Fiat Grande Punto 90HP - Detailed Ownership Review

[jayadev]

Clocking 2932km

finally, i am back to india and in my punto again.such a lovely feeling!!!

after driving couple of At ,manual and et al cars while i am back into my punto it is a different feel. the super. thing feel is undeniable for truly it have a muscle.

me and my brother tried the 0-100kmph dash with mobile stop watch again got 15.31 and 15.34 secs. maybe it would be lesser in flat straight road (mine was straight highway with bit bumpy surface).

I feel almost sad for those who under estimate punto and dismiss it .
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today (sunday )morning punto wouldn't start 10 am yes my brother slept inside with fan on , he was waiting for somebody, everything shows failure in mid, ABS, engine, airbag failure. I suspected weak battery. Tried horn it sounded dying .

Called fiat assistance. and at first ring somebody picked on other end from Fiat A.S.S. He asked for the situation and location and said within 30minutes he will arrive.

We waited, within 20minutes, two people arrived in safari. They confirmed dead battery and took out the battery from safari and jump started punto the throaty roar was back on. I was relieved.

The call, the solution, the satisfaction and smile on my face. Everything happened within 40 minutes. Fiat service centre was 12 km away from that place.

I give 10/10 marks for the service. Great job Fiat.

I asked any charges, they called their office and said Rs.200/-

PS: I think such issues should be taken care free of cost, i wonder should i check it or not!

 

[amiti]

Jayadev, the more you write, more I am getting inclined towards 90HP punto. Do let me know if punto has some issues which are yet to be sorted out other than plastic quality.

 

[jayadev]

plastic quality may look bit lousy from outside. but i am sure they are of top notch. so did not here a single noise from any part of car . and there is no feeling like if you pull it harder the plastics may come out. they are tightly bound and intact and probably of much thicker guage compared to other cars.

thankfully and thank god there are no issues , nothing so far. car is getting better and better day by day with smoother drive and outstanding torque.

just wondering shall i change the engine oil by 3000km or wait untill first service.

i am getting addicted to it. it is so much intoxicating especially the low end torque and the sound!!!.

 

[mastersquall]

that's why i don't keep my car on battery more then 5min. i had experience lot of these kind but always lucky to find people around to help me start my car .

Why don't you take road service . it should cost around 500 . For 1year peace of mind .

 

[RSM]

Good experience.

I asked any charges, they called their office and said Rs.200/-

PS: I think such issues should be taken care free of cost, i wonder should i check it or not!

If you have Fiat RSA, this should be free of cost.

 

[mastersquall]

one question what is mileage you are getting ?

 

[shailinder]

Re: a christhmas gift from my brother..wow.

as i said i am not riding my punto presently . but who else could sense the pulses of a man other than his own brother. the picture was was sent by my brother saying "a x'mas gift for you " so much wonderful.
it was a huge one.
(shot on christmas eve by himself saying "an eve with punto")

much happy!!

Nice picture Jayadev...

 

[jayadev]

recent trip details from my home town to cochin and return.

havent done accurate tank to tank measure yet but so far it has been allowing me for less frequent visit to gas stations :-)

mileage returns are not bad..i am quite sure it can do better with careful driving .

if i am hard to very hard on accelerator then it comes around 16-18kmpl


Air conditioner was on 60percent of journey at 23 degree C.

high way and city 50-50 percent its giving me 21kmph (average consumption B) Acb overall journey

on higway with a moderate speed of 65-70 km it gives 23-24 kmpls (average consumptionA) AcAreturn from cochin to home.

cheers

 

[mastersquall]

hmm mileage is good i wanted to confirm from person who is really using it . i should say yes to my friend who is thinking of buying 90HP punto .

seeing that low fuel light i remember mine which most time keep glowing .

 

[shailinder]

Jayadev,

You are getting good average. How's your experience with service centres so far. Any issue with anything..

 

[jayadev]

Service centre experience so far, is excellent. as i have mentioned in earlier post .

Now i need to do the first service for 3 months saw the service manager yesterday , he said no need to do booking and such formalities for me but just bring the car by morning they will check up and do a wash .

I also asked about the oil change ,he said there is no need as this oil in punto is of high quality which need to be replaced by second service only.
Right now i was looking for some problems to be notified, but nothing so i am preparing a list of questions to ask like adding a subwoofer without troubling warranty,updating the inbuilt softwares like blue n me, etc.

 

[jayadev]

today 15jan11 first serivice of punto is done. gifted her with fiat floor mats with punto written ,Door Sil Protection Plate,triple layer under-body coating from service centre costing rs.4654/-
additionally polk audio component speakers for front side doors rs.7000/-,antiglare lamination for windsreen and window lamination both 10500/- and changed headlamps to philips xprs.850/-.

service experience:- 9.30am reached ss, service manager looked at punto and got shocked, asked the technician to take it for washing . yes she did a 700km long trip too much dirt she would wear.
i asked how long it would take ,he asked me gently about the complications or issues faced so far.
i said -
1)couple of times the remote key wont work
2)i think i heard some noise while pressing the clutch at early morning(like kee-kee )when engine is off , may be lack of lubrications .
3)gear shift is bit notchy not so comfortable.but not problematic.
4)regarding upgrade of ice and warenty

while talking to manager inside the service centre i was requested to sit inside the lounge by security guy as nobody is permitted to be in service centre due to safety concerns .
service manager introduced me to ice guy. he said if he fixes anything of my choice then warranty would be intact yet fiat doesn't allows anything to be added in their cars. finally i negotiated for cabling and amplifiers by him and i will bring the woofers.

he shown me MAP MY INDIA gps guidance rs.19000/- very handy device but too dear i said i will consider it for future.
he recomended me for a underbody body coating and paint protection.i agreed for underbody coating rs.3300 then he offered some accesories from fiat.
10.30 am somebody brought the gatepass completing service centre work . i saw the manager again asking about the solved issues.he said,
1.there is nothing with clutch it may be due to cold weather the rubber gasket and oil getting stiff.
2. the key had some moisture inside may be due to sweat in pocket.
3. gearshift is usual and the notchy part will wear off eventually as usual.
i agreed.

i asked about k and n filter he said go ahead it is good one and would help you with regular cleaning and maintenance of the filter improving the quality of engine.
i asked about pete's perfomance booster. he said it is not much of any use so not recomending ,the perfomance increase is not much discernible for Indian road conditions. need not spend your money morever if you remove it before bringing it to service centre its not easy to find out for us so dont worry about warranty thingi. there is no problems to engine or anywhere with people who are using it. except some knocking with some customers report.

i asked about rhemus free flow exhaust : he said again not recommending because for same above reasons as the exhaust have two filter which already is restricting the exhausts so present stock muffler is not giving any kind of/negligible resistance to overall output. those who say about big difference may be trying to cover up there money spend.
he asked me to paint the grill black and the give alloy wheels gunmetal finish. for a meaner look!!
finally at 1pm the car was in front of me after under body coating and additional works. exterior cleaning was wonderfull but interior i could see some dust inside the ac vents (only).

i thanked the service guy and with a glad heart bid him goodbye he also thanked me .

overal experience was outstanding with lot of things learnt and job got done well in time.
there wasn't much of usual rush as it was saturday. most conjested days are wednesday,thursday and friday as said by securtiy for my special inquiry.

overall experience was great i would give 10/10 for it.

 

[mastersquall]

nice to see your punto is not giving much problem .

 

[jayadev]

thanks mastersquall. me too very glad for the same with "punto-the otherwise infamous car in india."

 

[safire90]

congrats jayadev your car looks great and you are getting a good mileage as well.
I can say that Linea and punto are two stunningly awesome cars but are bearing the brunt of the excess baggage FIAT has from 80's.