Fiat Linea has arrived

SilentEngine · 5th February 2009, 14:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by rajen83

FIAL is a 50:50 jointventure between TATA and FIAT.
So wouldn't TATA be shooting itself in the foot if it gives step-motherly treatment towards FIAT?

How long is this joint venture valid?
We saw the mahindra-renault fall apart easily. Can we be rest assured that FIAT will always have TATA to backup atleast till after 5 years?

I don't think TATA is giving any step-motherly treatment. If at all, its the dealers, who probably prefer to sell Indica against Palio. I agree with amit on this.
I don't know how long this JV valid, but breaking this is not beneficial to either party. TATA has actually good relation with FIAT, not just in India, even the Ferrari F1 cars will sport TATA (TCS) logos this season.

tinkywinky · 5th February 2009, 15:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ash-NewCar

Amazing......
I would love to hear from you about your TD experience and do post the pics once you get the car.. What colour have you opted for?

Sure, i will post the pics. I have opted for Flemenco Red, I love the black, but black is strictly not allowed at my home so opted for the 2nd best

downsouth · 5th February 2009, 17:29

Linea Petrol is available for TD every where else except hyderabad, I fail to understand why this would be so.

Palio_2005 · 6th February 2009, 16:18

I heard that the Petrol Linea is pretty sluggish especially the intial pick up with 5 adults (it struggles). Not driven it so can't vouch for it.

Guys who have booked petrol w/o test drive I suggest you drive the car yourself and then decide.

neoonwheels · 6th February 2009, 16:29

I have driven Linea Petrol with AC ON and 4 adults. I did not feel it to be underpowered. The only thing I hate is its 2nd gear. Its very short and feels useless. 3rd is awesome and car picks well in this gear.

manish7 · 6th February 2009, 16:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by neoonwheels

I have driven Linea Petrol with AC ON and 4 adults. I did not feel it to be underpowered. The only thing I hate is its 2nd gear. Its very short and feels useless. 3rd is awesome and car picks well in this gear.

Where did you get petrol TD in Pune? I am yet to TD both and hoping to do so tomorrow.

6th February 2009, 17:17

Drove the Linea Diesel yesterday.
First off- the brickbats. Someone's got to say it!
Engine
It felt underpowered. There's no two ways about it. I'm used to driving a swift D and a Verna Diesel, so maybe, thats why.
I'm familiar with the engine, having driven it in the swift, the palio and the indica qaudrajet, and expected a lot more from it, especially with the VGT, but it was a let down.

The engine is just as eager to rev as always, and the tacho climbs very well for a diesel, but the speedo stays put.
It gets noisy above 3000rpm, This car culd learn from the verna, fiesta and logan about sound insulation.

I think it is too much to ask of even this, rather game engine
The Palio MJD feels peppier, and that's saying a lot!

Several times on the highway, floored the accelerator in 3rd expecting to overtake atleast as well as the swift, and was disappointed and even scared, when I found that the car responded poorly,leaving me stranded mid overtake. Unlike the other 3 cars with the same engine.
Though most of the time the unsatisfactory throttle response was slow enough to keep me out of trouble.

So, like some one else said after their TD on this thread, this is a safe car, because it is slow and will not let you take risks because you know you have no chance of getting past the other traffic.
This car is not for people in a hurry, it is for people who like to drive slowly and sedately.

Handling
I dont see what the big fuss is about, the car felt just as floaty as the verna on a corner at 100kmph. Steering felt dead, heavy, but dead.
the bulges in the steering wheel at 2 o clock and 10 o clock were irritating.

Braking
Brakes were good, in the sense that they provide very good stopping power, but they were grabby, and did not feel progressive.

Maneuverability

Enough of bashing,

The good bits of course, you dont need me to tell you all that, there have been hymns sung about the points below on this very thread. so I'll keep it short.
1.Ergonomics(except for the bumps on the steering wheel)
2.fit and finish
3.feeling of solidity
4.brilliant rear seats(this is excellent for a retired person with a chauffeur)
5.lots and lots of gizmos
6.amazing pricing( fully loaded linea is cheaper than the base version Verna)
7.nice interiors
8.brilliant ride I took speed bumps that I'm familiar with in the swift at twice the speed that I do on the swift, the Linea was smoooooth. Similar stunts in the Swift would have seen me visiting the dentist and chiropractor today.
9. Driveability- I didnt really test for that, sorry, but I'm told that in gear timings are better than most cars on the road today. It just isnt my kind of driving to leave the car in the 3rd or 4th and lug it. I prefer downshifting to accelerate on the highways.

