Did anybody hear Radio Newcastle this morning, as they were slating both the new punto and the stilo. Basically they were saying that the punto was bad, and the stilo was a joke 
Slating the stilo and grande punto on BBC radio Newcastle
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Slating the stilo and grande punto on BBC radio Newcastle
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I wish I knew the number I'd ring them up and tell them to go f**k themselves. They probably haven't even seen one in person never mind own one for any period of time, so the question is how dare they comment on something they haven't got a clue about. The GP is a decent all around car and is probably the best you can get for the £. The stilo however is quite embarrasing to Fiat.
I understand we all have our own opinions but i personally think of it the other way round, i personally dont think the new Grande Punto is ugly as standard. I feel that the Stilo has major road presence! That is the main reason i bought one!
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Stilo isn't too bad a car I nearly bought a 1.4 16v Active Sport but I just couldn't get used to the driving position and the fact there is no Clutch foot rest.
I just caught the last couple of minutes of the phone in show, but the presenter was finished by saying to the guy who phoned in "have you tried a fiat stilo, as they really are horrid"
It's just some local radio shock jock trying to get noticed. Nobody takes heed of a word these people say anyway.
I wouldn't worry about it people who take notice of those shows are the same people who buy fiestas and micras dull, boring unimaginative people.
Stilos are fantastic. everyone loves mine, and its never given me an ounce of trouble.
Stilos are fantastic. everyone loves mine, and its never given me an ounce of trouble.
Put it this way i have gone from a rover 218 1.9 diesel that had a 0-60 slower than a hummer with bourbon biscuits for wheels. The Stilo is a crackin car to drive i have the 1.4 16valve active and its a real nice drive and i get people looking at her even though they have been around a while. Such a crackin car!
I agree though, they probably have no intrest in driving whatso ever!
Long live the Stilo!:slayer:
I agree though, they probably have no intrest in driving whatso ever!
Long live the Stilo!:slayer:
the view of people on a fiat forum is bound to be more biased than a radio show, so you could argue that the radio show was a more accurate representation of public opinion than posts on this forum.
i personally think the GP is bad, and the stilo was a joke, so i agree with the radio show. that doesnt mean the GP is bad or the stilo was a joke, its all about the opinion of differnt market segments, and as long as you appeal to your target market it doesnt matter what everyone else thinks.
the grand punto seems popular with young ladies but not very popular with men. thats not too surprising as men tend not to like any supermini class cars, they aren't desgined for men so that doesnt matter. if girls like them then the GP is a success as thats it target market. i personally think its crap but that doesnt mean it is crap, fiat had no intentions of selling that car to me or people like me so my opinion isn't relevant. i'm sure it'll be a good girl's car once all the faults are ironed out.
generally the stilo has always been seen as a step backwards to the bravo and it didnt compete very well so i guess a lot of people thought that too. the rest of the market improved dramatically around the time of the stilo's release, even the cheap and cheerful badges got things right, but fiat released the stilo flop and i think the most common word i've heard to describe it in reviews is 'mediocre', so not as good as it should be. doesnt mean it was a bad car, but it wasnt good enough compared to the rest of the market. if you be honest it looks boring and didnt appeal to buyers. who was it aimed at? it wasnt stong in any market because it didn't appeal to any market specifically. that was a fialing of the car, doesnt mean it was a bad car as such, but it failed to sell and you cant blame that on anything except fiat.
