Tata Punch; It Came, It Saw, It Conquered

Tata, the Indian carmaker that is surprisingly doing wonders in the market these days. More so recently as they have launched numerous new cars over the past couple of years. The latest offering from the brand that puts safety at its peak is the mint ‘Tata Punch’.

For those who live in a cave and have no clue, Tata Punch sits in a rather unique segment. Punch is part of the segment ruled by mid-size hatchbacks (like Maruti Suzuki Swift and Hyundai Grand i10 Nios). But now, with the introduction of the new Micro SUV, Punch, this segment indeed has seen some ripples.

In October, Tata managed to compete with the likes of Maruti Suzuki Swift and stood at second position when considering the mid-size hatchback segment. Now the question comes, what made Tata Punch get such brilliant sales numbers? Let’s have a look.

Why Tata Punch? First Impressions

Considering the current automotive trend, SUV is the segment that sells big. To target exactly that, Tata introduced Tata Punch in the Micro SUV segment.

• Now, there already exists cars like Mahindra KUV100 in this segment, but it was not able to make a dent in the market. Reason? It lacked the SUVish quotient.
• The SUV stance and characteristics are what Tata Punch focuses on.
• Admiring the car, the Punch gets an upright A-pillar with a high bonnet line. This allows the vehicle to have the perfect SUV view from behind the wheel.
• Coming to the overall dimensions, Punch is just a size larger than the Tata Tiago. But surprisingly, Punch is lying in the same segment as Tiago.
• This means the people have Tiago; recommending Tata Punch is very easy. Even both share the same powertrain.

Interesting Read: Tata Punch VS Bolero Neo- Capabilities Compared!

What powers the Tata Punch?

Opening the bonnet of the Tata Punch, you’ll find only one engine to lay the power down on the road. Punch gets the same 1.2-litre 3-cylinder naturally aspirated Revotron petrol engine as Tata Tiago and Altorz.

• This motor pushed about 85bhp of max power and 113Nm of peak torque. And apart from the base pure trim, Punch also gets an AMT and the conventional 5-speed manual transmission.
• But with just 85ps on tap, the engine feels just adequate rather than enthusiastic. But this can be easily solved by introducing the turbo petrol engine.
• Tata also says that considering the demand, they might also introduce the turbo petrol iteration of this 1.2-litre naturally aspirated motor.
• This will make a ball of difference in sales, as it’ll make Punch Turbo the most powerful vehicle in the segment.

But one thing that the Punch is not so good at is returning good fuel mileage. As per the sources, Tata Punch returns with a manual transmission returns about 16.1 kmpl in the city and 10.3kmpl in the city.

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But with the AMT, the figures are a little lighter and stands at 16.9kmpl for highway runs and 10.7kmpl in the city.

Tata Punch, Driving Dynamics

After all, it is not just the SUV quotient. Tata Punch does stand true to its SUV tag. Punch sits at power, if not more with other SUVs, 187mm to be exact. For referent, Hyundai Creta’s ground clearance is 190mm.

Comparo Toyota Aygo X Vs Tata Punch | Battle Of The Micro SUVs

• With more than adequate ground clearance, Punch is capable of going on some medium difficulty off-road trails.
• Even the suspension is on the point that manages to cover the undulation and filters them into the cabin.
• But there exists one problem, i.e. body roll. Well, this is a part of all the SUVs in the market. In the end, this vehicle was not meant to be chucked into the corners.

Fun Fact: There exists a feature called traction pro mode. This adds an additional layer of offroading characteristics to the Punch, and sadly this is only available with the AMT variant. Traction Pro-mode uses a combination of sensors to detect the traction difference between the front two wheels, and this, in turn, applies the brakes to the wheel, getting less traction and sending power to the other wheel. This mimics an LSD (Limited Slip Differential).

Here are Tata Punch: 5 Big Highlights

Feature and Creature Comforts

Tata Punch comes with features filled to the brim. With the top end creative trim, you’ll get un-compromised and a really long list of features. This includes

• LED DRLs (Day-time Running Lights)
• Projector Headlight assembly
• Automatic headlights
• Rain sensing wipers
• Puddle lamps
• Cooled glovebox
• Rear wiper and washer
• Automatic climate control
• Power folding ORVMs
• 7-inch part digital instrument cluster
• Rear seat armrest
• 16-inch alloy wheels

Detailed Read: Tata Punch, Breaking Down The Variants

That’s not it, where the Tata Punch in its base, ‘Pure’ trim, lacks features it makes up with a long list of safety features. Pure variant gets

• ABS plus EBD
• Dual Front Airbags
• ISOFIX child seat anchors
• Tilt adjustment for the steering wheel
• Powered front windows
• Central locking
• Brake sway control
• 15-inch steel rims
• Flat bottom steering wheel

Talking about safety, Tata Punch also scored a full 5-star rating in the Global NCAP crash test. This makes Punch THE safest vehicle in its segment and a segment above.

FACT: Tata Punch became the safest vehicle in India as it overtook the earlier leader Mahindra XUV300 by quite a margin.

To know more, Tata Punch Receives 5-Star Global NCAP Rating!

Price and Verdict

Now considering the price to features and safety ratio, Tata Punch scores really high. And the SUV tag makes the deal even more mouth-watering. As of now, Tata Punch is untouched as there is no immediate vehicle to block the PUNCH from Tata.

Tata Punch Prices In Lakh (*ex-showroom)
Variants	Pure	Adventure	Accomplished	Creative
Manual Transmission	₹5.49*	₹6.39*	₹7.29*	₹8.49*
Customization Packs	Rhythm @ ₹35,000	Rhythm @ ₹35,000	Dazzle @ ₹45,000	iRA @    ₹35,000
AMT	N/A	+ ₹60,000 Over Manual Transmission
The prices mentioned above are introductory prices, valid till 31st Dec 2021

Let us know in the comment section what do you think of the new Tata Punch. Does it deserve the top spot in the car of the year award?