Fabia Vs Grande Punto Vs i20 diesel

[aptsat]

Though i have been reading all your posts, its been a long time since i have logged in. Need your help, as by this weekend i have to choose a car.

The reason why i wish to buy a new car is that i want a diesel motor to provide to me great fuel efficiency.

While replying to this post, i do not wish to consider a swift or a ritz or dzire or equivalent car as i wish to promote myself to a premium brand and a premium car which provides great features, is fully loaded and very safe.

With this in mind i have already test driven the Fabia and Punto. I have seen the i20 but not driven it as the test drives have not begun as yet

I currently drive a Santro top end and as such i am not very excited to go for a Hyundai once again (It is besides the fact that Hyundai Motors are great engine) I am also not so very excited about the looks

Fiat Grande Punto in red looks stunning. Its a great proven car in europe. However it is still a Fiat in India and that too with a Tata alliance. Not sure what would be my future with this car.

Finally the Skoda Fabia. Its a Skoda and the imprint on the engine is that of a VW Audi - with a made in Germany mark. (Obeserved Closely) . I have always been in love with this car and have currently finalised it.

My concern is that i should not be making a mistake. Please help

?

Thanks and RegardsCYRUS432009-09-21 18:36:51

[flASh]

if u are ok with the fabia,then u can go for it.its brilliant as a car ,but overall i20 is better,considering the ASS part n also i20 is more modern compared to fabia..

punto is VFM out of the lot,somehow i dint find the car that attractive,multijet works poorly in it n rear space is a bit of concern..my choice would be i20 CRDi

[rssh]

The thing with i20 is that if it was launched with a skoda badge then it would have been a VFM but a hyundai badge is something which is not related to premium feel and I agree with the word of ACI is ani't as 'polished' as Fabia. Out of the 3 best allrounder is i20 , if you like looks of punto then that is good regarding Fiat ASS any comment is neglible we have to wait for 6months before any comment gives conclusion.

[speed]

If you love the looks of Fiat Punto, go for it! Its a fabulous car & this time around Fiat seems committed in providing good customer care.

Fabia's sales have bottomed down, Skoda's declining A.S.S is supposed to be a part of the problem aided by high price.

i20, I believe is priced higher than the price it actually deserves & I do for see a price reduction in times to come.

[uneet]

Hi Aptsat,

?

Firstly this is gonna be one long post which may loose your pateince.

?

Among the 3 cars short listed, every car has its pros and cons. Before that i will let you know that Iam using fabia diesel for the last one year but i would not like to convey any biasness here.

?

i20 -- 1.4 crdi engine is a good one with 90 bhp. The specs for the car to go with?its features justifies a?premium. Hyundai is not conceived as a premium brand and surely the car lacks in the interior refinement and upmarket feel as that of brand like Honda.

?

Interior space is decent, ride and handling is not too great as one expects from a premium hatch. To my honest opinion i fealt that this car is overpriced by Rs. 50k. Fuel economy though not known but company is claiming it to be between 15 - 17. Hyundai A.S.S should be the most safest out here.

?

Grande Punto -- Now this is the car that everyone has been waiting for mainly because of the aggresive and VFM approach from Fiat at the time of Linea launch.

As we all know that this car is having the same engine already used by Maruti Swift, swift dzire?and Ritz, Indica Vista, and Fiat Linea. This engine has been a revolution and has set a benchmark in its segment.

?

The looks are typically Italian. Ride and handling is at par with any sedan. Fiat has launched this in different variants? with aggresive pricing. I would suggest you have a look at this car closely. Fuel economy is decent between 14 - 16

?

Skoda Fabia -- Iam using the classic version. Skoda had set a benchmark in the ride and handling department from the day of its launch of Octavia and Fabia is also surelly not left behind. Infact Fabia has the best road manners in this segment. The stearing looks well weighted and the gear changing seems an addiction.

?

The engine is very noisy. Infact the noise can also be compared with Tata 407. Main reason is that Skoda has brought there old reliable German PD engine technology in this car which has only 3 cylindars due to which it is noisy. The car is not very responsive to start with but once it touches 2000 RPM there is a sudden spurt in the car. Infact Iam waiting to know the 0-100 dash between Punto i20 and Fabia as i feel that Fabia can be winner here.

?

Reg A.S.S - There have been many horror stories around for Skoda service mainly because of there highest spare part cost in its segment. But if you are driving this car carefully with regular checkups, it will not go wrong

?

The service cost is between Rs. 5000 - 8000 in one year or 15000 kms interval.

?

