[da_lowrider]

Must say, I am pleasantly surprised by the Avventure, I was extremely sceptical of how it's going to turn out, but I think it looks awesome! Just wonder how Fiat is going to price this one though.

[W.A.G.7]

Originally Posted by ajmat

You got to admire the spirit of Fiat, they keep coming back with more ideas despite the various setbacks

Yeah, true! But without much new variety or changes. I feel they are not being aggressive and going the 'conservative' way while changing their line-up. They should be bringing in something really new and exciting, not existing models with facelifts and cosmetic changes. Nothing really exciting there, though whatever attempt they have done on their existing line-up is commendable. All the best to them.

[sukiwa]

Avventure looks great. Tail mounted spare wheel & mechanism to open hatch door has been executed very well, looks much better than Ecosport.

[dmplog]

Originally Posted by createrkid

The Abarth 500 is gonna be one pricey car for sure. Maybe around the 15 lakh tag. But unquestionably could be the most fun to drive

I have a feeling it will be much more than 15 lakhs. Even the 500 in it's earlier (non Abarth) avataar costed more than 15L. So, with Abarth badge surely jackup the price! Hope I am proved wrong!

[nkrishnap]

Originally Posted by GrammarNazi

Others are procuring Fiat Subsidiary Magneti Marelli's AMT and calling it all sorts of names : F-Drive, EZDrive. Why not Fiat?

Lost opportunity for Fiat on the Automated Manual Transmission. They definitely had the opportunity of being the first mover in the market. But they chose otherwise.

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Avventura has been a surprise from FIAT and must say it has been well executed compared to the competition- Etios Cross, Cross Polo and Fabia Scout.

However, otherwise it's been another ordinary show from FIAT. No Punto TJet, no Abarth Punto Essesse, no Jeep- enough said.

On the Avventura, a decent job done than the ones you have mentioned for sure. However, do note that this Avventura is still at the concept stage and one will get to see how it turns out in the production version. I too am disappointed with Fiat for not show casing the Abarth Punto Essesse and Jeeps.

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

I doubt it will fight the Ecosport, which is more of an SUV (Only in the looks department) where Avventura clearly is a beefed up hatch. However - I think it will go right to the top of the segment, a very niche segment though which includes the Cross Polo, Etios Cross and Fabia Scout.

Avventure clearly sports the 6 speed gearbox. I wonder what stops them now from bringing it to the other models!

The 1.6 with 6 speed gearbox will not make it to the Linea in the near future. The Avventura displayed with the 6 speed gearbox is still a concept, so I would not be surprised if they ditch it as the excise benefit will go for a toss the moment 1.6 diesel engine is launched irrespective of whichever gearbox they use.

[nim_peter]

I think FIAT should work on a 1.5MJD specifically for India. While all other manufacturers have a 1.5 Diesel in hand, FIAT is forced to stick with the 1.3 fearing excise duty. I think a few manufacturers converted their 1.6s to 1.5 , not sure how, by reducing the stroke? Another alternate is to provide the 1.3 with a much higher state of tune.

[Rubbertramps]

I think the linea still looks good and will turn heads. With respect to the chrome, the City has even more Chrome in the front grille and it looks a eye sore. Linea is a tad better !

The avventura looks great. I hope the refreshed interiors in the linea makes it to the punto ! After all the punto was the breadwinner all these days !

Good Job Fiat !!

[sandeepmdas]

Forbes interview with Nagesh Basavanhalli, President and MD, Fiat Chrysler India:

" Now we are five products. Fiat is no longer a two-product company. Now you’ve got the Linea Classic, the Punto, the new Linea, new Punto, Aventura and the Abarth 500..."



http://forbesindia.com/article/auto-...owdown/37125/1

[sourabhzen]

Originally Posted by Rubbertramps

I think the linea still looks good and will turn heads. With respect to the chrome, the City has even more Chrome in the front grille and it looks a eye sore.

It still looks good but looked even better without chrome. I fact, it was difficult to remove your eyes from it earlier. Now it is a good looking sedan but not attractive enough for long attention. Also, City becoming an eyesore due to chrome does not justify applying chrome to Linea too!

[Rubbertramps]

Originally Posted by sourabhzen

It still looks good but looked even better without chrome. I fact, it was difficult to remove your eyes from it earlier. Now it is a good looking sedan but not attractive enough for long attention. Also, City becoming an eyesore due to chrome does not justify applying chrome to Linea too!

Yes. The current one is the best in terms of looks. Personally i dont like the chrome overdone in both these cars. But not all Indians think like me ! Many seems to like the chrome job !

[sourabhzen]

Originally Posted by Rubbertramps

Yes. The current one is the best in terms of looks. Personally i dont like the chrome overdone in both these cars. But not all Indians think like me ! Many seems to like the chrome job !

The manufacturers shall start giving us chrome less options. They are spoiling my favorite cars - Safari, City and now Linea. I guess they will be a bit cheaper and a lot more better!

