The ever expanding hatchback market in India saw another addition to its bandwagon of innumerable models when Fiat Punto Evo was launched recently at an ex-showroom New Delhi Price of INR 4.55 lakh. A better, futuristic and advanced version of the Punto, Fiat Punto Evo is set to compete with the likes of Volkswagen Polo, Maruti Suzuki Swift and Hyundai i20 in the Indian market. While Swift and i20 would be hard to beat, the new car from Fiat would give tremendous competition to Volkswagen Polo. Let’s take a look at how they square off against each other by taking them one by one.
Nagesh Basavanhalli, President and Managing Director at Fiat Chrysler India, spoke about the aim of the company at the launch of this vehicle. “We are now strengthening our product portfolio in India with cars that are designed and engineered keeping Indian conditions and need in mind. Punto Evo is a stylish, premium hatchback embodying Italian design flair making it a preferred choice of the style conscious buyers enabling to make life more interesting. We have strengthened our presence in India by opening 116 exclusive dealerships in 93 cities across 23 states, which provide world class service to our customers,” he said.
Talking about this premium hatchback first, it boasts of a fairly modern day design that is loaded with several features. Big and wide 16-inch alloy wheels make for a really comfortable and stable ride while the reindeer headlamps not only add style to this hatchback, they also facilitate improved visibility. Fiat has introduced a new curvilinear dashboard with dual tone soft touch, ambient lighting, sleek push buttons, smarter controls, glove compartment, and lots of spaciousness.
Safety features of this car include High-tensile Steel Body that is immune to shocks, intelligent smart secure system and airbags. This car comes in three variants, which includes two petrol and one diesel. The petrol versions are powered by the much-acclaimed FIRE engine while the diesel variants run on a Multijet powertrain. Fiat Punto equipped with 1.3-litre Multijet diesel engine develops 92 BHP of power.
The moment one takes a look at Volkswagen Polo, the only word that comes to mind is class, pure class. This car from the largest German car manufacturer has made a huge impact on the Indian market and is among the best in its segment. The exteriors of this car boast of a wide and classy front grille, dual-beam headlamps with black finish, 15-inch alloy wheels, stunningly designed tail lamps, trunk opener with the company badge and heat insulating glass for side windows.
Volkswagen Polo comes in both petrol and diesel versions, powered by 1.2-litre and 1.5-litre engines, respectively. While the petrol version produces an output of around 73 BHP, the diesel version produces 89 BHP.
There is still some time to go before one can decide which car is better between Fiat Punto Evo and Volkswagen Polo because of the former’s recent launch. However, from what it seems on comparison, Polo trumps a little in terms of engine quality while Punto Evo is the one for those who like looks and features.