The interiors are the best in class and somehow gives you a very mature feel to it. The car has a strong built and?honestly i feel that after driving a german/european car, the japanease counterparts looks quite flimsy to me! For your information Iam also driving Civic and Innova but would prefer to travel in Fabia as it absorbes the bad road condition here better.

?

For more information I would like you to go through my complete review for fabia. Link given below. Also?two more links of fellow Fabia owners is also given which will help you know the user reviews.

?

?

Now the verdict -- I still feel though Fabia is better car as compared to the i20 and Punto, but Skoda could have opted for a better engine both in Petrol and diesel. If you really like the european feel than youmay either go for Punto or wait for VW Polo due to be launched in January with a world class 1.2 tsi engine as Fabia is little overpriced. But if you can affort it than take it.

?

The link for my review at carwale.com:

http://www.carwale.com/Research/ReadFullUserReview-rid-4174-sort-1-m-1656088434.html

?

A relatively new link for Fabia owners:

?

http://fabiaownersclub.s2.bizhat.com/index.php?mforum=fabiaownersclub

?

Hope this whole information helps you decide the best car for you. Pls keep me posted.

CYRUS432009-09-21 18:37:16

[SP_1916]

Hai aptsat, I will recommend you to go with Fabia but only after the price correction that is going to happen.

The reason, the great built quality, good economy, great stability, good comfort and practicality. And more over after two years(after warranty gets finished) you can remap(Pete's Custom code remap) and enjoy a new fabia with more power.

[tanmay87]

I would suggest you to go for Punto, it seems you like the car but you are worried about Fiat's A.S.S but i don't think that will be a problem as there are many Linea owners in the forum and they haven't had any problems till now.

i20 is overpriced and Fabia will be costly to maintain, A.S.S isn't that good too.

[Durango Dude]

As an overall package, I'd say the i20 CRDI has everything covered. If I were to be offered a car in this group, I'd choose the i20 CRDI Asta(O), just find one fault, besides it being Korean. What will road manner's amount to with a gutless noisy engine: I prefer the "Sound of silence" to the sound of a Tata 407, under the bonnet. Punto engines are in dire need of 'Viagra', or Pete's box at an extra 31,200 bucks, I'd rather spend that extra cash on a car that will surely rock- namely the i20 CRDI.

[spearhead1909]

TD the i20...and as DD says...just one word...i20...it will drive you crazy

[rahul1810]

I would suggest you go for the i20 diesel. Though it is more expensive, maintenance cost will be less and would be hassle free. As far as i can remember The ARAI data states 21 for punto and 20.8 for i20. So difference is very less and would amount to nothing on road. Also resale values of hyundai is good, and interior quality better than punto.

Fabia is very much a case of heart over brain. You can only be smitten by its interiors and exteriors, but there is nothing else i can say in favour of this car. Buy this only if you want the best made car in the price range.

Another option is the indica vista qjet. At a mouthwatering price, and possibly one of the most spacious hatchback in the market after jazz.

[rahul1810]

EDIT

Vista doesnt have airbags and abs so neglect that opinion

[SP_1916]

I think we all forgot VW POLO.When Polo will be launched in 2010 January(in the 10th Autoexpo)it will be one of the best hatches you can buy. And also the less interest rates makes buying POLO more sweeter!

The only defect I found in it is the rear headroom.   

[jimgeo]

Don't expect the VW Polo to be cheaper than the Fabia because VW is more of premium brand value than Skoda. It will be priced not less than 6 Lakhs for the base 1.2 model when it comes to India. I have owned the 1.4MPI sedan model and I didnt find it so exciting. My advice is to go for the Punto Multijet if you dont bother about resale value.

[rkrk]

My opinion is i20 is good, b'caz of Features offered & Good safety (5STAR rated & better than Honda Jazz).

Even basic version  (Magna-Diesel) comes with ABS brake with all wheel Disc brakes.

Others offersing Drum brake in rear wheel which may cause for wheel skid.

Drum brakes are good for low power engines.

 

But  1.4 i20 diesel requires ABS beacuse of of its bigh power (90PS) & torq which is best in it class. Also its offering best mileage

[bluesapphire]

I think the choice should be between Punto and i20. I although fabia is good car but still you are opting diesel means you will drive a lot and that means you need a good engine to drive which Fabia doesnt has. I dont think it makes sense to opt for old and that too 3 cylinder diesel when you have other good engines, you can live with an underpowered engine but not with unrefined, slow and noisy engine, apart from that its A.s.s also is not that great but that also depends on various dealers, the main thing is lack of features in comparision to competitors and not so good engine.

