Ford Figo TDCi or Fiat Punto MJT EP

[yamboy911 0]

Hi friends,

My friend is looking to buy a car with good mileage,ride and handling and high on safety as he will be doing long trips

at least once in 3 months.So he decided to go for a diesel hatchback and a budget of 6.5L is set.Sadly in India, only

top end versions of the cars are only having safty features like ABS with EBD and Airbags.So after lot of discussions

we have short listed 3 cars.Swift was not selected as it is too common on our roads and new swift is around the the corner.

1. Suzuki Ritz VDi ABS   - 5.59L

2. Ford Figo Titanium TDCi - 5.92L

3. Fiat Grande Punto MJT Emotion Pack - 7.27(7.1L after free insurance)

All prices are on road Trivandrum.

Ritz was the first one to go out of the list as it lacked Airbags and lot of other features compared to the other two cars.Definitely Ritz is missing the ZDi Variant.He almost decided on Figo as it is over a lakh cheaper when compared to Punto.It has better space inside and does every thing above average.. I mean, Ride, comfort,handling.But now it seems like he is smitten by the Itallian Beauty. He is bowled over by the looks of Punto and Figo seems to be at least a couple of year old design even though it is a good looking car. Also in Punto he will be getting Auto AC,Alloy wheels,tilt steering,rear Power windows extra along with 50 months Road side assistance , Extended warranty, 10K gift cheque and 3K corporate bonus. Also after going through the

ownership threads of Figo owners in various Forums, he is worried about the inconsistent mileage given by the Figo TDCi.

Figo is well under his budget and Punto is atleast 60K above his budget. So guys, he want your valuable suggestions regarding whether he has to settle for Figo or strech his budget and go for Punto.

So the big question is it really worth to pay that extra Lakh ?.

[dr_nishu 198]

Figo TDCi is a Good car & is probably a notch more Reliable than Punto & is cheaper too.

Considering your friend's tours & journeys, Ford is more comfortable, Spacious & Pleasurable to Drive too.

Don't bother much about the l'll bit Glitches about the Figo here or there, as all that varies from Luck, place, Care taken of the vehicle & Driving style included.

Its not that much Expensive to maintain too..  

[rahulgupta3101 1]

Hi,

going by your budget and requirements, it's like Ford figo diesel is tailor-made for you.

It has a brilliant diesel and efficiency is great. I never heard of any inconsistency in fuel consumption.

Punto is a good-overall car, but i think it's not worth paying the extra lakh Rs. for that one.

[BonFre 0]

Thread moved.

[NAREN64 0]

@yamboy911,

 

If you want a car with good Road holding, hadling & Features go for Punto MJD EP. There might some small niggles & glitches which all car manufactures have. Also the after sales service is improving.

 

Other than the features you have mentioned, Punto comes with saftey features like ABS with EBD, Airbags. Other features included are  Blue & Me a bluetooth facility for mobile phones, Steering mounted controls for Audio & moblie phone activation, Dead pedal, Immobilizer with rolling codes, Foldable key, Keyless entry, Internal roof lights with dimming effect, vanity mirrors on both sides, Fire prevention system, Follow me head lights, Double crank protection system, Programmed service remainder, Fuel range display, Door warning display, Instant fuel consumption, Average FE display, Speed warning, Low fuel warning, Player information display, All malfunction display etc etc.,

 

Go for Punto.

 

NAREN642010-09-18 08:38:30

[creativebala 178]

Both the cars are good but lacks performance on highways. If he likes Micra & can wait for 2-3 more months, he can have his hands on Indias Fastest Diesel Hatch. By that time, TVM would also get Micra's dealership 

[CHEVYfan 0]

Figo...

 

Fiat has long way to go in India, despite great products.

[rahul1810 0]

Its definitely not worth paying that extra lakh. Figo is a very good car, all the features, good engine, moreover killer pricing. Looks are something he will get over. There is extended warranty and total maintenance plan available with Ford. I recommend he takes it up.

Also if he has browsed through other forums he would have read fiat service stories too.

[driftpunk 0]

Go for Figo.

DocNishu has rightly mentioned the point of reliability and there are lesser Ford stories around than the Fiat ones.

[Durango Dude 2]

Car buying is more often an 'emotional' decision. I think your friend will be better off with the Punto: if he likes it that much ask him to go for it. Street cred wise Figo is no match for the Punto; if he can extend a little more ask him to go for the 90 hp one.

Sensibly if you sit and think and don't be impulsive you can hear your mind saying Figo.

[yamboy911 0]

Hi All,

Thanks a lot for for your valuable suggestions.Finally my friend has decided which car to buy ! Before evealing his choice,let me brief you how he came to that decision.

Both of us are currently in Bangalore and since it is Saturday , we decided to go for another round of test drive of Figo and Punto.We went first to Lathangi Ford on Bannerghatta Road and a Lady Sales representative attended us. It was really a nice experience and we did a fairly long test drive.Nice view from Drivers Seat, powerful engine and good handling and comfort. We were happy with the car in almost all aspects except one, the interior. The interior was not looking like that of a 6 Lakh car.Cost saving was evident in a couple of places. But as a whole the car is really VFM.

