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Old 23rd July 2016, 19:04   #91
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Re: Fiat Linea 125 S with 123 BHP launched

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The Motoroids team had taken the Linea 125 S for a spin, and they have come back clearly impressed!
Thank you RavenAvi for sharing this here.

I am really wondering if a 123BHP engine can really be a lot more different from the 114BHP predecessor. I have a funny feeling the 'Power Tech' may have also reworked on the ECU and probably the throttle body(?) to make this more free revving.

Either ways, seems like Fiat have again given the enthusiasts something to celebrate.

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Excerpts:

Mashing the right pedal on this Linea is a therapy for the petrolhead. Slot it into the first gear, bury the pedal and a deluge of power and torque fights the 205 section Apollo Alnac rubber riding fifteen inch alloys...
Is this typo or have Fiat have actually downsized the Alloys on the Linea 125S??

The regular T-jet had 16" rims from what I remember.
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Old 23rd July 2016, 20:27   #92
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Re: Fiat Linea 125 S with 123 BHP launched

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Originally Posted by Vik0728 View Post

Is this typo or have Fiat have actually downsized the Alloys on the Linea 125S?? .
It is a typo. They are still offering the top end in 16 inch rims.
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Old 23rd July 2016, 23:43   #93
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Re: Fiat Linea 125 S with 123 BHP launched

MOTORBEAM REVIEW :

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Performance – The 2016 Fiat Linea 125S is powered by the same 1.4-litre T-Jet petrol engine that was also offered earlier. This time around, it is tuned to produce 125 HP of power which translates into an increase of 11 HP over the previous tune. Top whack comes in at 5000 RPM while peak torque of 210 Nm is churned out between 2000-3500 RPM. The engine comes mated to the same 5-speed manual gearbox and 0-100 km/hr timing is claimed to be 10.4 seconds. 100 km/hr in top gear comes in at 2500 RPM. Under hard acceleration, we did get some wheelspin in 1st and even 2nd gear!

The engine has brilliant pulling power right from low RPMs. Once the turbo kicks in post 2000 RPM, the Linea 125S accelerates like a rocket and the sheer feeling is thrilling. Power delivery continues all the way to higher RPMs and the sedan never feels out of breath. The engine loves to be revved all the way to 6500 RPM. In terms of fuel efficiency, the claimed figure is 14.2 km/l but we managed to extract 5-6 km/l under hard driving and 8-9 km/l under relaxed driving. The clutch has a very long travel but still doesn’t feel too heavy. The gearbox is notchy as before.

Driving Dynamics– The Fiat Linea has always had good handling but it kind of went for a toss when Fiat increased the car’s ground clearance to 190 mm. Still, it doesn’t disappoint at all and chucking the Linea into corners is fun. It comes shod with Apollo Alnac tyres which offer pretty decent levels of grip. Ride quality is brilliant and the suspension is capable of absorbing most bumps that come your way. The Linea feels comfortable to drive around and doesn’t make you feel tired. Even the brakes have a lot of bite and stopping power is excellent.

Verdict – Fiat has improved the Linea with the updated engine which provides thrilling performance. You even get a touchscreen infotainment system this time around. However, the car itself is very dated and there are definitely better products available for that price. The Fiat Linea 125S will probably be bought only by hardcore fanboys of the brand because for any other regular customer, the C-segment offers a plethora of other options.
https://www.motorbeam.com/2016/07/ca...ew-test-drive/
Attached Thumbnails
Fiat Linea 125 S with 123 BHP launched-28201805460_124f8a74d2.jpg  

Fiat Linea 125 S with 123 BHP launched-28406656821_8ec388c0e3.jpg  

Fiat Linea 125 S with 123 BHP launched-28201804970_317a31c28b.jpg  


Last edited by Dr.Naren : 23rd July 2016 at 23:52.
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Old 24th July 2016, 15:38   #94
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Re: Fiat Linea 125 S with 123 BHP launched

Managed to do a test drive of the 125s this morning. I had left a request with KHT to inform me when it's possible, and to their credit they called.

Good news is that they actually have the car (I seriously mean it), but the wrong color. They had asked for brown and Fiat sent them silver !!!

Bad news is that my remapped T jet trounces it in every which way at least for city driving.

