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I haven't gone through the complete thread, but what i need to clarify is that, the Punto is not sluggish. It would be better to say that Punto has Linear geometry which makes it feel sluggish, though the behavior is more matured and not like the traditional turbo kick which pushes the occupant backs and makes the surge felt.
 
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Planning of buying a new car and had GP 1.2 Petrol among the shortlisted options but was clueless about the performance as not much info/feedback about the same was not available.

Thanks for the acceleration stats and comparison, Nitin.
Can someone please throw some light on the Top speed and braking performance of the 1.2 FIRE petrol motor?
Hello nandu,

Tomorrow I will TD Punto 1.2 for the second time.

First short TD already done. I am LOVING IT! It is VFM also. I feel the best petrol Hatch with 6 L in India.
 
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Nandu if you are buying Punto go for the diesel. Punto gives the worse mileage and driving a petrol punto around is not going to be light on your wallet. Also you will enjoy a Punto with a Turbo, as this car is meant for the highway. I would say if you are planning a petrol..and also want a premium hatch..Honda Jazz is your car !
I strongly object here.

Jazz is too costly, poor ride in bad road, feel like a TOY car in front of Punto 1.2.

Punto's break is awesome. (I feel best without ABS also.)
 
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Every car can feel sluggish if not driven properly in the right gears. This point has been made in this thread several times & I have to repeat it, as I can see people again commenting irresponsibly. Any hatch driven with full load of passengers with ac on will be slow, especially if the gears are not changed in correct rpm. Please stop comparing Jazz & punto. Both are diametrically different- its pointless!!!
Puto is in its rightful place & has its deserved set of admirers & jazz has its own fanbase, lets not break our heads on this guys...
 
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Jazz is too costly, poor ride in bad road, feel like a TOY car in front of Punto 1.2.

Punto's break is awesome. (I feel best without ABS also.)
@basis,Some guys like me was desperately waiting for Test drive experience of yours.
 
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I have driven a Punto petrol for about 200 kms and being true the car disappointed me.From the very same day I am saying "This car has got ride,handling,body control and all ingredients,only thing missing is a T-Jet engine"..am I right guys?

About diesel Punto I have an experience of driving a Emotion MJD 75 hp from Meerut to Jwala Ji.In that trip we covered everything from cities to highways to narrow but winding hilly roads and after driving the Punto on highway and hills I was like What a car yaar!![clap]
Being true on the hilly roads or highways my Corolla can be called sluggish but not Punto.Just go to the hills,shift down to second and start your mile munching,shift up on 55 kph to third pull upto 75-80 kph and enjoy the dynamics.Make less use of brakes just touch the brake pedal,leave the accelerator and take that turn at 40 kph which you never took at 20 kph in your Innova.And climbing was even more fun.Why go to 4th gear on hills when all the fun lies in second and third.
While on highways this car cruises effortlessly at 130 kph and all your passengers are happy inside.
Driven Punto 90 hp once for about 60 kms on highway but was unable to distinguish between this car and 75 hp one,only there was very less difference that also in higher revs,there the 90 hp pulls even better.Since I expected to have a blast of performance so the 90 hp somewhere disappointed me.
 
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I haven't gone through the complete thread, but what i need to clarify is that, the Punto is not sluggish. It would be better to say that Punto has Linear geometry which makes it feel sluggish, though the behavior is more matured and not like the traditional turbo kick which pushes the occupant backs and makes the surge felt.
Well, Punto 90 hp has variable geometry turbine, 75 hp has linear geometry turbine.

Coming to your query, it feels sluggish because it is not designed to give you a push-in-the-back feeling. The acceleration in turbo range is linear & steady.

Also, the car actually masks speed, so you dont actually realize that you are doing high speeds, unlike in other hatches.

I have driven a Punto petrol for about 200 kms and being true the car disappointed me.From the very same day I am saying "This car has got ride,handling,body control and all ingredients,only thing missing is a T-Jet engine"..am I right guys?
Very true. Punto petrol is damn slow, especially the 1.2

About diesel Punto I have an experience of driving a Emotion MJD 75 hp from Meerut to Jwala Ji.In that trip we covered everything from cities to highways to narrow but winding hilly roads and after driving the Punto on highway and hills I was like What a car yaar!![clap]
Being true on the hilly roads or highways my Corolla can be called sluggish but not Punto.Just go to the hills,shift down to second and start your mile munching,shift up on 55 kph to third pull upto 75-80 kph and enjoy the dynamics.Make less use of brakes just touch the brake pedal,leave the accelerator and take that turn at 40 kph which you never took at 20 kph in your Innova.And climbing was even more fun.Why go to 4th gear on hills when all the fun lies in second and third.
While on highways this car cruises effortlessly at 130 kph and all your passengers are happy inside.
+100. Punto is a joy on the highways.

Driven Punto 90 hp once for about 60 kms on highway but was unable to distinguish between this car and 75 hp one,only there was very less difference that also in higher revs,there the 90 hp pulls even better.Since I expected to have a blast of performance so the 90 hp somewhere disappointed me.
True. Not much of a difference is felt between 90hp & 75hp.
 
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True. Not much of a difference is felt between 90hp & 75hp.
There is a mild difference, which me and my friend tried once .

Both start together, 75hp 10mtrs in front.mine at 16km and his 5k on odo.

by 70kmph, 90hp will be honking , by 95kmh we will be parallel , by 110 90hp will be in front, by 130kmph 90hp will be 20 meters ahead.

but you drive both side by side you cant feel the difference such is the interior isolation from NVH.
 
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Well, Punto 90 hp has variable geometry turbine, 75 hp has linear geometry turbine.
I thought 75 hp has fixed geometry turbo like Swift which gives you the desired punch at around 2000 rpm,while 90 hp has variable geomatry turbo that has got linear power delivery.

BTW,read on another forum that 2012 Punto hasn't got rear anti roll bars and is 50 kg lighter than older Punto,is it true?
 

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