After leaving the Ford show room, we directly went to Concorde motors at Diary Circle. I had went there a couple of times before in last 2 years to enquire about Fiat Products and I was not expecting a very warm welcome. Since it is a weekend there were enough potential customers to keep the sales reps busy.We didn't waited for any one and directly went near a Punto 90 hp kept for display.Surprise, Surprise ! with in 10 Seconds one Sales representative came near by with a pleasant smile. He explained all the features of the Punto and clarified all our questions. We inspected the display vehicle and its interior looked more luxurious than Figo. Surprisingly, Fit and finish was also felt a little better than Figo. But we want to take a decision after taking the test drive. This time also we got the opportunity to take the car for a long test drive. Ride was comfortable and handling was perfect.Car was slow to respond till 2000 rpm after 2500 rpm it was really fun to drive. But it never felt under powered and we thoroughly enjoyed the test drive.

Immediately after the test drive of Punto I asked my friend, "So, what is your decision? Punto or Figo''

He replied " Punto.... Punto!!!" and after seeing the joy in his face, I said in my mind, "Another true fan in the making !"

[Durango Dude 2]

There Yamboy; don't think that I did an "Inception" trick and planted an idea in your friend's mind and let it grow. I could see his Fiat leanings and knew he'd fall head over for the 90 hp model.

[NAREN64 0]

@yamboy911,

Congrat's to your friend for buying a Grande Punto 90Hp.

 

[creativebala 178]

Congrats for your friends Car. Best choice I should say. Yesterday on one of my highway trip, I got to know Fiat's highway performance, so all in all, its the perfect VFM Hatch in our country today.

[dr_nishu 198]

Congrats yamboy to your friend for zeroing on Fiat Punto.

Infact I liked the enthusiasm you've shown towards the Fiat product,

Hope your New Fiat will keep your spirits high with her performance & abilities.

[rahulgupta3101 1]

hey, congrats on the decision.

Do keep posting the whole buying experience and the pics..!!

[yamboy911 0]

Friends,

He has decided to go for the 75 bhp Emotion Pack due to budget constraints . For 75 bhp, its just a shade under 7L after all the offers and discounts in Trivandrum, But the 90 hp one have no offers or discounts and is close to 7.6L. He is planning to take delivery on the Diwali weekend, so will be booking the car by mid of October.It is almost 1.5 months away and equal number of sleepless nights for both of us. Will surely post the pics and the buying experiance.

[yamboy911 0]

Update : Booked Punto 1.3 MJT EP @ Concorde Motors, Bangalore yesterday. Colour: Exotica Red. Delivery on 3rd week of November.

[Durango Dude 2]

That car in red will look hotter than Catherine Zeta Jones in the Mask of Zorro. Congrats to your friend. 

[carispassion 0]

Hello yamboy,

Congratulations on your friend's decision! Punto is very value-for-money.

Hope your friend was Ok with the heavier clutch of Punto compared to Figo. It needs to be pushed all the way down, or else the gear will not slot into the positions. I have driven Punto for more than 100km in a stretch and it caused my leg to pain. Also, 1st and 2nd gear ratios were not well matched. Think these were the major concern I had with Punto!

Since your friend is planning to do long trips every 3 months (Bangalore- TVM I suppose), please consider this issue seriously. Bangalore-Coimbatore trip (370km, 6hrs) should not be a problem, since you have very good highways. However, in the latter part of the journey Palakad- TVM (320km, 6-7hrs) you will need to shift the gears more often and think the shortcomings of Punto will be more evident here. (I have made many trips with my friend in the same route on his Punto). And the worst part is, I was the person who showed him the green signal to go for a Punto Multijet EP! (He was very font of Punto after the test drive and was reluctant to try out any other car!!)

carispassion2010-10-31 04:41:02

[yamboy911 0]

I had test driven the Punto for around half an hour in the Bangalore traffic but didn't find any issues with the clutch. But as you said, when we go for a long trip this may be an issue. Let's see. Even my friend and my self are very fond of Punto, so it is very hard to think of any other car than Punto . By the way, which route will take less time to reach TVM from Bangalore, through Coimbatore - Cochin or Salem - Madurai- nagercoil... any idea?

[carispassion 0]

Hi Yamboy,

Yes. I would strongly recommend doing one more test drive of Punto. And by the way, apart from the clutch & gear issue, the ride quality(its silent too..), high  speed manners etc are very good in Punto. And go only for Punto EP. The 195 section tires with alloys will really pamper the enthusiast in you!

Since we are traveling from Coimbatore city, The Coimbatore-Nagercoil-Tvm route is around 50km longer. But this is Ok, considering the very good condition of those roads. We could steadily maintain 120+ speeds through most of the stretch. The monsoon ridden Coimbatore-Palakkad-Tvm route is nothing to write home about!

Since you are coming from Bangalore, think the Nagarcoil route would be the better. At least, it would be better for your car!

carispassion2010-10-31 22:21:44

[yamboy911 0]

Update: Car reached the yard. Today dealer will do the PDI and will bring the car to Showroom. We are planning to do the PDI on Saturday. We have already downloaded and ready with the PDI checklist .

[yamboy911 0]

Hi All,

First of all sorry for updating late, I got really busy with work. We got the delivery of Punto 1.3 EP on 21st November from Concorde Motors, Diary Circle, Bangalore. Took the delivery @ 11 AM. The process was overall a nice experiance. Got Reverse Parking Sensors with display on inside rear view mirror, Car body cover and Air freshner as compliments.

[yamboy911 0]

Here are the pics.