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Rahul Lodaya

4w

Hello sir, I want to buy the Tata Punch facelift turbo 1.2-litre car for pure city driving in Pune. My monthly running is 500km. There may be occasional highway drives. Please suggest whether it is the right choice or if I should go with the NA engine or some other car in the Rs 10 lakh budget. Thank you.

Autocar India team

Autocar India

Verified
4w
Yes, the Tata Punch turbo is a good choice for you, given the nature of your usage. The advantage is that it can still be easy, and even quite fuel efficient if driven carefully, when driving around town, while also being strong enough for your occasional highway drives or hilly regions. This can not be said of the naturally aspirated engine.
Perhaps the only downsides are that the 6-speed manual gearbox can feel notchy, clutch modulation is not easy to do smoothly, and it is not very refined. Also, you will not get the top-spec variant within your Rs 10 lakh budget.
Keeping that in mind, you should also consider the Citroen C3 1.2 Turbo. It has a much smoother and punchier engine, and the gearbox is slicker too. It may miss out on some features that the Punch gets, but it is also more affordable overall. Its biggest advantage is that, if you are willing to spend a little more, you can get this engine with a smooth 6-speed automatic gearbox, which will be a huge boon around town.
Tata Punch

Tata Punch

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RATHI MRINALINI

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I'm a new driver on the road. Been driving a Celerio (second-hand) for the last 2 years in Bangalore. Looking for an automatic petrol car within a budget of ₹9.5 lakh. My priority is safety and ease of adapting to the new car. I am thinking of a Punch. Looking for your suggestion.

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Yes, the Tata Punch Adventure AMT is an excellent option, given your requirements. It's tall with a high seating position, which gives you a commanding view out - great for a new driver, yet it's compact enough not to be intimidating around town. It will also feel like a good upgrade from your old Celerio.Since safety is also a consideration for you, the Punch has been given a 5-star Bharat NCAP crash test rating and gets 6 airbags as standard, plus a good amount of standard safety equipment. If there's a potential drawback, it's that the Punch's 1.2 petrol engine and AMT gearbox aren't the smoothest combination, and as a new driver, the jerkiness at low speeds is something you will have to learn to drive around.Also consider the Hyundai Exter SX Smart AMT and the Nissan Magnite Kuro AMT as well, as both have smoother powertrains than the Punch.

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VISHNUDAS P

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I want to buy an automatic car mainly for city use with a budget of around ₹10 lakh. I shortlisted the Maruti Suzuki Ignis, but I have heard rumours that its production might be stopped. Is there any update on this, and what are some good alternatives to the Ignis?

Autocar India team

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The Maruti Suzuki Ignis is still in production. It is worth noting that the Ignis is a bit long in the tooth now, and sales are very low, especially so by Maruti standards. Thus, there could be a possibility of it being discontinued or updated. In any case, being a Maruti model that has been on sale for a while now, you would still be able to get it serviced for a fairly long period of time.If you are, however, worried about this, you could consider the Hyundai Exter and Tata Punch, which are two cars that will offer similar benefits of being compact, high-riding and available with an automatic transmission.

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Posted on: 14 Feb 2026