[supertinu]

Avventura looks very interesting. I wonder how would the real production version look. The external rear tire would certainly help increasing the boot space.

Rest of the offerings are pretty standard. However the mild upgraded Linea looks just plain ugly. I wonder why such a half hearted attempt from Fiat which has such a great design team.

[prakash_ajp]

Originally Posted by supertinu

Rest of the offerings are pretty standard. However the mild upgraded Linea looks just plain ugly. I wonder why such a half hearted attempt from Fiat which has such a great design team.

Well, there is no point of being the prettiest car if they can't sell, isn't it?
Going by most people's taste in our country, I won't be surprised if people started buying Linea again. It's amazing what chrome can do here in India.

[KarthikK]

Fiat had an interesting stall at the expo. On display were the Punto, Linea classic, facelifted Linea, Avventura CUV concept and the Abarth 500 Esseesse. There was no sign of Jeep, Chrysler, Abarth Punto or even the usual eye candy crowd pullers such as Alfa Romeo or Bravo.

I headed towards the facelifted Linea to check what has changed on the outside and inside. As a Linea owner, here are a few initial impressions vis-a-vis the old Linea:

First look of the new Linea: there isn't a drastic change in the front profile





What's new: a sharper, more aggressively styled bumper, a different design of the chrome grill, and some chrome accents along the grill and fog lamp bezels, and new fog lamp bezels themselves. Headlamps remain the same old ones.



The bumper overhang looks sharp towards the tips, similar to the Polo's and Vento's bumper shape. The old curved, rounded bumper ending look is gone.



The fog lamp bezels for the Linea are changed from silver color to black color. This shape is also redesigned. Make note of the matt black plastic usage though. This might tend to fade and become a detailing disaster as per my guess.



The outside rear view mirrors now sport integrated turn indicators. A welcome move.



But here's the ugly side of that change in indicator position: the empty old indicator cavity now houses a badge telling you which engine version of the Linea this is - T-Jet or MultiJet!



The 16" Alloy wheel pattern is now revised to the version which was available in Turkey since 2011. I personally felt the outgoing (turbine blade) pattern looked better. Tyres remain the same 205/55R16 Goodyear Eagle NCT5.



Moving over to the back of the car, here's a three quarters view of the new T-Jet. The ugly black side vinyl strips will not be part of OEM equipment, thankfully. Also note the unnecessary black plastic panel at the rear bottom of the bumper. It looks hideously out of place. Another guess of mine is they have reverted to the older (pre-GC-facelift) suspension setup with 170mm GC for the T-Jet. Check out the new reflector lights which make their way on the Linea's rear.



The T-Jet now comes with an OEM spoiler. Leaving out the decals part, this spoiler along with the chrome exhaust tip are the distinguishing factors for the T-Jet Linea from its diesel sibling.



Looks like a very busy rear-end. The number plate has moved from the rear bumper to the bootlid. The Linea decal has been done away with, and instead that word has been embossed on a chrome strip above the number plate. Also note the absence of a keyhole on the back. There is a bootlid release lever (pull-type flap) neatly hidden below that chrome strip



Due to the number plate moving from the rear bumper to the bootlid itself, there is some rearrangement in the decal position. The T-Jet decal is now positioned higher almost near the edge! The tail lamp remains same as the outgoing model though.



MultiJet Lineas get their own badging too




Stepping towards the inside of the car, the first thing I noticed when I opened the door was : there was no change in the door panel or trims. Even the driver side controls remain the same. The only minute difference here is the driver handle which is changed from chrome to a greyish matt plastic version, similar to the bashed type available on lower Punto variants.




Fiat says they have redesigned the seats and interiors. I don't think so. It sports the exact same (light beige) type of upholstery as the current outgoing version. Which is why I didn't even bother clicking pictures of the seats.



First thing I noticed when I got into the car was the fresh looking interiors and new ICE




Redesigned instrument cluster with dark grey and white dials instead of the old retro themed white/orange combo.



While some bits of the dash are redesigned, there are still some bits and pieces left over from the older Linea. Take a look at this driver side control area. The aircon vent is redesigned to a fresher looking one, but the MyCar controls remain same as before. A welcome addition is presence of air volume control on the individual aircon vents (missing on outgoing model). The OBD port access space used to double up as a storage space for parking tickets, but that is now weirdly half-closed into a flap. The best part is the absence of any crude plastics or ugly panel gaps on the inside panels.



The semi-facelift work continues on the centre console too. While the upper part of the central console looks fresh and new with the updated audio system and aircon vents, the automatic climate control unit is a straight lift from the outgoing Linea (sports a darker shade too) and looks out of place. The ICE now comes with the much needed AUX input and a better looking screen too.



Cruise control stalk (lower one) on the left is a new feature

[rameshnanda]

Excellent report, Karthik.

Originally Posted by KarthikK

Cruise control stalk (lower one) on the left is a new feature

In which variant did you see this Cruise control stalk? T-Jet/Multijet?