Car & Bike Punto or Polo ?

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Well I was planning to buy a bike but dumping that idea for a car. Since I don't have a car I think getting one will be much better for long run and safer drive. Plus I can drive with my mom and friends. Ahh overall a 4wheel is always better than 2 :P

Anyways I shortlisted the two of them. I have a budget around ~4.6lk. I was planning to buy the Petrol version (1.2) of the same. But have some doubts.

To begin with I am a noob in automobiles so I don't understand much jargons and the requisites of the same. Now here are the issues : -

1. Both comes with 1.2l petrol (the one I am looking for). Do I need more ? I mean I will only ride the car for some outing and casual riding. Will be using the car for daily commuting as well. This is my first car so don't know much.
2. Polo is 3 cylinder while Punto is 4.On paper punto sounds more powerful since the load will be 25% on each cylinder compared to 33% on polo.
3. Heard that Punto petrol variant has pathetic average. of around ~8kmpl, while Polo has overall good average >13 kmpl, basically due to 3cylinder and better compression ratio.
4. Interiors. haven't checked them personally so can't make out anythings. But from the brochure Polo looks better.
5. What else should I think before buying ??? I don't want Airbags, ABS thingy which adds to the cost since I am not on flexible budget.
6. After sale service and resale value should be the concern as well. Will probably keep the car till I draw some handsome salary (to buy a SUV) :bleh:

The price point. The "website" pricing lists Punto as 4.3 for base and around 4.55 for the higher model, while polo starst from 4.5. So what should be the choice ? looks wise both are good Polo looks more sporty yet gives a executive sort of look while punto looks casual.

I only want to buy the car amongts the two of them, dont want to look at maruti and other offerings since I don't like the styling and looks of any one 'em.

Please do help me out.

Regards
 
Having tried out the Volkswagon Polo.. i'd say go for it. ofc , don't judge it from brochures ! Take a proper test drive first.

Volkawagon as a brand is also ranked higher than Fiat so that should help in resale. It also has great interiors
 
will ask you to do the following 1st.

1. Visit local showrooms and get actual quotes for pricing.

2. If you know any local who owns a punto/linea, ask them about the service quality of fiat(handled by tata rightnow)

on paper,

+ve for punto: handling, engine specs on paper. maybe more features at similar pricepoint.

-ve for punto: Interior quality, economy, infamous fiat service.

+ve for polo: unmatched build quality, handling is on par but punto would take the crown, interior quality is much better, much better economy

-ve for polo: 3pot engine (not actually a -ve), pricing is premium.

so basically, the price difference on polo is offset by the economy.

the 3pot engine makes no practical difference in driving below 100kmph, the engine noise is noticeable only if you keep windows open :D

as for ride quality, punto is considered much better, it is a drivers car but that is regarding 1.3MJD and 1.4. i wouldnt count much on 1.2

economy wise people are getting 16-17kmpl highway for polo 1.2P which is as good as most Diesel cars.

i was under same dilemma and i went for polo 1.6P :P

did not select 1.2 as the waiting period is 4months :bleh: punto on the other hand is available right off the shelf..so that may change the game entirely for some :P
 
^^Thanks, will check them personally. Even I like the Polo design and overall packages. Will give both of them a shot once shradh is done :)
 
one suggestion ,do include i20 in the list too, its got awesome interiors, but the only negative is engine can feel is bit underpowered for an enthusiast driver ! Even the new i10 has class leading features in its segment.Take a look at both.
 
Nothing beats the Chevy Beat in that price range. You get features like Automatic climate control, integrated system, digital tachometer, etc for 4.5 L on road. Moreover, Chevrolet as a brand has come a long way. It had a growth of 127% last year, the highest ever in the auto industry. Plus the Beat comes with free 3 years maintenance which is a great advantage considering this is your first car. The handling of Beat is pretty good and the average is around 14-15kmpl. General motors as a brand has more value than both Fiat and VW.

But if you wanna go the safe route than wait for the next gen i10 which again has segment breaking features with its only competitor being the chevy beat.