If you're an enthusiast-stay away from this car.
If you're bent on a Fiat still- get the palio! comparatively more fun to drive than this car.

EDIT- maybe a pete's box will help- it works wonders on the logan and fiesta, but on the other hand, even the stock logan and fiesta feel faster than the linea.

This is not a bad car at all, for its price. but on this thread it has been praised soooo much that I went with too many expectations, maybe that was part of the problem. Its just a point A to B car, nothing more.

neoonwheels · 6th February 2009, 17:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by manish7

Where did you get petrol TD in Pune? I am yet to TD both and hoping to do so tomorrow.

BU BHandari - Pashan.

sj_koova · 9th February 2009, 10:49

I did a TD of Linea diesel yesterday.

First thing that comes to my mind is, it is severely under powered for its size. I knew 86BHP is at the lesser side, but still hoped it could do much better than what I experienced
The car doesn't pull at all until it crosses 2000rpm. What I felt is, at 3rd gear beyond 2000 rpm, the engines starts delivering its power.

If you are crossing a hump at 1st gear, you will see the entire would moving ahead of you until you can reach to 3rd gear and steady at 2000rpm. Engine becomes very quiet at this stage.

I really could not feel the torque as in the spec. The response lag is again very disappointing. It is more like the push you get on a small car when you put off full throttle A/C. You have to floor and pray for the car to respond.

So this is absolutely not a driver's car.

Now coming to other aspects.

Exterior looks much better than I expected, especially the front grill and the bonnet is eye catching.

Interior is decent enough. Back seat is comfortable, but the middle seat is hopeless as in any other sedan of its class.

You feel the car is sturdy on the go and breaking is very prompt. Maneuverability and gear shift is again good.

It would have been a decent car if the engine delivered sufficient power and provided better response. Wrong engine on a right car I would say.

swami · 9th February 2009, 12:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by sj_koova

I did a TD of Linea diesel yesterday.

You feel the car is sturdy on the go and breaking is very prompt.

I hope you meant braking and not breaking

TheHorse · 9th February 2009, 13:33

anybody from Pune area have got delivery of MJD linea?
It seems there is a long waiting queue.
Whats the latest waiting period? I hope it doesn't get to Dzire'ishly long

hotpursuit · 9th February 2009, 13:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheHorse

anybody from Pune area have got delivery of MJD linea?

Even I haven't been lucky to spot one Linea in Bangalore. BHPians from Bangalore. Any luck for you? Where has all the 1700 Lineas as per the sales figures gone. Is there not even one which is delivered till now?

manish7 · 9th February 2009, 14:56

I saw one Linea Emotion on road last week near Baner. It was red, and bearing Pune registration.

I was told that waiting period is around 6 weeks!

finneyp · 9th February 2009, 15:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by hotpursuit

Where has all the 1700 Lineas as per the sales figures gone. Is there not even one which is delivered till now?

Less than 1% of cars owners in our country are registered at T-BHP!
So you can't expect all 1700 Linea owners to be T-Bhp members.

However, there are around 7 - 8 Linea bookings on T-bhp and only 1 member got his Linea delivered.

SilentEngine · 9th February 2009, 15:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by hotpursuit

Even I haven't been lucky to spot one Linea in Bangalore. BHPians from Bangalore. Any luck for you? Where has all the 1700 Lineas as per the sales figures gone. Is there not even one which is delivered till now?

I have managed to see one registered Linea so far, around 2 weeks back.
Near Mattikere area

5th February 2009, 17:29	#1068
downsouth BHPian Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: 0.1933333, 32.58333 Posts: 357 Thanked: 23 Times	Linea Petrol is available for TD every where else except hyderabad, I fail to understand why this would be so.
	() Thanks

6th February 2009, 16:18	#1069
Palio_2005 BHPian Join Date: May 2006 Location: Pune Posts: 991 Thanked: 878 Times	I heard that the Petrol Linea is pretty sluggish especially the intial pick up with 5 adults (it struggles). Not driven it so can't vouch for it. Guys who have booked petrol w/o test drive I suggest you drive the car yourself and then decide.
	() Thanks

6th February 2009, 16:29	#1070
neoonwheels Senior - BHPian Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Pune Posts: 2,065 Thanked: 1,877 Times View My Garage	I have driven Linea Petrol with AC ON and 4 adults. I did not feel it to be underpowered. The only thing I hate is its 2nd gear. Its very short and feels useless. 3rd is awesome and car picks well in this gear.
	() Thanks