The TD car had only 93 km and the engine still felt tight, and I felt it has even less bottom end than the stock setting on my Jet, but the top end revs slightly more and quicker than a regular Jet. I can only guess that they have played around with the map and moved the torque band up. To give you an example, I can get almost instant throttle response in 4th from around 1500 RPM in my car on Map-2. I tried the same in the 125s and it took its own sweet time to respond until the revs built up sufficiently. I took it up to about 5000-5500 and ran out of road, and it did pull nicely at the top end, but nowhere close to the Abarth Punto. No real change in engine note from a regular Jet, unlike the Abarth.

The quality of the new head unit is significantly better than mine. Buttons look classier, and the feel is more positive. Even the stock sound is better. I took some FLAC files on a pen drive as I was told that Uconnect can read FLAC, but it refused to read it and since they couldn't find the manual I didn't pursue it.

If anyone's planning to buy it, please change from stock tyres. I can't tell you how noisy and hard the Apollos felt in comparison to my Hankooks. Ride was marginally harder (could be the usual inflated tyre pressures), but handling felt about the same. I can't tell you what a difference good tyres make, even the brake feel and progressiveness felt better on my jet.

It's true, the gearshift on Fiats improve with age. Mine felt a lot more 'click-click'.

Price On Road, Bangalore 13.17L.

Cheers.
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Old 24th July 2016, 19:12   #95
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Re: Fiat Linea 125 S with 123 BHP launched

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Originally Posted by keroo1099 View Post

They had asked for brown and Fiat sent them silver !!!

Bad news is that my remapped T jet trounces it in every which way at least for city driving.
This is the exact intuition I had keroo1099 and I guess your experience seems to have addressed it.

I was quite pessimistic about how much of a difference would an increase in 11HP really make, and nobody else can quite comprehend this than the existing T-Jet owners.

I just saw the latest ad:



There is a mention of 'Upto 70,000/- Benefits' and all this on the new 125PS??

If you want to offer benefits on the New launch, why not launch it lesser in the first go??

Personally, Abarth Punto represents the 'Performance' variant of the Punto, but Linea 125PS has nothing really 'Significant/Substantial' to offer over the previous T-jet.


P.S - First-gen Linea & Punto still look better than the current designs.

Last edited by Vik0728 : 24th July 2016 at 19:14.
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Old 25th July 2016, 10:36   #96
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Re: Fiat Linea 125 S with 123 BHP launched

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I can't tell you how noisy and hard the Apollos felt in comparison to my Hankooks.
Which model of Hankook do you use?

I believe we cross paths on some days of the week. I see you turn out of HAL and head towards tin factory at around 5pm on some days of the week. White T Jet?

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Originally Posted by keroo1099 View Post
Price On Road, Bangalore 13.17L.
Jeez. A 2 lac increase in 4 years! Well; I guess this trend it seen across the segment too. I paid exactly 9.9 lac for my car in 2011, post the one lac year end discount.
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Old 25th July 2016, 10:44   #97
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Re: Fiat Linea 125 S with 123 BHP launched

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Which model of Hankook do you use?

I believe we cross paths on some days of the week. I see you turn out of HAL and head towards tin factory at around 5pm on some days of the week. White T Jet?
Hankook Ventus Evo V12, a summer performance tyre so should be more vocal than the stock all season tyres, but is not.

Nope, mine is magnesio grey, but I have seen the same white T-jet down the big bazar lane.
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Old 25th July 2016, 12:38   #98
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Re: Fiat Linea 125 S with 123 BHP launched

A perfect slap for Fiat haters. Couldn't have put it in any better ways.
Comment received for the motorbeam review on Linea 125s : https://www.motorbeam.com/2016/07/ca...ent-2799550659
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Old 25th July 2016, 17:15   #99
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Re: Fiat Linea 125 S with 123 BHP launched

Last week, I had called Sky Moto to check the on road price of the updated Tjet. They are already offering discounts and the on road price quoted was 10.8L with discounts (actual 11.4L on road). This was without any negotiation.
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Old 25th July 2016, 19:06   #100
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Re: Fiat Linea 125 S with 123 BHP launched

Right.

I booked mine for 10.8. I could additionally get the zero dep insurance and camera (+ plus mats and mud flaps). Could not get the price down further.



