Tata Punch: What’s the Most Value for Money Variant?

Tata Motors launched its subcompact crossover SUV, the Tata Punch, in 2021. With a sporty and rugged look, the Tata Punch is packed with advanced features and technology. The Punch is built on the ALFA-ARC platform, and is positioned as the smallest SUV, below the Tata Nexon. Here, we tell you which is the Most Value for Money variant of the Tata Punch.

Tata Punch: Top Competitors

The top competitors for the Tata Punch are the Renault Kiger, Maruti Suzuki Ignis, Citroen C3, and Hyundai Grand i10 Nios.

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Tata Punch Variants

The Tata Punch comes in 26 variants, which are listed below along with their prices (ex-showroom, Delhi):

Tata Punch: Quick Review

Design and features: The Tata Punch has a muscular appearance with a wide stance and a sporty front grille. The front fascia of the Tata Punch is dominated by a large grille with honeycomb mesh and black inserts, flanked by sleek LED headlamps with DRLs. The bonnet is sculpted and features a muscular bulge.

The Punch has flared wheel arches, black cladding, and sharp character lines that run across the length of the vehicle. The rear of the Tata Punch features split tail lamps, a roof-mounted spoiler, a sculpted tailgate with a prominent Tata logo, and black cladding on the rear bumper.

The Tata Punch comes with a 7-inch floating touchscreen infotainment system that supports Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. It also has a 4-speaker audio system with Bluetooth connectivity and voice recognition. The Punch also features a 7-inch digital instrument cluster that provides real-time information on various aspects of the vehicle such as speed, fuel level, and distance to empty. The SUV also has an automatic climate control system, keyless entry and push-button start, power windows, rear wiper and washer, and eco and city driving modes.

Engine and performance: The Tata Punch is available with a single petrol engine option – a 1.2-liter Revotron engine. This engine is capable of producing a maximum power output of 87.8 BHP and a peak torque of 115 Nm. It is mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox or a 5-speed AMT (automated manual transmission) depending on the variant. The engine is well-suited for everyday drives around the city, with occasional trips on the highway. In terms of performance, the engine is smooth and refined, and has a linear power delivery.

Ride and handling: The Tata Punch has McPherson strut suspension in the front and a twist beam suspension with coil springs in the rear, and the tune feels on the firmer side. The Punch can handle smaller bumps, but the bigger ones can be felt in the cabin.

That said, the Punch’s straight line stability is adequate and the car can easily achieve speeds of 120 km/h. Body roll is controlled, and the Punch can tackle curves smoothly. The electric power steering is light in the city. The Punch has disc brakes at the front and drum brakes at the rear, and their performance, too, meets expectations.

Comfort and space: The Tata Punch can comfortably seat 4 passengers, and the seats are well-cushioned. The high-set seats, and 90-degree opening doors make ingress as well as egress easy. There are also several storage options available throughout the cabin, including door pockets, cup holders, and a centre console with storage space. At 366 litres, the boot space in the Punch is more than adequate.

Safety: The Tata Punch comes equipped with several safety features, such as dual front airbags, Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Stability Program (ESP), rear parking sensors, seatbelt warning, ISOFIX child seat anchors, and a high-strength steel body.

Mileage: The Tata Punch offers a mileage of 18.8 km/l to 20.09 km/l, depending upon the variant.

Concluding remarks: The Tata Punch, in terms of design and style, does pack a punch, and has some features that differentiate it from others in its segment. It is built tough, and has good ground clearance. Besides, it can even perform well in certain challenging situations.

Tata Punch: The Most Value for Money Variant

The most VFM variant of the Tata Punch is the Punch Adventure Rhythm, which is priced at Rs 7.20 lakhs (ex-showroom, Delhi).

Most Most Value for Money Variant in Comparison with Base Variant

The base variant of the Tata Punch is the Punch Pure, priced at Rs 6 lakhs (ex-showroom, Delhi). The most VFM variant has some extra features over the base, which include power windows in front as well as rear, keyless entry, reverse parking camera, automatic ORVM (manual in the base variant), day/night IRVM, 7-inch touchscreen, Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, Harman sound system with 4 speakers, 2 tweeters, follow-me-home headlights, and body-coloured ORVM, ODH, door, wheel arch and sill cladding.

Most VFM Variant in Comparison with Top-end Variant

The top-end variant of the Tata Punch is the Punch Creative AMT IRA DT, priced at Rs 9.47 lakhs (ex-showroom, Delhi). Besides having automatic transmission, the top-end variant has a few additional features over the VFM variant, such as rain sensing wiper, automatic climate control, DRLs, floating 7-inch infotainment system (Harman) and iRA Connected Tech, traction control, 16-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels, 7-inch TFT instrument cluster, puddle lamps, and A-pillar black tape.

Key Take-outs from the Comparative Analysis of Base, Most Value for Money, and Top-end Variants Above

The base variant of the Tata Punch does not have as many key features as the VFM and the top-end variants. The VFM and top-end variants differ slightly in terms of features, including some key convenience features; however, the price difference between the two is more than Rs 2 lakhs. Besides, the mileage in the top-end variant is lower than the most VFM variant.

In the end, the Tata Punch offers several variants at various price points, but the most Most Value for Money variant has adequate features to fit your budget. Besides, the VFM variant has better mileage as compared to the top-end variant.

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