After extensive research on which car to buy, I have finally penned down my thoughts to write you this mail. I am a resident of Kolkata and am planning to buy a petrol hatchback within Rs 4.6 lakh (approx). My requirements are a minimum mileage of 12-13 kpl with air-conditioning on in city traffic, very good ride quality and there should be a certain amount of brand value. I have shortlisted the Fiat Grande Punto 1.2 Active and the Maruti Suzuki Ritz VXi. Of course, the Maruti after-sales service and spare parts are cheaper and better. I am unimpressed with the sales personnel at Tata-Fiat showrooms and there are very few Fiat service centres in Kolkata.
The service schedule of the Punto is quite impressive at 3,000, 15,000 and 30,000 km. My daily driving will not exceed 50 km. In terms of style and dashboard quality, after thrice test-driving both the cars, I am overwhelmed by the Punto. In my opinion, I do not think that within three years of buying the Punto, many trips to the service centre will be required, barring a major crash. Also, Fiat has stated that by December, 85 per cent of the localisation of the Punto will take place. The Tata showroom guys have stated that post-booking, they will deliver the car within 15 days. However, the general opinion is that I should go for the Ritz. However, as you might have guessed from the mail, I am desperately looking for reasons to buy the Punto. Please advise me in this regard.
Yes, it looks as if you are besotted with the Punto. The 1.2 Punto is quite underpowered, though the car looks beautiful. Besides, we really hope Fiat puts together the car well and they should ideally offer you tension-free after-sales service. But the fact remains that the Ritz is much more competent. The new 1.2 engine is smooth and good for city driving while the car is a nice machine to pilot over city streets. With the use of components from the SX4, the Ritz is quite well appointed too. And its ride quality is the best amongst all Maruti Suzukis – of course, it’s nowhere near the Punto’s. Then there is service. So when you look at it rationally, from the mind, the Ritz is the one that makes sense. But if you look at if from the heart, the Punto is the one for you. The Punto we would recommend is the diesel or even the 1.4 for some driving pleasure. Still, if you have test-driven the 1.2 Punto and felt it serves your purpose well, then there’s nothing stopping you!
Small Spark
I am interested in buying a small entry-level car. My choices are either the Maruti Suzuki Alto or the Chevrolet Spark. Although the Alto is a proven and reliable car, it is short on power and space. I love the Spark, mainly for its looks but I am not sure about its quality and service aspects. Also tell me about its mileage in comparison to the Alto and maintenance costs. Is it a better package than the Alto? Does it have more space? Which of these do you recommend, as cars that are more expensive than these two are out of my reach.
Showkat Shah, via email
Both cars are competent in their own rights. With more power from a four-cylinder engine, the Spark is more fun to drive than the Alto. And it’s no less proven either. Though the Chevy is not as fuel efficient as the Suzuki, it is a better overall car across all aspects. And General Motors service and spare parts costs are quite reasonable too.
Ritankar,
I guess you are torn between Ritz and Punto as I was between Honda City and Fiat Linea aabut 4 months back. The dilemma was to choose between a good car with a not so impressive service track record and another car which just pulls you - in my case City - due to Honda reputation - though not feature rich, not VFM etc.
I ultimately settled for Linea and I am very happy now. If service is your concern, I have some good news to share with you - In my first service as well as another service ( i had to go because I had to replace some part due to a minor accident) I found it to be exteremly good. I had previously used Hyundai and maruti cars and I found the service to be almost on par with them
I guess FIAT is very serious this time and the service is not the same as what it used to be during the days of Siena, Palio.
Go for Punto and its service intervals are 15K - so any way you need to hardly go to the service station once a year only at the worst.
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