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Originally Posted by nikhil0405 View Post
Last week, I had called Sky Moto to check the on road price of the updated Tjet. They are already offering discounts and the on road price quoted was 10.8L with discounts (actual 11.4L on road). This was without any negotiation.
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Old 25th July 2016, 19:42   #101
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Re: Fiat Linea 125 S with 123 BHP launched

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A perfect slap for Fiat haters. Couldn't have put it in any better ways.
I really don't know why people get into a tizzy and try to protect a particular brand like its the end of the world. All cars have pros and cons, just enjoy yours for what it is, and don't let what others think get to you. It's only a bloody opinion for God's sake !!!

Hey, I love my Jet, but I certainly won't say it's the next best thing to sliced bread.
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Old 25th July 2016, 19:50   #102
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Re: Fiat Linea 125 S with 123 BHP launched

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Couldn't have put it in any better ways.
This is a very biased opinion and some of it, is utter nonsense.

On build quality, well yes, the sheet metal used is possibly stronger than the competition but does it have to be is the question. Advancements have been made that allows for sheet metal to be thinner, lighter and the car is still safe. There are other, more efficient ways to make a car safer than just bank on the thickness of sheet metal being used.

On the inside, its a hit or miss. For how many years have we asked for a better fitted steering column unit. Look closer and there are lots of cheap bits. I am not going to compare the car to the immediate competition as every car has something or the other than may scream cheap. The aim should be to set the standard. In the Linea's segment, the VW family of cars, the Hyundai Verna have far better quality and consistency of materials used on the inside.

Faster than every other car in the segment? Maybe but not by much.

Th Honda City is surely not the best drive there is in the segment but it has the highest revving naturally aspirated motor. Power comes late but once you get there, the i-VTEC is in a class of its own. One more thing, its like a foot ball field on the inside if you were to compare it to a Linea.

On the VW's, I have to be honest, the Tsi is a superior motor. It is smoother and less vocal at the top. The fact that its down on capacity and comes very close to the performance of a T Jet motor is something. Yes; it does not have the same torque delivery of a T Jet but it is a more efficient and modern engine by design. I do not understand why Motorbeam says there is little need for a Dsg with the Tsi motor? It is this combination that seals the deal for me.

I don't think there is any European car that betters the other when it comes to reliability. I'd leave this to first hand experience.

The VW Vento on sale today is a beautiful car. Those small changes have changed the way I look at a Vento. There is no aspect of a Vento where I feel there is a compromise.

You must be nuts to compare a Linea to a Hyundai Elantra or a Toyota Corolla.

Why are cars being made lighter? They are more efficient and can be quicker. The performance comparison of all the hatchbacks was an eye opener. Why is a Suzuki Baleno just 3 seconds off a 145 horse power Fiat? Simple, it weighs nearly 300 kilos less.

There is lots to like about the Fiat Linea T Jet. It remains the best car to drive. The competition also makes good cars. They appeal to a different audience, the mass market club. Just don't call them trash or dated cars. On the subject of dated cars, the Linea is probably the oldest in the segment.
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Old 25th July 2016, 21:36   #103
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Re: Fiat Linea 125 S with 123 BHP launched

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Originally Posted by sandeepmohan View Post
This is a very biased opinion and some of it, is utter nonsense.

.
+100.
That comment is nothing more than a fanboy rant.
Honda's IVTEC is not turbocharged, yet it gives TJet a run for its money in outright acceleration. Its a different story though to drive both the cars.

Plus Vento's TSI is a beautiful engine and the combination of the sweet engine and superfast DSG is just what you would want it to be.

Whatever he has written about space is utter rubbish too. Linea may be the longest from outside in its class. Its a different story inside.

Fiat has messed a lot of things in Linea and sad part is even after this many years Fiat has not bothered to change things that could truly make it special.

Last edited by vibbs : 25th July 2016 at 21:38.
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Old 25th July 2016, 23:35   #104
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Re: Fiat Linea 125 S with 123 BHP launched

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Why are cars being made lighter? They are more efficient and can be quicker. The performance comparison of all the hatchbacks was an eye opener. Why is a Suzuki Baleno just 3 seconds off a 145 horse power Fiat? Simple, it weighs nearly 300 kilos less.

On build quality, well yes, the sheet metal used is possibly stronger than the competition but does it have to be is the question. Advancements have been made that allows for sheet metal to be thinner, lighter and the car is still safe. There are other, more efficient ways to make a car safer than just bank on the thickness of sheet metal being used.
Yeah, and the outcome will be something like the Baleno (Made of mettle!!?) which will be crumbled like an aluminium foil if met with an accident or the Brezza which will have a shake of it's life when overtaken buy a multi axle volvo?!! Or if you are talking about the carbon fibre made Lamborghini, sorry the common Indian man can't afford that.