Hyundai Motor India | Next Gen i10 | i10 Car - Oneindia Living
 
my aunt has a spanish version polo GTI for past 2 years in durban, man what a great nazi box, i do not know in what terms you are going to choose but i'd say one word "POLO"
 
TBH, from the test drives i took, polo was one of the most sluggish small car(make a so called "sporty" noise as claimed by the dealer, but a no go~), the other being figo. Do check out the 1.6 Polo, not really sure of the pricing though.

P.S: Not considering TATA cars.
 
Bluffmaster said:
Nothing beats the Chevy Beat in that price range. You get features like Automatic climate control, integrated system, digital tachometer, etc for 4.5 L on road. Moreover, Chevrolet as a brand has come a long way. It had a growth of 127% last year, the highest ever in the auto industry. Plus the Beat comes with free 3 years maintenance which is a great advantage considering this is your first car. The handling of Beat is pretty good and the average is around 14-15kmpl. General motors as a brand has more value than both Fiat and VW.

But if you wanna go the safe route than wait for the next gen i10 which again has segment breaking features with its only competitor being the chevy beat.

Hyundai Motor India | Next Gen i10 | i10 Car - Oneindia Living
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Beat is sluggish as hell. I had one test drive and all the features and VFM went down the drain instance without a second thought.
 
Even i would recommend the polo 1.6 but not sure about its price.

I would suggest you take a test drive of both the cars and listen to what your heart says :)

Edit:It seems the 1.6 would cost about 6.9L OTR.
 
I recently went to the Volkswagen, Hyundai and Fiat showrooms. Hence here's my opinion:

Polo +ve: Best in class interior panel + displays!, Cool looks (That front air splitter is a charm), Good boot lid which opens with the badge and has hydralic arms which don't intrude the boot space (Even vento lacks these). Brand image, overall build and safety.

Polo -ve:

-Cost of spares is quite high.

-Scarce service network (Only genuss motors) as compared to 3 dealerships of Hyundai and 2 (maybe) of Fiat (one being handled by Joshi automobiles which is nice).

-3-pot engine doesnt really gear up the car for the highway.

-4.6L variant doesnt have much luxuries.

-Rear seat has no room at all! Even i10 beats that by providing a taller stance.

Fiat punto +ves and -ves already well said above. Just add: Alot more space and powah, but sad build and cheap plastic quality.

More options (Can be ignored, though all it needs is one visit to a hyundai outlet) :

i10 Magna Kappa 1.2 ~ 4.2Lacs. or i10 Sportz ~ 4.5Lacs : Great for the city, not as good as punto for the highway. Better features. Can spend more on audio upgrade and/or alloys if you like. Still well within budget.

i20 Era ~ 4.6Lacs

Accent Executive ~ 5.1 lacs: A much better car than any listed above in terms of engine, handling, space, stance, maintainence.
 
One generic question , why aren't u considering maruti?

Cause everything aside, service and maintenance are big headaches..Maruti seems to top the service chart..
 
One thing that you should consider is that OTR pricing will be atleast 50,000 more (insurance, registration + any other charges if applicable) that what website is showing in that price range. So if your budget is 4.6 Lacs then look for car which is listed at around 4 L on websites.

eg. In Pune Punto after discounts, 1.2L dynamic model costs around 4.9 Lacs without around 5.18 Lacs
 
Party Monger said:
One generic question , why aren't u considering maruti?
Cause everything aside, service and maintenance are big headaches..Maruti seems to top the service chart..
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Service isn't really a big headache. Maintenance is required for all cars. Well maintained cars last for years, be it Maruti or Honda. That said, good quality definitely assures peace of mind. I would rather buy a well built car with fewer visits to the service center, than one with serious quality issues which no number of visits to the service center next door can resolve.
 
agantuk said:
Service isn't really a big headache. Maintenance is required for all cars. Well maintained cars last for years, be it Maruti or Honda. That said, good quality definitely assures peace of mind. I would rather buy a well built car with fewer visits to the service center, than one with serious quality issues which no number of visits to the service center next door can resolve.
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That is not what he mean.

Its like maruti has over 2600 service stations nationwide and they provide parts for even EOL products for long. Spares are easy to acquire and are light on pocket due to availability.

They still control around 45% of the car sales and that thus the parts quality speaks for itself.

however incomparable to build quality of VW.

i do not have source for actual figures but they are as per what i have read over TBHP and you are free to explore there :)
 
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