Hi all, my brother has bought a grande punto sporting with the 130 bhp derv lump in! anyone had a run with one? shouldbe very close?

Also in Halfrauds the other day talking to a chap with a Furby VRS thats been mapped and he recons it will see off a clio 172? is he talking ****?:eek:

Yes he is talking **** as a the clio is much lighter.

The Fabia may however be quicker in the mid range due to the extra torque... but from standing.... deffo clio.

As for the Punto... very very close... the Fiat 1.9 is an extremely good engine. However I know which car I would rather have... and it isnt the Fix It Again Tomorrow

Yes he is talking **** as a the clio is much lighter.

The Fabia may however be quicker in the mid range due to the extra torque... but from standing.... deffo clio.

As for the Punto... very very close... the Fiat 1.9 is an extremely good engine. However I know which car I would rather have... and it isnt the Fix It Again Tomorrow

I have had run ins with the 182 and 172 clio before and would say the performance is matched with my mapped fabby. Ie i couldnt overtake and they couldnt get away.

I wouldnt call the new fiats fix it again tomrrow. The latest ones seem pretty good. I think with all the problems ive had i would prefer a punto

i agree with the above post,would be interesting to compare head to head tho:thumbup:

i agree with the above post,would be interesting to compare head to head tho:thumbup:

I think we will be getting a nice RR day to compare the two very soon Thats if sharkys still going

I think we will be getting a nice RR day to compare the two very soon Thats if sharkys still going

i think that is going to be a very interesting day indeed:D

The Punto & Furby should be close i would imagine, as there power and weight very similar! I would just give the vrs the edge tho:thumbup:

As for the 172, he is talking s##t! Mine's remaped and does give 172/182 a good go but it wont leave them behind!

Yes he is talking **** as a the clio is much lighter.

The Fabia may however be quicker in the mid range due to the extra torque... but from standing.... deffo clio.

No, I have done track days with 172's and although i think it may be a talent thing they never got close to me when the were behind and I was all over them if they were in front.

They might be a sweet drive, but you have to know how to drive them...

I think we will be getting a nice RR day to compare the two very soon Thats if sharkys still going

yup, I'm going, so my mapped GPS will be on the rollers :thumbup:

what everyone has already said is spot on in my opinion..

1) a standard vRS is not as quick as a clio 172/182.... a mapped one will have a better chance once rolling..

2) I've run my (angel tuning) mapped GPS against Mac66's (angel tuning) mapped fabia vRS, at the last Keswick meet, and there was absolutley nothing in it..

3) fixitagaintomorow?! I take all the jokes on the chin, and yes, fiat were crap in build quality, but are changing rapidly, the new panda was the first to do well in the JD power series, the GP isn't yet old enough to be listed, but is just as well built, you are all welcome to poke aroung mine at the RR meet on the 20th.....

remeber the repuation skoda had before they improved

mine is used as a driving school car, and is up to 18k since april, only problem so far has been new drop links fitted (which the vRS also has to have done all the time before people start poking fixit ect... and I have a garuntee from fiat customer services, that if any of my suspension fails (bushes ect) within the warrenty period, it will be replaced free of charge, unlike SUK, which wouldn't replace my failed console bushes, even though we ALL know its a design fault with the car, as they can't handle the forces involved, and fail all the time...)

remember again SUK when your spies are reading this, that you lost a customer....... and you will loose more if you keep up this kind of customer service

Yep , of the two I'd be leaning more towards the Fiat.

For a start it's a much better looking car with a nicer interior , should have near identical perrformance from a well proven engine and is more keenly priced. After it took 12 visits to dealers to get a single problem fixed on my octavia Skoda deserve neither a reputation for top quailty cars & service , or earn my loyalty.

Well , to be 100% honest I'd be looking at the Bravo instead , but you get the idea.

Yep , of the two I'd be leaning more towards the Fiat.

For a start it's a much better looking car with a nicer interior , should have near identical perrformance from a well proven engine and is more keenly priced. After it took 12 visits to dealers to get a single problem fixed on my octavia Skoda deserve neither a reputation for top quailty cars & service , or earn my loyalty.

Well , to be 100% honest I'd be looking at the Bravo instead , but you get the idea.

as for the interior, the GPS gets as STANDARD rain sensors, auto headlights, ESP, blue & me (the only manufacturer which fits bluetooth as standard, my phone stays in my pocket, and I just press the windows button on the steering wheel , and talk to the car!) multifunction display/steering wheel, 6 airbags, NCAP5, 2 USB ports, MP3 CD player, 17's... ect ect (leather is £700 option) , and little things like passenger airbag deactivation on the the computer options, along with auto door locking , follow me home lights ect

and at £12.5k when the new fabia II (NCAP4 by the way) is £12k for the standard 105bhp diesel... hhmmmmm how much will the vRS be?!? same price as a clio 197 perhaps?! they gave me a big discount too... mine cost me £11,100 brand new one of the main reasons I bought my fabia vRS was the great value....

edit: considers he may be lynched by the briskodians, and booted from briskoda! lol... *runs for cover....

I do actually like the GPS, looks nice and I'll bet it goes well enough.

And as per John above, the bother we've had with our Furby's a Fiat can be no worse......

Although in all honesty John does batter the living **** out of his car on a regular basis. Does go well though with that re-map.

I do actually like the GPS, looks nice and I'll bet it goes well enough.

And as per John above, the bother we've had with our Furby's a Fiat can be no worse......

Although in all honesty John does batter the living **** out of his car on a regular basis. Does go well though with that re-map.