Quote:
On the inside, its a hit or miss. For how many years have we asked for a better fitted steering column unit. Look closer and there are lots of cheap bits. I am not going to compare the car to the immediate competition as every car has something or the other than may scream cheap. The aim should be to set the standard. In the Linea's segment, the VW family of cars, the Hyundai Verna have far better quality and consistency of materials used on the inside.
You will have to shell out almost 3L extra for the top of the line variants of Verna(13.3L) and Vento(12.72L) than the Linea 125s(10.10L). May be, if you are ready to pay that extra money Fiat could give you better quality of materials and fit and finish in the interior. IMO Fiat has just prioritised the more significant aspects of a car over these aesthetic parameters.

Quote:
Faster than every other car in the segment? Maybe but not by much.
Th Honda City is surely not the best drive there is in the segment but it has the highest revving naturally aspirated motor. Power comes late but once you get there, the i-VTEC is in a class of its own.
Power to weight ratio comes into picture here. And sincerely speaking, I have felt myself more safe in a 6.5L Elite i20 than the 14.3L Honda City. What is the purpose of having all that 118ps power if it doesn't inspire confidence when you drive.

Quote:
One more thing, its like a foot ball field on the inside if you were to compare it to a Linea.
I don't think they keep any hollow spaces inside any invisible areas in Linea.

Quote:
I do not understand why Motorbeam says there is little need for a Dsg with the Tsi motor? It is this combination that seals the deal for me.
I would rather have a manual transmission than a problematic dsg. And I thought transmission is not in our discussion here.

Quote:
The VW Vento on sale today is a beautiful car. Those small changes have changed the way I look at a Vento. There is no aspect of a Vento where I feel there is a compromise.
105bhp. That's all. Isn't that a compromise at 12.72L, when you can get 123bhp Linea at 10.10L?

Quote:
There is lots to like about the Fiat Linea T Jet. It remains the best car to drive. The competition also makes good cars. They appeal to a different audience, the mass market club.
That is the concern. What the mass market like. If they prefer to buy cars which give better mileage at the cost of human safety, we will get more lighter and and more unsafe cars as the time goes. This trend has to change. There is no point in crying out loud about the build quality of your kwid/Alto only when you meet with an accident. People has to look for how safe the car is before they make a purchase decision. Facts are hidden to majority of the common men. There are no proper crash tests conducted here to compare the products from different manufactures. People believe their car is safe if it has Airbag and ABS.
And then there are manufactures like Fiat who stick to their ethics (even in a country which does not have strong regulations) due to the concern of human safety and do not go by the way of other manufactures - like doing anything everything just to please their unaware customers and to sell their products even at the cost of safety. For this very reason manufactures like Fiat has to be encouraged and supported. Because tomorrow when I want to buy my next car, I want to see at least one manufacture offering a better built car than a car with better mileage.

Last edited by vpillai : 25th July 2016 at 23:42. Reason: .
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Old 26th July 2016, 08:19   #105
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Re: Fiat Linea 125 S with 123 BHP launched

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Originally Posted by vpillai View Post
Yeah, and the outcome will be something like the Baleno (Made of mettle!!?) which will be crumbled like an aluminium foil if met with an accident or the Brezza which will have a shake of it's life when overtaken buy a multi axle volvo?!! Or if you are talking about the carbon fibre made Lamborghini, sorry the common Indian man can't afford that.
The idea is to crumple like aluminium foil when you have an accident. It's called crumple zone for a reason, and that's what gradually absorbs the energy from a crash and prevents you from flying through a window. Just because the metal is thinner doesn't mean it's less safe, so long as its designed properly. If you think thicker metal means safer, then the amby would still be the number one seller today.

Unfortunately, with tighter emission standards, craze for better mileage, lust for more features, etc. the only way is to cut weight is to trim the metal and get rid of stuff like insulation which reduces the feeling of sitting in a tin can. along with thicker metal Manufacturers have no choice if as you aptly put, "The common Indian man/woman can't afford". Fiats may be great to drive, but they are old school technology in a fast changing world and are not any safer than the new crop of cars.

Your point about the Alto and Kwid is valid, but manufacturers will use whatever loopholes our laws provide (ours are worse than swiss cheese) to make the most affordable car for the mass market. So at the end of the day the responsibility falls on the customer to decide whats important.
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