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Fiat's Grande Punto may be a big hatch but it's still a small car. ZigWheels takes a look at the excise special version.
3987mm - that's how long the Grande Punto is. That is also a mere 13mm
smaller than 4 metres - the limit the Indian government specifies
for a car to be termed as a small car. What's the big deal with
that? Well, if a car is classified as a small car under the Indian
government's rules, it gets a 12 percent concession on excise duties.
Now that translates into a two-pronged benefit. Not only does the
manufacturer get to make a little more profit, but customers get
the advantage of a smaller price tag as well. But overall length
isn't the only criteria to meet small car classification. It also
needs to be powered by an engine 1.2 litre in capacity or smaller.
So what do you do if you are Fiat India and are gearing up for the launch of a hatchback that is just under the stipulated 4 metre mark? Well, you do a little bit of mix and match, raid your existing engine line up and complete the package. Well, that's exactly what Fiat India has done - they took the Grande Punto chassis and plonked in the 1172cc engine that is already doing duty in the Palio Stile. Voila - excise duty benefits are for the taking!
It can't really be that simple now, can it? Sure, the 1.2 FIRE Grande Punto will be way cheaper than its 1.4 litre engined petrol counterpart, but consider the following. The 1.2 FIRE is a SOHC, 8 valve engine that makes 68PS @ 6000rpm. Torque isn't too much to boast about either - 96Nm @ 2500rpm. And with all that, the 1.2 Grande Punto will tip the scales at 1140kg. Now that's a power to weight ratio of almost 60PS/tonne - not much, is it? |
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