the soon to be released grade bravo is aimed at me (although more at families tbh) and I like it less than the GP. its basically just an overweight GP, if you take a girls car and make it bigger it wont suddenly attract a more mature crowd, it'll just attract girls who need room for the kids. i think it will appeal to mothers who want a fmaily car, and i bet the vast majority of grande bravos sold will be 5 door for that reason. just wait and see. it wont get many blokes buying, its just too feminine and friendly looking (least italian design in years)
dont take this as a stab at fiat, i wouldnt own one if i thought they were crap, i'm just trying to explain why public opinion is the way it is. its not about how good a car is or how stylish it looks, its about how much it appeals to its target market. thats the measure of a car's success and thats what produces strong sales. the stilo wasn't a success, i think the GP will do better but it wont beat corsa or fiesta in the uk, and the GB will probably do ok, but i still think the focus and astra are better and will beat it. the real problem is the rise of the little guys in this industry, kia hyundai etc are getting better at a faster rate than fiat, so I expect the market to become even more competitve in the future. that means someone is going to suffer, and that will be whoever makes the least appealing cars. i doubt fiat have to seriously worry about survival, but they cant expect to have stong sales when better built more reliable cheaper alternatives are cropping up all the time. its hard times ahead
i personally think the GP is bad, and the stilo was a joke, so i agree with the radio show. that doesnt mean the GP is bad or the stilo was a joke, its all about the opinion of differnt market segments, and as long as you appeal to your target market it doesnt matter what everyone else thinks.
the grand punto seems popular with young ladies but not very popular with men. thats not too surprising as men tend not to like any supermini class cars, they aren't desgined for men so that doesnt matter. if girls like them then the GP is a success as thats it target market. i personally think its crap but that doesnt mean it is crap, fiat had no intentions of selling that car to me or people like me so my opinion isn't relevant. i'm sure it'll be a good girl's car once all the faults are ironed out.
generally the stilo has always been seen as a step backwards to the bravo and it didnt compete very well so i guess a lot of people thought that too. the rest of the market improved dramatically around the time of the stilo's release, even the cheap and cheerful badges got things right, but fiat released the stilo flop and i think the most common word i've heard to describe it in reviews is 'mediocre', so not as good as it should be. doesnt mean it was a bad car, but it wasnt good enough compared to the rest of the market. if you be honest it looks boring and didnt appeal to buyers. who was it aimed at? it wasnt stong in any market because it didn't appeal to any market specifically. that was a fialing of the car, doesnt mean it was a bad car as such, but it failed to sell and you cant blame that on anything except fiat.
the soon to be released grade bravo is aimed at me (although more at families tbh) and I like it less than the GP. its basically just an overweight GP, if you take a girls car and make it bigger it wont suddenly attract a more mature crowd, it'll just attract girls who need room for the kids. i think it will appeal to mothers who want a fmaily car, and i bet the vast majority of grande bravos sold will be 5 door for that reason. just wait and see. it wont get many blokes buying, its just too feminine and friendly looking (least italian design in years)
dont take this as a stab at fiat, i wouldnt own one if i thought they were crap, i'm just trying to explain why public opinion is the way it is. its not about how good a car is or how stylish it looks, its about how much it appeals to its target market. thats the measure of a car's success and thats what produces strong sales. the stilo wasn't a success, i think the GP will do better but it wont beat corsa or fiesta in the uk, and the GB will probably do ok, but i still think the focus and astra are better and will beat it. the real problem is the rise of the little guys in this industry, kia hyundai etc are getting better at a faster rate than fiat, so I expect the market to become even more competitve in the future. that means someone is going to suffer, and that will be whoever makes the least appealing cars. i doubt fiat have to seriously worry about survival, but they cant expect to have stong sales when better built more reliable cheaper alternatives are cropping up all the time. its hard times ahead
they maybe drove the 1.2 stilo
TBH in the UK we mainly buy base model cars with low output engines, and so the vast majority don't know what the cars capable of, and how nice they can be (internal and external fittings and toys, and the 1.9JTD ) so when random people like that comment, its because they've had a 1.2stilo as a demo or as a courtesy car when their 1.4 12v:yuck: brava was in for an oil change, or they snapped the door handle off thru sheer cackhandedness.
We should all live on the continent and drive BMW 750's and audi S8's merc AMG's etc:slayer:
TBH in the UK we mainly buy base model cars with low output engines, and so the vast majority don't know what the cars capable of, and how nice they can be (internal and external fittings and toys, and the 1.9JTD
) so when random people like that comment, its because they've had a 1.2stilo as a demo or as a courtesy car when their 1.4 12v:yuck: brava was in for an oil change, or they snapped the door handle off thru sheer cackhandedness.We should all live on the continent and drive BMW 750's and audi S8's merc AMG's etc:slayer:
