The battle of hatchbacks just got bigger and better when the Fiat launched Punto Evo last week and Volkswagen launched the Polo facelift some days back. To make the choices more complicated for a customer who had to opt the hatchbacks in new car segment, models like Maruti Swift and new Nissan Micra were already available with their fancying and fortifying gestures. Here, now in this section, we decided to blow up the lid against each one of them to lead an ‘on-paper insight’ that would show who is better than the else, and are they worth for the every penny spend? Do find out the whole gist to decide which one shall be betted best.
Technicalities
Fiat Punto Evo is chapped with two engine options of petrol, and a diesel in two states of tune. It is the 67bhp/96Nm 1.2-litre and an 89bhp/115Nm 1.4-litre petrol. In the diesel, the famous 1.3-liter Multijet comes in tunes of – 75bhp/197Nm and 90bhp/209Nm. All of them are mated to a five-speed manual gearbox, with no automatic transmission provided at the moment. All the engines of Fiat Punto are pumped by four-cylinders.
Likewise the Fiat Punto Evo, Volkswagen Polo facelift too offers couple of options in petrol engine and a diesel one in two state of tunes. Naming them, the 1.2-liter three-cylinder petrol is given away with a 74bhp/110Nm where the more powerful and sportier one for GT TSI is teamed with the 1.2-liter direct-injection, four-cylinder engine of 103bhp/175Nm paired to a 7-speed DSG transmission.
In the diesel trim the new Polo gets settled for a 1.5-liter four-cylinder making 89bhp/230Nm and 104bhp/250Nm, all of them married to a five-speed manual gearbox.
In the rewind era of Swift and Micra, they both are applied with a single petrol and diesel engine without complications. The Maruti Swift spins its power from a 1.2-liter four-cylinder petrol motor of 86bhp/114Nm and 1.3-liter Multijet diesel does 74bhp/190Nm. Another Japanese car in the comparison i.e. the Nissan Micra, revamped last year, with new front grille and some other cosmetic gimmicks, proves its worth from a 1.2-liter three-cylinder petrol and 1.5-liter four-cylinder diesel engine. The petrol motor whips power of 75bhp/104Nm while the diesel one powers out the breezy 63bhp/160Nm. On offer, CVT is also provided to petrol buyers.
Hence, none of the diesel variants gets an automatic transmission, which means the one who will bring out the easy shifts for diesel buyers shall definitely have a winner on his hand.
Space On-Board
Italians loves to have roomy interiors and we Indians too. Hence, the same can be seen reflected in Punto Evo measuring the longest with a wheelbase of 2510mm. It gets a close riff from the Polo facelift with 2469mm wheelbase. Next to them in the list stands Nissan Micra with a wheelbase of 2450mm, while the Maruti crumbles with a snuggly 2430mm wheelbase.
One more time, Fiat Punto Evo conquers the top-spot with 3989mm of overall length, 1687mm width and 1525mm height. VW Polo falls shorter to it by 18mm of length, Maruti by 139mm and Nissan Micra by 164mm. Likewise, on the width Evo fares as best amongst the group but Swift outdoes it in this context. When standing tall, Polo is shorter amongst all, while Evo is 56mm taller than that German hatchback, but is slightly butch down by 5mm against Swift and Micra.
Conclusion
On paper, the VW Polo facelift score more power than anyone else and too had number of options lined in order for a wider array of audience. Fiat Punto falls second to the number of engine options provided. Meanwhile, the Nissan Micra needs to add up something against them in the competition if it wishes to surge a step ahead, but one can also opt for Micra Active if wished to go a bit lower on price. Maruti Swift, one’s not needed to say anything about it. It’s just fairing the best amongst all.
