Gearbox:

Fiat Punto: 7 /10
Maruti Ritz: 8 /10
Hyundai I 20: 8 /10

The I 20 has an improved sleek gearbox with close ratios for lower gears and high ratios for 4th and 5th gear, to improve performance. Shift action is smooth but not quite in the league of the Jazz or the fabia, moreover the reverse gear feels awkward to operate due to its forward shift mechanism.
Like the swift, the ritz has a nice short throw and sporty gearbox with better shift times as compared to swift, without any baulks.
The punto's gearbox, though pretty slick, is not in the same league of the I 20 or the ritz, with 4th and 5th ratios a bit hesitant to operate. Moreover the clutch travel is a bit long in the Punto as compared to The Ritz and I 20, which have short and light clutches.

Driver appeal:

Hyundai I20: 8.5 /10
Fiat Punto: 8 /10
Maruti Ritz: 7 /10

Considering the factors like dashboard design, interior ergonomics, quality and ease of use of controls, its a close call between the I 20 and Punto, with the punto loosing out a bit due to cramped pedals.
The Ritz, for its size, is again superb but would have been better if steering adjusts/ seat height adjustment could be provided for vertically challenged drivers

Braking (with ABS standard on test cars)

Fiat Punto: 7.5 /10
Hyundai I 20: 9 /10
maruti Ritz: 8 /10

As expected, the I 20 performed the best in the braking tests and showed no signs of fade, part owed to its rear ventilated disc brakes, standard on all diesel models. the pedal feel is precise and accurate, no complaints here.

The ritz for its size performed superbly, with the ABS system cutting a bit early for safety purposes, though the pedal feels a bit over served.

The Punto, again has good brakes, but typical of many Fiat cars, the pedal feel is artificial and spongy and the main concern is brake pads are prone to fade on the test car.Otherwise, for daily use, its pretty OK.

Ride Quality:

Fiat Punto: 9.5 /10
Hyundai I 20: 8 /10
Maruti Ritz: 6 /10

No contest here. The Punto wins here comfortably. Fiats expertise in building great chassis designs shows and the punto simply glides over the roughest of patches, over most ridges and you feel so confident that you can drive this car like a mini SUV, despite the 60 profile tyres. The more speeds build up, the more the ride improves and thats saying something. The suspension works superbly even at low speeds over large craters and the stabiliser bar on front and rear keeps the car planted on the road. The suspension is neither too soft nor too hard and works perfectly.

The I 20 is one of the better riding Hyundais and again the suspension works superbly at low to medium speeds. At high speeds, the ride improves but again it is vulnerable to huge potholes (where the punto feels unfazed), with a thud sound coming from the rear.
The front does bob mildly under less than perfect surfaces but again, the ride is decent and improves with speeds. Hyundai has tuned the rear suspension more softer to improve passenger comfort while taking care of the nose heaviness for the front suspension.

The ritz is a result of the countless hours that Maruti's engineers have put up and it shows as a result of superb low speed ride for a car of its size. However, as speeds build up, the lightweight chassis shows its flaws. The car gets tossed around and you feel every pothole-right from the smallest to the biggest in varying states of banged sounds from the suspension, especially from the rear.

The front suspension is actually better of due to the additional weight of the diesel engine but again, compared to I 20 nd Punto, it does fall short, even though the ride is overall actually better than that of the swift and yes, the getz.

Handling:

Fiat Punto: 9 /10
Maruti Ritz: 7 /10
Hyundai I20: 6.5 /10

Surprised that ritz handles better than the bigger I 20?
Yes, its true but the only limiting factor are the weedy 165/80 R 14 tyres. The swift chassis is still one of the sportiest around and the Ritz is a pretty chuckable hatch for a car of this dimensions. Though no swift, still it has a predictable and beneign handling and the new EPS unit feels a lot better caliberated on the recent Marutis, precise and accurate. Upsize the tyres, and the car handles brilliantly, making it a few of the rare breed of tall boys that are actually fun to drive.

The I 20 has a typical hyundai chassis, neutral and docile handling. Even though the car has wider 185 /60 R 14 tyres, the suspension is tuned more for ride comfort rather than spirited driving and the spting and damper rates are on the softer side as compared to ritz and punto.The big drawback is the MDPS (motor driven power steering) which lacks feel at high speeds and feels dull to drive. At low speeds, it works perfectly and is more on the lighter side.

The champ-again- is the Fiat Punto. Accurate, precise steering and perfect ratios for variable speeds makes this car fun to drive at any type of winding road or highways. It responds to any command that you throw on it and also it gives you a feeling that the chassis is communicating with the driver rather than behaving on its own.
A bit heavy on the low speeds and long turning radius are its main drawbacks.