The Punch is Tata’s entry-level SUV, and is one of the best-selling cars in India at the moment. Here are five things I observed about the Punch after driving it over the span of a week.
Tata has tuned the suspension of the Punch really well, and its ride quality is better than some cars even from a segment above. The high ground clearance enables carefree navigation inside the city.
The three-cylinder petrol engine feels quite underpowered, and the AMT isn’t the smoothest of the lot either. The powertrain feels like the weakest link in an otherwise fundamentally good car.
The Punch now gets a 10.25-inch touchscreen system that is slick to use and I liked the UI of the system as well. The sound system is also likeable especially for the segment that the Punch belongs to.
Despite having just 2,000 kilometres on the odometer, the car already had its share of electronic glitches such as mismatched indicator timings, a horn that wouldn’t work half the time, and a faulty boot lid sensor.
The display reflected a fuel economy of 15.0kmpl after having driven the car for 687 odd kilometres shared amongst our team. The distance travelled comprised a mix of city and highway conditions, and when driven frugally, the car can also deliver a number north of the 20kmpl mark.