6th February 2009, 17:17	#1072
rippergeo Posts: n/a	Not a driver's car. Drove the Linea Diesel yesterday. First off- the brickbats. Someone's got to say it! Engine It felt underpowered. There's no two ways about it. I'm used to driving a swift D and a Verna Diesel, so maybe, thats why. I'm familiar with the engine, having driven it in the swift, the palio and the indica qaudrajet, and expected a lot more from it, especially with the VGT, but it was a let down. The engine is just as eager to rev as always, and the tacho climbs very well for a diesel, but the speedo stays put. It gets noisy above 3000rpm, This car culd learn from the verna, fiesta and logan about sound insulation. I think it is too much to ask of even this, rather game engine The Palio MJD feels peppier, and that's saying a lot! Several times on the highway, floored the accelerator in 3rd expecting to overtake atleast as well as the swift, and was disappointed and even scared, when I found that the car responded poorly,leaving me stranded mid overtake. Unlike the other 3 cars with the same engine. Though most of the time the unsatisfactory throttle response was slow enough to keep me out of trouble. So, like some one else said after their TD on this thread, this is a safe car, because it is slow and will not let you take risks because you know you have no chance of getting past the other traffic. This car is not for people in a hurry, it is for people who like to drive slowly and sedately. Handling I dont see what the big fuss is about, the car felt just as floaty as the verna on a corner at 100kmph. Steering felt dead, heavy, but dead. the bulges in the steering wheel at 2 o clock and 10 o clock were irritating. Braking Brakes were good, in the sense that they provide very good stopping power, but they were grabby, and did not feel progressive. Maneuverability Enough of bashing, The good bits of course, you dont need me to tell you all that, there have been hymns sung about the points below on this very thread. so I'll keep it short. 1.Ergonomics(except for the bumps on the steering wheel) 2.fit and finish 3.feeling of solidity 4.brilliant rear seats(this is excellent for a retired person with a chauffeur) 5.lots and lots of gizmos 6.amazing pricing( fully loaded linea is cheaper than the base version Verna) 7.nice interiors 8.brilliant ride I took speed bumps that I'm familiar with in the swift at twice the speed that I do on the swift, the Linea was smoooooth. Similar stunts in the Swift would have seen me visiting the dentist and chiropractor today. 9. Driveability- I didnt really test for that, sorry, but I'm told that in gear timings are better than most cars on the road today. It just isnt my kind of driving to leave the car in the 3rd or 4th and lug it. I prefer downshifting to accelerate on the highways. If you're an enthusiast-stay away from this car. If you're bent on a Fiat still- get the palio! comparatively more fun to drive than this car. EDIT- maybe a pete's box will help- it works wonders on the logan and fiesta, but on the other hand, even the stock logan and fiesta feel faster than the linea. This is not a bad car at all, for its price. but on this thread it has been praised soooo much that I went with too many expectations, maybe that was part of the problem. Its just a point A to B car, nothing more.
	() Thanks

9th February 2009, 10:49	#1074
sj_koova BHPian Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Bangalore Posts: 673 Thanked: 620 Times View My Garage	Under powerd I did a TD of Linea diesel yesterday. First thing that comes to my mind is, it is severely under powered for its size. I knew 86BHP is at the lesser side, but still hoped it could do much better than what I experienced The car doesn't pull at all until it crosses 2000rpm. What I felt is, at 3rd gear beyond 2000 rpm, the engines starts delivering its power. If you are crossing a hump at 1st gear, you will see the entire would moving ahead of you until you can reach to 3rd gear and steady at 2000rpm. Engine becomes very quiet at this stage. I really could not feel the torque as in the spec. The response lag is again very disappointing. It is more like the push you get on a small car when you put off full throttle A/C. You have to floor and pray for the car to respond. So this is absolutely not a driver's car. Now coming to other aspects. Exterior looks much better than I expected, especially the front grill and the bonnet is eye catching. Interior is decent enough. Back seat is comfortable, but the middle seat is hopeless as in any other sedan of its class. You feel the car is sturdy on the go and breaking is very prompt. Maneuverability and gear shift is again good. It would have been a decent car if the engine delivered sufficient power and provided better response. Wrong engine on a right car I would say.
	() Thanks

9th February 2009, 13:33	#1076
TheHorse BHPian Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Bengaluru Posts: 131 Thanked: 11 Times	anybody from Pune area have got delivery of MJD linea? It seems there is a long waiting queue. Whats the latest waiting period? I hope it doesn't get to Dzire'ishly long
	() Thanks

9th February 2009, 14:56	#1078
manish7 BHPian Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Pune Posts: 508 Thanked: 0 Times	I saw one Linea Emotion on road last week near Baner. It was red, and bearing Pune registration. I was told that waiting period is around 6 weeks!
	() Thanks