It does get quite a hammering But so far its stood up quite well if you ignore the turbo failure, DMF and clutch eating itself, every single suspension component on the front, gearbox problems, several engine mounts, leaking doors, and last but no means least the squeking seat base which took my dealer four or five visits to fix! probably a couple more i have forgot. O and i nearly forgot i have a problem with the EGR system which keeps throwing up fault codes. ...... Done quite well really.

The puntos are nice and i really fancy the 100hp panda Looks like a cracking little car.

Yep , of the two I'd be leaning more towards the Fiat.

For a start it's a much better looking car with a nicer interior

Ive hired them Grande Puntos, They are horrible. The driving position is no where near as good as a Fabia. The long sloping door arm rest is far too low. I hope the Diesels are better than the Petrols because they are rubbish.

They are better made than before though!

Ive hired them Grande Puntos, They are horrible. The driving position is no where near as good as a Fabia. The long sloping door arm rest is far too low. I hope the Diesels are better than the Petrols because they are rubbish.

They are better made than before though!

even though I own one, I used a basic 1.4 for a while, and hated it........ but then I also had a basic 1.2 fabia when the vRS was in for service , and hated that too.... so guess I'm just used to having the hottest verions!

just used to having the hottest verions!

Pay these driving instructors too much if they can afford Bugattis

Pay these driving instructors too much if they can afford Bugattis

well technically Fiat own ferrari, so It wouldn't be a bugatti

well technically Fiat own ferrari, so It wouldn't be a bugatti

But Porsche own 20% of VW who own Skoda. Does that mean I have a Porsche:rofl:

I have driven the 1.2 07 Punto as a courtesy car when the power steering failed on my Mother's Panda.

I have to say, it is probably the worst car I've ever driven, or even been inside, very tacky, the seats were so uncomfy, the engine lacked any traces of grunt, it really was a bland ride. I hated it, and so did my Mum, 'that says something.'

I imagine Sharkrider's Punto being, a lot higher up in class than the bog standard car, a lot better. But I wouldn't mind having a nose about in it.

Fiat Panda, I absolutely love it, 1.2 engine, and it flys, bog standard interior, but the gear lever is in exactly the same place as my civic, its fantastic on fuel, and for such a little car, it has loads of space?????

I think it's the same as all cars though I guess. I drove a 1.6 07 plate Astra.....horrid. A 1.2 Fabia (Mk1), also horrid, a Roomster - extremely awful.

As per Sharky, after driving a warmer version of a car, other softer models seem really cr4p in comparison. The 1.2 Fabia handled like a boat, was unbelievably slow and the interior felt naff. The vRS's subtle differences make it a fairly pleasant car to be in.

The 1.6 Astra was also gutless and too soggy in the bends, and the Roomster was like driving a disabled wagon with a transit engine under the bonnet.

It means very few cars actually succeed in impressing these days. Not that the vRS is the best car on the roads, but it's hot enough to make many other cars seem pathetic in comparison.

Not seen the interior on the GPS......anyone got any pics? Sharky?

I was in a grand punto sporting the other day. They are very well put together i might add. I feel that gone are the days where you could use your bare hands to strip the internals out of a punto. I had to actually use tools :eek: to get the center console off, which was a new experiance in a fiat. I was well impressed with the rain wipers and it drove really nice. Only drove it round the car park at work. I got back in my fabia and it feels so god damn heavy and clattery. :thumbdwn: Again a new experiance after being in a fiat.

I feel a new purchase coming on Would be nice to have a look at sharkys oil burner version at awesome on the 20th which might help me decide.

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john

having just sold my gpunto sporting for a vrs i can confirm the vrs is slightly faster and slightly more economical. Punto fantastic looking car especially in the orange mine was in . Endless problems hampered ownership of what could have been a great car but i certainly do love my fabia. I believe a re-mapped fabia could beat a 172 depending on the map ?

having just sold my gpunto sporting for a vrs i can confirm the vrs is slightly faster and slightly more economical. Punto fantastic looking car especially in the orange mine was in . Endless problems hampered ownership of what could have been a great car but i certainly do love my fabia. I believe a re-mapped fabia could beat a 172 depending on the map ?

Interesting......:eek:

So you say you had loads of trouble with it? What kind of problems? I'm sure Sharky would love to know just in case. :confused:

I was in a grand punto sporting the other day. They are very well put together i might add. I feel that gone are the days where you could use your bare hands to strip the internals out of a punto. I had to actually use tools :eek: to get the center console off, which was a new experiance in a fiat. I was well impressed with the rain wipers and it drove really nice. Only drove it round the car park at work. I got back in my fabia and it feels so god damn heavy and clattery. :thumbdwn: Again a new experiance after being in a fiat.

I feel a new purchase coming on Would be nice to have a look at sharkys oil burner version at awesome on the 20th which might help me decide.

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john

you are welcome to have a drive if you like, feels a world of differnce with the reamap, as goneinblacksmok says, when I went from the vRS to the GPS the fiat felt slower, but the remap makes it so much better remember they fit this engine at 150bhp in the bravo, so I'm sure 170 isn't stressing it too much

some pics..... interior with leather, climate, and armrest...

my interior... (standard)

and goneinblacksmok : I agree a bad car ruins the ownership experiance, but considering the work I had done to my vRS (new gearbox, driveshafts, mounting frame, EGR valve, console bushes) the fiat will have to go badly wrong, for me to worry too much..... you could get a bad car from anywhere, (and I don't consider my vRS unreliable, it never actually broke down and stranded me!) I may find the GP is more reliable than the vRS, you may find exactly the opposite! I think you can only really be sure, if you go for honda/toyota.......

edit: sorry for the stretch!

Looks nice, Dave