 

On other hand you have i20 which although expensive but has everything like quality, good diesel engine, comfort, looks, hell lot of features, stability, space, good A.s.s and resale value. Although its interiors plastic arent that great but they arent that bad that you cant live with it, and its handling also is not for enthusiastics but its better to have a good engine with decent handling than to have bad engine with good handling. And regarding build quality, it has got 5star NCAP rating and that not only because of 6airbags and other safety features but also because it is well built and is at par with other europeans.

 

Punto is also great product but heard that plastic quality, space and engine)though MJD but not tuned properly) arent that good but you can check it out. It has got build quality, ride and handling, not so powerful but refined engine, looks, many features, italian feel but then its let down by its A.s.s and resale.

 

I think the choice should be between i20 and Punto, rest its upto you.

And if at all you are planning for fabia then please wait for some time as it might get cheaper or some addition in features due to high localisation.

 

And regarding Polo, i think he clearly mentioned that he want to make a choice this weekend so Polo is clearly out of question.

[tejasmehta990]

Both i20 and Punto are great car but you may select the same based on your driving routine.

You must have read recent Autocar issue wherein Punto have performed it's best on the highways and it found OK while driving in city in terms of suspension set-up, driving comfort, gearing, back seat space etc...

As compared to Punto, i20 is best suited for City driving and since it is Hyundai, it will perform well on the highways too and it look more premium hatch than Punto. Even service backup is also best compared to Fiat Punto.   

Since you are looking for premium diesel vehicle, you may think for going for SWIFT DEZIRE Diesel as you are getting a very good car with big boot. Even the Swift has the best diesel engine tuning among all diesel hatches.

Best of Luck !

[nim12esh]

Choose between Punto and i20. By the way, Punto is better. i20 is a poor handler, does not offer good ride and the steering is also not well weighted. Punto is the king of all hatches in terns of ride and handling and looks. It is a great car in my opinion.

[flASh]

i say choose between fabia n i20....punto lacks premium feeling with dull n bland interiors,also when i test drove the punto(mjd)..i was wondering that is this the same engine that swift has??where is the turbo kick!! ..fabia has best build,quality n has much better ride and handling than i20 n punto..if u want a vfm..i suppose the order is punto,i20,fabia..if u want outright performance n cutting edge features..then its i20 all the way..my pick would be i20..its an all rounder!!

[accelerate]

considering that u have been driving a top end santro and have zeroed in on the fabia as of now i think u wont compromise on the quality front and budget doesn't seem much of problem to you....

 

so you should take the following points into consideration-

 

1) Fit n finish level.

fabia is the best amongst the three, although punto and i20 are close....

 

2) Handling and road manners.

now the punto is way ahead of fabias and i20s in this department....

(Advice- there's no point in having a fast car if you can't push it to its limits....)

 

3) Interiors.

Frankly speaking, its tough to choose who's better in this dept but the Blue & Me feature on punto was rocking for someone like me who doesn't like to plug the bluetooth in my ear.....

Also the BLAUPUNKT stereo is much better in sound quality....

 

4) Exteriors.

now this is something very individual.... i like the fabia because of the mature design, i dont like i20 much (not that it looks bad)....

But the punto, its like falling in love with her everytime you see her.... Man i saw one in black, 15 inch alloys.... i was floored.....

 

My opinion.

1) Somehow the i20 looses the race without even  competing.

2) Fabia is a great car, but then i doubt the VFM and NHV.....

3) Punto is the best VFM hot hatch, but interior quality not like fabia.... but then as the advt says.... A BOLD NEW DRIVE....

[gajaykrishna]

If i were given the choice i would have chosen the Hyundai i20 probably because its more befitting for indian customers rather than others. The i20 petrol had the best mileage among the lot(among the petrol engine) and the diesel probably would carry on this gene and its got a power thats well with the competition with a 90bhp 1.4 litre crdi engine, but it can never match the solid build qualities of a german subsidiary the skoda with its solid build quality nd its premium equipment quality is sure to carry u away where as the i20s interior is a bit dull nd definetely doesn't look like that of a premium hatchback. when taking the punto the desing is good nd has proven to be of mass appeal in the european markets nd its build quality is as good as the skoda nd the ride nd handling are pretty good too but the engine not as refined nd the performance to definetly not upto the mark and the interiors of the punto are definetly out of competition with poor finish nd cheap looking interiors. so the punto is definetly out of competition here( but the fiat are known for their diesel engines) nd fabia's design being pretty old( atleast looks old when seen eye to eye with the i20) ultimately the i20 just brushes past the fabia. but fabia is equally good but the customer support bad compared to the hyundai. if skoda is able to rethink their strategy nd provide the customers with more support the i really will be unable to choose among the two.

[Durango Dude]

I think the i20 has, indeed, caught the imagination of the Janta. It has sold 12,000 units in the last six months, even in it's 1.2 avatar. So it has actually prised open a nascent segment and the CRDI and 1.4 petrol auto will only widen it's appeal. Yes, everyone likes to own a German marque but how many can afford it, especially, the upkeep. I like the 'peace of mind' that comes with a Hyundai. The product's are fuss free and don't behave like an expensive "mistress" like Skoda which can be wallet busting. People have been waiting for a premium hatch from "Hatch Kings" of India and Hyundai has stolen a lead over MSIL by it's bold launch of two real expensive hatches, that are not expensive just for the sake of the brand: the Honda Jazz, but coz they are really kitted inside out and are really worth every penny you spend on it. Punto/Fabia is clear half hearted European approach to appease Indians, with engines lacking poke. Why pay for thrummy 3 cylinders, when you can get DOHC, 16 valve and VTVT and CRDI for the same money? 

[helboy]

hi aptsat

a few pointers from my side.hope this helps

1.If you need safety,go for punto.

2.If you need mileage wait till the first reviews and then decide.

3.If you need looks go for Punto.

4.If you need just a powerful engine and does not care about mileage then I would bet on the i20 diesel.

5.If you need better A.S.S go for i20.

6.Punto holds much better upmarket feel than i20.

7.Ride quality and handling is always better in a FIAT.

8.Service being handled by TATA,i would bet FIAT has made sure that GP/Linea needs the least service visits.

9.Personally i would always trust a diesel engine made by FIAT than one from Hyundai.Thats y so many other cars carry the 1.3 MJD.

10.For build quality,a Hyun will NEVER come close to a FIAT.

As for Skoda,its got power and its got good handling but A.S.S is a pain from what i've heard.

Thank you

[aptsat]

Hi Guys,Thanks for the overwhelming response and views. Was not replying to the posts as I wanted to get my hands on the i20 diesel which I could do yesterday.

Though you guys have provided good insights on the three models, while buying a vehicle I want the following features as well as the following conditions need to be kept in mind

1 I will be driving the vehicle at least for 350 days in a year in mumbai itself and as such I need a car which gives me great FE in bumper to bumper traffic as Mumbai is known for traffic mess at all times in a day. Further I need a car which can swollow potholes with ease without giving much of a pain to the passengers. Since I am graduating from a Hyundai I want a car that has great brand image and when I or anyone accompanying me enters my car should get a superb luxury feel and finally the car has to be loaded with features. ASS though important, I do not mind spending a few extra hundreds on the same. My reading of the three models and the advise that you guys have so kindly shared with me is as follows

1 Punto: superb design and looks stunning in red. Good interior design but not so good plastics.Has a stylish look but not a classic luxury look. Ride quality and handling good.In bumper to bumper traffic it can become a pain as the motor zooms only after 2500 rpm and reaching that point is almost impossible in mumbai

2 i20: Good exterior styling but does not give the classic luxury feel. Interior styling equally good but a great let down plastic. You almost feel that you are driving a improvised Santro. Engine power is amazing and top of the class. Handling is good but ride quality is big let down and it could be shocking in the conditions I wish to drive.

Fabia: I do not wish to write much here since in all the parameters here in above the Fabia scores far ahead. The only let down being the 3 cylinder engine but as I said that I have to drive in mumbai and skoda does not cripple with turbo lags even at lower gears and has a great torque.

On the average and features front, all three models are almost at par. On the price front the my personal opinion is that that the i20 is very expensive. Basis the above and all your comments I am still bent on a skoda. Please advise

[Durango Dude]

@aptsat: The Skoda Fabia hasn't the most refined of the diesel engines, though it has the most refined interiors. So if your gonna drive around as you say 350 days a year, its sure to get on your nerves, especially bumper to bumper traffic. If you want something different from the present lot, try the Ritz or Swift VDI, a lot cheaper, peppier, fuel efficient and refined. The 1.3 MJD works best in a Swift/Ritz, than any other car, including Fiat. I get the feel that, basically, you don't want to own a Hyundai, after having owned a Santro.

[SP_1916]

Hai aptsat, I am not surprised to know that your mind is still behind the Fabia. Anyway I vote for Fabia once again.

One last way to find out the best car which suits you - Go and test drive all the three cars once more(even if you have done it, do it once more),but with your family.Forget all the positives and negatives of the car and test it as if you are driving it for the first time.

And before that please go through the link given below . It will surely help you to figure out one that suits you.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-drives-initial-ownership-reports/26688-tips-consider-during-test-drive-cars.html

ALL THE BEST