Tata Punch Facelift Review: New Turbo Engine; Same Old Soul

Legends live among us. Don't believe me? Well, look at the new Tata Punch Facelift, which comes around four years after the Punch was first launched in India back in 2021. And the Punch has done something which no other car has ever done before. It has dethroned Maruti Suzuki in 40 years to become the highest-selling car here in India. Well, that is no small feat and no achievement that can go unnoticed. Want more figures? The Punch has been clocking almost one lakh of sales every six months, averaging at around 13,000 units every month consistently.

Also, the Punch has also clocked the six-lakh sales milestone here in India and not many cars have done it before it. In fact, it was done a few months ago. So, a seven-lakh milestone is also upcoming. Moreover, 70% of the car buyers who get the punch are first-time car buyers. So that tells you a lot about the Punch.

So, this facelift has a lot riding on it. But is it up for it? Let’s find out.

Punch Facelift: New iTurbo Engine

Also Read: Tata Punch Facelift Bharat NCAP Crash Test Scores Revealed; Gets 5-Star Rating

First thing, there is a new engine. Taken from the bigger sibling, the Nexon, it is a 1.2-litre turbo petrol, three-cylinder, which makes 118bhp and 170Nm. That’s almost the same amount of power you get in the Punch EV, but this one is almost 200kilograms lighter.

The engine, for starters, is pretty smooth. It is refined, but you do get that three-cylinder vibration that is filtered inside the cabin, especially onto the steering wheel and on the pedals, but beyond that, there's a good amount of punch, pun not intended, from this motor. You have around 120 horsepower to play with, and you feel that it is a powerful engine.

There’s only a choice of a six-speed manual with this engine, and there's no automatic yet. Now, this manual is exactly how a typical manual gearbox from Tata is. Slightly rubbery, the clutch could be better from its spongy feeling, but at the same time, it feels slightly better than the older manual that we have driven in the Punch. The older manual was slightly lethargic. It had bad throws and a very rubbery feel to it. But over here, it feels better engineered than before.

Also read: 2026 Tata Punch Facelift Price, Variants Explained

Overall, the powertrain does have that sprightly nature. It has refinement. It has the delivery; it is smooth and easy to drive. You don't have to push the car a lot. It is eager to sprint ahead, tackle the traffic, be the overtaker or simply cruise. And especially helped by the smaller dimension, you can be a bit of a menace on the road.

I have no complaints about the ride quality. It is one of the best out there. The suspension setup is fabulous. It will give you no reason to complain, whether you have good roads, bad roads, or no roads. But the steering, it is a bit slow. It takes a lot of turns in, and it's not as responsive as the car could have been, given its demeanour.

So overall, this iTurbo edition is a fabulous addition to the Punch lineup. But this iTurbo, it feels sprightly. It's a good engine to have when you want to drive enthusiastically. If you want a car that is compact, small, and want to have some fun behind the wheel, it's a really good engine and gearbox combination to have, especially when you don't want an EV, but want a similar level of performance. However, on the flip side, the only trade-off would be the fuel mileage because the time we spent with it; the indicated mileage didn’t breach double figure mark.

Punch Facelift: Exterior and Interior Upgrades

As for the styling, it's a facelift, so no changes to the dimensions or the sheet metal, but you do get reworked LED headlamps and tail lamps, both of which are housed in the same shape. It's just a design which has been revised to look fresh. There are four new colour options, a new alloy wheel design, and a redesigned tailgate. That's all the changes on the exterior, but the design, it feels fresh. The sleek LED daytime running lights look more modern.

The Punch already had a very radical styling, some three to four years ago, when it came out. It had a unique proportion that looked butch in a compact footprint and had an identity of its own. And all that remains. And I'm particularly happy with this update because they haven't made this one look like a Curvv Lite or a Nexon Lite. It still has an identity of its own because when a car is selling in such huge numbers, you don't just go ahead and redesign it entirely. You do exactly this.

Also Read: Tata Punch Facelift Launched At Rs 5.59 Lakh; Gets Turbo-Petrol Engine Option

And the same goes for the interior because not a lot has changed over here. But what has changed? Uh, it feels fresh. There are elements from the Punch EV over here, like the centre console with the “phygital” buttons, but the touchscreen is new and has a blue hue instead of green. There's also a new Tata steering wheel, which we have seen on all the Tata cars, and I'm familiar with now. But behind it is an all-new, all-digital driver's display, which is a huge step forward compared to the outgoing uh semi-analogue unit.

Coming back to the 10.25-inch touchscreen, which is now larger, sharper and far more intuitive. It also supports wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, which brings it up to speed with what buyers expect today. As for the space and practicality, there are no changes in that aspect, but the seats here now offer good dual tone upholstery, which is very likable and the seats also get added support for under-thigh that should aid in spending long hours in.

Punch Facelift: Verdict

This was the perfect time for Tata to get the facelift for the Punch because although its selling in huge numbers, the only thing that put a ding in its sales figures was the buyer's expectation of the arrival of this facelift. Now, with this improvement, the suitability of the Punch for the first time buyers, it remains. It remains one of the most compact, fun to drive, easy to live with, and tough enough for real Indian roads. It's also safe, confidence-inspiring, and this iTurbo version is oh so fun to drive. Sure, the sales figures of this powertrain or the iTurbo version it remains to be seen because in India, people don't want their small car to have small fuel efficiency, which could be the case with this one. However, the CNG version is still a strong (and default) choice; it will sell strongly, and it will continue to be a favourite among the buyers.

So, the Tata Punch Facelift isn't exactly a reinvention. It is reinforcement is what I think because Tata has taken a car which has already worked so well and made it feel more usable and feel more modern, and it doesn't lose any of the things that made it successful in the first place. And that's exactly how legends stay relevant.

Pictures by Pawan Dagia & Arvind Salian