Fiat Grande Punto 90HP - Detailed Ownership Review

[jayadev]

fiat jet fighters

The Fiat G.91 was an Italian jet fighter aircraft. It was the winner of the NATO competition in 1953 as standard equipment for Allied air forces. It entered in operational service with the Italian Air Force in 1961, with West Germany's Luftwaffe, in 1962,[1] and later with the Portuguese Air Force. It was in production for 19 years. 756 aircraft were completed, including the prototypes and pre-production models. The assembly lines were finally closed in 1977.[1] The Fiat G.91 enjoyed a long service life that extended over 35 years. It was widely used by Portugal in the Portuguese Colonial War in Africa. A twin engined variant was known as the Fiat/Aeritalia G.91Y.

courtesy wikipedia.

 

[jayadev]

sure u love ur car, yet u are also putting forth its flaws as well.good posts

thanks drshajikt,

i do love to last particle of it. its a nice one with a feel for sure!!

well with my previous car indica vista , punto's turning radius is bit longer ,though the steering is much lighter and comfortable.

but i dont have much of issue with that as i am used to drive big cars like ford ranger and dakota.

i cannot compare it with other cars in puntos segment as i have little idea about it.
but of course its apparent punto can never beat wagon r , beats and such urban sibilings in city u turns.

what i learnt is punto is designed to accommodate wider range of rubber , so that it doesn't scrape while turning- typically considering the sport interests.

a.s.s part , i can write an essay .
the service centre guys are much considerate and polite over my hometown "kvr dream vehicles,kannur" and they take care of the car like a baby with 2 or 3 guys always engaged usually. they have differnt desk with computers for fiat in tata s.s.
so it feels little bit of relief to note all that.
but again fiat have issues with parts/spares availability and that is something wierd and common with european and american cars imho. i haven't got any response yet for my seat replacement,even after putting up some word in ceo corner in fiat website

mileage part is not clear to me yet as its still running in period . i have noticed wide variations , from 14 to 21kmpl (city and hwy mixed) hope it will get better later
i am convinced that fe is far better than my previous car vista which used to stick to 13-15 initially.
imho credit goes to vgt and turbo lag to an extend so most of the time car runs without the turbo in and around 50 -70kmph drinking less fuel.

i20 is also a good choice if you are not brand conscious or dont have a serious driver in you.
i20 is definitly a good package but i dont know about its mileage whether it is hyped or true imho 23 sounds too much in such a heavy car with small engines) . if it is true then kudos to hyundai.

fiat sales are day by are getting extinct and it is matter of alert for existing owners but iam not much worried if my car doesn't give any troubles(hope it doesnt)
(imho fiat is planning some drastic steps for sales by 2011 or maybe something else}

i am pretty much satisfied with its ride quality,looks,steering feels, good nvh and well built. remaining things and creature comfort i am least bothered as i scarcely use them (they are all useless literally at least to me-as i dont even use those steering controls.)

well the liking towards the car might have left you feel i am biased or exaggerated well i put whatever i felt if i feel bad it would definitly reflect here.(so far it did not)
cheers

 

[redbull]

Hi Jayadev,

Nice to meet a guy so passionate about his FIAT car. I got my Punto 90HP BNW last Thursday. And Oh boy!! I love it !!!

Keep writing !!! Your post are very enjoyable reading !!

-Sourav

 

[jayadev]

sourav, welcome to the automotive india .

congratulations for the new ride.very much glad to know we both enjoy same ride .
do put up you experience and pics in a new thread. we all would love to hear from you.

happy driving.

 

[anthakan]

Jayadev, Amazing Review! I test drove Punto 90 HP last month. Amazing handler!
Power delivery was also good. I have almost made up my mind 90% to buy a Punto. :)
But after going through your awesome review, I have fallen in love with Punto 100% !!
FYI.. These are my first lines in The Automotive India :)

 

[jayadev]

hi anthakan, welcome to the automotive india and thanks for the above.

do take some time and be around here as i can assure, you will gain more knowledge and good friends too.

rightly said about the power delivery, it is somewhat intoxicating with such a car . untill 2000rpm one feel bore some kind a drive post 2000rpm this car is dangerously addictive with that sword edge precision steering.
unlike the older mjet engines this one with vgt has wider band of power delivery so more you push the accel paddle the engine keeps pushing.
eagerly waiting for run in time and oil change then is the beginning of real game.

ps:your name is really freaky . i wish to know why you selceted such a deadly name..

 

[anthakan]

ps:your name is really freaky . i wish to know why you selceted such a deadly name..

Hi Jayadev, Thanks for your warm welcome.

Good question! The freaky name has some history. That was my name when I used to play Counter Strike. So kept it as my ID here, so the good memories will always stay alive with me.

 

[anthakan]

rightly said about the power delivery, it is somewhat intoxicating with such a car . untill 2000rpm one feel bore some kind a drive post 2000rpm this car is dangerously addictive with that sword edge precision steering.
unlike the older mjet engines this one with vgt has wider band of power delivery so more you push the accel paddle the engine keeps pushing.
eagerly waiting for run in time and oil change then is the beginning of real game.

Actually it was a short test drive of hardly 5 kms and what I enjoyed the most was Punto's handling. She is razor sharp! Punto is the only car which I test drove is a better handler than my Zen. Other cars I tried are i20 (Poor handling), Figo ( close to Zen's handling).

Power is the communication medium of an engine to its driver in any car. It is all about give respect and take power. A real enthusiast have to learn to communicate to the power house and it is a gradual learning. It comes by experience and by listening to pulse of engine. What matters is at what rpm you shift to the right gears to get the maximum output. Once you learn it then you are the master of the engine. I think, Jayadev has already mastered it for his love 'Punto'

 

[jayadev]

well thanks anthakan ( your name is really freaky feels like talking to devil ...lol)

Power is the communication medium of an engine to its driver in any car. It is all about give respect and take power. A real enthusiast have to learn to communicate to the power house and it is a gradual learning. It comes by experience and by listening to pulse of engine. What matters is at what rpm you shift to the right gears to get the maximum output. Once you learn it then you are the master of the engine.

these phrases could be added in HOF for TAI best quotes!! imho

 

[anthakan]

well thanks anthakan ( your name is really freaky feels like talking to devil ...lol)

Yeah, I am one with the heart of an angel!

these phrases could be added in HOF for TAI best quotes!! imho

Thanks for the compliments Jayadev. But being a Rookie, I could not understand the expansion of HOF. Please clarify.

 

[jayadev]

Yeah, I am one with the heart of an angel!

obviously you are.

hof is nothing but hall of fame.

 

[jayadev]

some serious issues with ...

brother called me yesterday and asked seriously...

"people including friends keep asking me about our punto the price the satisfaction and they want to peep inside to see interiors .
and some of them wanted to sit in drivers seat and some wanted a short drive also!!! so shall i allow them or not? in indica vista rarely anyone used to ask anything but mileage."

i said no...not at all...tell them this is not a demo car ,if they want let them go to showroom!!!

it seems brother is bit worried now!!!

 

[jayadev]

thanks to my brother...a shot from his his college building.!!

 

[v_ram]

wow jaydev late congrats but a heartfull from my side.
great writeup i have the same situations where i was bashed about fiat and i made them eat their words.

ram

 

[jayadev]

thanks v ram, i am glad that i am puntoer not only for fiat but for the quality of car, and with more puntoer around its like icing on cake..!!