The fuel efficiency has been hovering at ~15 km/l, which I believe is on the lower side.
BHPian gischethans recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
I started my driving journey in 2020 during the COVID times with an Alto 800. My wife and I became better drivers in the car and the vehicle served us well over the years. The odometer read ~66,150 km when we bought and it was sold at ~90,700 km.
Introducing our Tata Punch
Our Tata Punch Creative variant in Orcus White colour (Dual Tone) entered the home for the first time on 31 July 2023.
Likes:
- The bold looks with large tyres – mine gets 16-inch alloys
- Spacious interiors
- High seating position that offers amazing visibility
- Harman music system
Dislikes:
- No TPMS even in the highest variant. My advisor told me that even Harrier does not get it
- I would have loved the presence of a hill-hold assist in the car. I get nervous on encountering hill starts
- Lesser rear visibility due to thick C-Pillar leading to blind spots. I think this could be mitigated to some extent using the Park Assist option which turns on the rear camera even while driving forward.
- No 60:40 folding seats in the rear
- Now let me take you through the journey of how it materialized
The new vehicle itch
While our Alto was reliable throughout, I hated its low seating position and ground clearance.
Scraping the bottom was a regular thing if not driven carefully when moving over badly designed speed breakers and bad roads, especially with rear-seat passengers.
Night driving was a nightmare – leaving cars, even Activa’s headlamps used to blind me all the time.
Ever since childhood, I have been an SUV fan with Tata Safari (maroon colour) being my favourite! I always used to tell my family that our next car would be an SUV. While I used to talk about going for a new car often, on 14th July, I announced that I would go for test drives the next day and the family must be ready to experience any vehicle(s) that come home and give feedback!
Vehicles considered
I considered only three vehicles due to the availability of dealers and service centres in my town. I was not willing to spend more than 10 lakhs. Whatever car I bought, I wanted cruise control and a decent music system. The need for cruise control was badly felt during my recent trip to Bengaluru through the new Mysuru – Bengaluru expressway.
Maruti Brezza was my first choice given its 1.5 L engine option and my positive experience with Maruti service in the last 3 years. While I was aware that it would go beyond my budget, I still visited Abharan Motors, Karkala for a test drive. While they did not have the TD vehicle on that day, to their credit, they arranged it for me (even after telling them that I would not be able to go for it) and gave me a thorough test drive. It was the top variant and the advisors, Deeksha and Srinivas did a fantastic job by patiently explaining and letting me experience all the key features in the car such as hill hold assist and a 360-degree camera.
Tata Punch I was sure about Tata Punch fitting in my budget but did not do any homework regarding what to expect in which variant. The customer advisor, Pawan at Cauvery Tata, Karkala explained the features and gave me a quick walkthrough of the AMT Adventure variant, and Accomplished Dazzle variant and I got a test drive in the top Creative DT manual variant. They happily obliged when I asked if we could drive the car home for my family to experience it. I fell in love with the car as soon as we hit the tarmac and it didn’t take my family long either! I confirmed my booking orally and paid the booking amount the next day, on 16 July.
All-new Hyundai Exter I did not want to leave out Exter and as luck would have it, Kanchana Hyundai Karkala had just received the display vehicle and I could check it out. They had the CNG variant. I definitely liked the vehicle and they called me up on Monday and insisted that I take a test drive before the vehicle leaves town. I liked the ride as well but my mind was set to go for Punch. Exter actually had all the features I had wanted including TPMS and hill-hold. The dilemma remained in my mind for a few days but I decided to drop it due to 15-inch wheels and probably lower ground clearance on load.
Booking and Delivery
Variant Selection
Even before the test drives, I had asked all the dealers about buying insurance from outside and they were good about it. During the test drive, I discussed variant-wise features with Pawan and he later sent me the brochure. At one point, it seemed as if I would be going for the Accomplished variant with the Dazzle pack as that would have given me the necessary and good-to-have items in the list, namely, alloy wheels, cruise control, and LED DRLs. But I soon realized that it lacks auto headlamps, rain-sensing wipers and more importantly the rear wiper, wash, and rear defogger. Having read DIY: Adding a rear wiper & washer to my 1st-gen Maruti Suzuki Ertiga thread recently I knew how difficult it would be to add such features if it feels like having them. Therefore, I felt it would be wise to get all the bells and whistles right from the factory.
Hence I chose the top, Creative Dual Tone variant in black and white. The colour choice was made in view of long-term maintenance. Punch only comes with a 1.2 L engine variant with petrol as the fuel option. So no choices to make there. On the safety front, we have two airbags – one for the driver and another for the co-passenger.
