Team-BHP - The Fantastic Fiat Linea 1.4 (Remapped / AIR)

My Flamenco Red Linea Emotion Pack has arrived . I picked my Italian beauty on 24th April from Fortune Motors, Navi Mumbai. Before I write my Initial Review I would like to thank all of you here at Team BHP who made my Car buying experience much more informed and fun this time around.
This is my 3rd Car (Indica DLS 2002, Indigo Marina GLS 2004) . I have been a fan of Station Wagons and SUV’s . Fiat Linea was not on my list till I actually saw it. The first thing that impressed me about Linea was that it seemed like it was a much more expensive car than what it was priced at. I booked my Linea Emotion Pack on March 31st , 2009. After the customary rituals of losing patience with the dealer I finally got my car on April 24th.
I made the long “TBHP CheckList” Procedure Short as I deputed 3 of my friends to inspect various sections of the car. (Let me thank them officially here stupid:) Also , there was a dedicated staff at Fortune motors to show me through their own checklist. So the overall delivery procedure was quiet satisfactory.
I was out of the showroom in about 30 minutes after signing the papers. I know that the purists here wont approve of this but considering my last car purchase where I took about 3 minutes to take my car and drive home (all alone) , this was a very long drawn mega event for me J
The Fiat Linea is truly a beauty ! My drive home from the showroom was fun. I have read of the sluggishness of the car in lower RPMs . I would not completely agree with that. However, let me talk about what I feel and only what I feel and not what has already been said about this beauty of a car.
After having made the right adjustments to the seats and the steering wheel , I got my perfect posture to go. This is a very important part as there is a whole lot of adjustments to get just the right fit for you. I am 6’1” , so maybe I had a little bit of more adjustments to do before I felt comfy. And believe me once you get your comfort zone on the driving seat , this “chico italiano” is a dream. The drive is smooth and the cabin feels well insulated to cut out the noise from outside. You do feel the need for little more power in lower gears , however that is something that is completely overcome by the refined feel of the engine. I am following the Run-in instructions and so am maintaining the RPMs lower than 2500 and max. speed of 80kmph. I have driven close to 150km in 2 days. Just cant get my eyes and hands of this beauty.
The “Blue & ME” is very functional and my Sony Ericsson bonded and was ready to go in less than 30 seconds. It’s a great tool and I am exploring more of it every time I use it . The “My Car” feature gives very useful info at the press of a single click . Things like Range (km before next refill) , Fuel consumption (average - kmpl) , total running time between trips etc.
The ICE is just perfect . I don’t expect nothing more nothing less from my in car entertainment atleast for the moment ;) The sound quality is just good from the blaupunkt speakers. I have a 500 gb External HDD connected to the USB port concealed in the glove box and a part of the Blue & ME. I may look at modifying the ICE in distant future to add a touch screen LCD PAnel, replacing the blaupunkt console.
The AC is purrfect! I rather call it ACC (Automatic Climate Control) , better than any i have experienced in any other car before.
Overall the Emotion Pack is just fully Equipped to bring home with not a single addition required in terms of accessories. Only accessory I payed for was the floor Mats that I got for 1000 bucks (with original Linea logo). I will be adding Stanley leather shortly with Sun Film from V cool in consideration.
I will post pictures shortly and once again Thank you to Team BHP !