Booking Experience
The booking amount of ₹11,000 was paid on 16 July in view of the impending price hike by Tata Motors on the next day. I was told about this on the 15th itself. Pawan explained how I could go for a customized accessories list instead of their standard list which included a significant number of Chrome items along with essentials like door visors and mud flaps. He shared the accessory video and I could find the accessories brochure online which made my choices easier. While buying accessories outside could work out significantly cheaper, buying and installing them in a small town like mine would be a hassle. I do not have the bandwidth to scout around in Mangalore / Udupi for the same. Hence I decided to go with the dealer.
I also sold my old Alto 800 to them. It was a 2017 model with me being the second owner. While the evaluators appreciated my car’s maintenance in all respects, they were ready to pay only 2.2L for the same. I was expecting 2.5L. Even Maruti guys quoted 2.2L. After some negotiations, the value was upped to 2.3L by Cauvery Tata.
I was clear about buying the maximum possible extended warranty as well. The standard warranty covers me till 2026 i.e., for 3 years or 1 lakh km. The extended warranty is for 2.5 lakh km and ends in 2028.
I did not opt for the AMC as Pawan suggested the regular servicing cost would be more or less the same. I anyway have the option to add it later.
I did not get any noteworthy discount and the on-road price came close to 11L which was paid after a satisfactory PDI.
The Insurance
The dealer had expressed difficulty in matching the online quote I got from ICICI Lombard and therefore I bought it directly from the insurer after the PDI. I bought every possible add-on except the key protection. I used to have it with my Alto 800 but while I tried availing it for the damaged transmitter, I learnt that the cover can be availed only if both the keys are lost. On top of that compulsory deductible is also applicable for it.
The insurance cost me ~₹34k. Insurance add-ons bought:
- Zero depreciation
- Consumables
- Return to invoice
- Engine Protect
- RSA
- Legal liability to paid driver
I wanted to transfer the NCB from my old car to this one while buying the policy but that is not as easy as it is said to be. I had approached Digit (my Alto’s insurer) on finalizing the Punch’s booking but was told that either the damaged part would have to be cancelled or I would have to pay the NCB difference to avail of the certificate. The dealer’s insurance desk suggested that I wait until Alto’s transfer including insurance is completed so that I need not bear these charges. That sounded reasonable to me. I did not want to leave the new owner in the lurch by cancelling the damage cover.
The Alto’s transfer is currently in process at the RTO and once the insurance is transferred to the new owner, I will be requesting the NCB certificate and submitting the same to ICICI Lombard for a refund.
PDI Process
I had insisted on paying only after a satisfactory PDI and the dealer was happy about it. I was told that they would arrange my transportation to the yard at Padil, Mangalore once the car reached there from the factory. The wait was a little long due to a delay in truck allotment from Pune and the good news of the car reaching the yard came on 27 July. The car was at the Cauvery Tata showroom premises in Mangalore and it was an exciting feeling to see it in person.
First Look
I had gone through the Team-BHP checklist but did not carry a printed sheet. I made it a point to validate the VIN and confirmed that the vehicle was manufactured in July 2023. I also checked all throughout, started the engine moved a bit forward (there was little space) etc. A customer advisor from the dealership was assigned to me and he gave a walkthrough of the car’s features in detail and even paired my phone to the infotainment system. I took a good number of photos as well.
Soon after the PDI, I discussed my accessories list with Mr Francis, the accessories in charge. They had a Punch Camo variant as the display car with all the accessories installed. That helped me understand how they would look on my car. He also asked if I needed underbody coating which I had missed but decided to include immediately.
These are the accessories I finally opted for:
- Door visor
- Car cover with duster combo
- Skid plates – front and rear. I was rather disappointed to know that they only serve ornamental purposes and don’t offer protection to the engine as such.
- Scuff plates
- Seat cover
- 3D Mats – cabin and boot
- Mudflaps
I had my laptop with me and transferred the funds soon after. I also tried asking for payment by credit card but that did not work out due to 2% charges. The delivery was promised at the earliest subject to me providing them with the insurance copy, RTO formalities, mainly, the payments, number allotment and HSRP arrival.
Delivery
While the SMS for RTO payment with registration number details landed in my inbox on 28 July, the delivery could not happen on the weekend due to HSRP. I turned lucky here as the numbering series had changed and I got a 00XX registration number! The much-awaited call from Pawan came on 31 July morning and I was asked to come to the dealership that evening to take delivery of the car.
The dealership had arranged for cake cutting followed by a key handover. Paper formalities did not take long. Pawan explained the paperwork and I ensured that accessories were installed. I was also given a walkthrough of the features. The underbody coating was not done and they assured to take care of it during the first service.
Continue reading BHPian gischethans’s Punch ownership experience for more insights and information.
Keyword: Tata Punch purchase & ownership review: Upgraded from a used Alto 800