[Samfromindia]

Its raining discounts for Linea right now. They want to clear old inventory before face lifted model makes its way. There is only one fiat dealer in my city (Garodia Fiat). Last month i went to check out their offers. Here is a small review of my experience.

What i liked about Garodia Fiat:
+They had almost all trims of Linea and Punto on display !
+I found their staff to be more knowledgeable and professional compared to other dealers.
+They offered me highest discount compared to other manufacturers. 65k discount was offered upfront and their manager assured me more once i finalize the deal.
+Very enthusiastic to explain me all the features and give me test drive.

What i didn't like:
-They were pushing me to close the deal as soon as possible saying the offer wont last next week. Its almost a month now and discounts are still on.

I decided to postpone my purchase by a month or so. Although the discounts offered are great, i rather take the newer model than something which will be discontinued after few months. After all 65k is less than 10% of the car cost.

Here is the updated price list for my city. Deduct 65k from on road price to get effective discounted price.

[paharino1]

Originally Posted by Higgs_Boson_i

In the meanwhile I went ahead and booked myself a 2014 Linea T-JET Emotion tuscan wine colour from KHT FIAT Cafe. Cheers!!

For the 2014 T JET - what are the available discounts ? Is the 1 lakh off on exchange/old fiats still offered ?

[PGNarain]

Ok, for all eyes on the forum, I finally changed my stock GYs Eagle NCT5 after 33,370kms of abuse. The GY served me well but had become extremely noisy and hard for the last 10,000Kms. Also, since the rubber had cracked and become hard the ride quality had started to suffer.

I have been moonlighting many threads and posts to decide which set of tyres to go for next and Michelin and Yokos seemed to be the favoured ones on the forum!

However, once at the service centre decided to finally take the plunge with Bridgestone Potenza GIII. Total cost came to Rs. 37,881, tyres themselves cost Rs. 9,150 per tyre, so a total of Rs. 36,600 for the tyres and the rest for balancing and new valves!

Originally Posted by Higgs_Boson_i

... And which one is better the Michelins or the Bridgestone Potenza?

Ok, I am not a tyre expert - not by any stretch of imagination so I cannot really comment on which is the better Tyre - Michelin, Yoko or Bridgestones. However, I will put down some of my observations in the 100 odd kms I have driven since I got the Bridgestone yesterday!

Please bear in mind that these are initial impressions and I reserve my views after at least 10-15K of driving.

Tyre Noise:
On New Black Top: No noise at all and a very smooth ride. Though to be fair even my old GY performed really well on a new black top, like we have on the Eastern Freeway.

Old / Grained Blacktop: Significant noise reduction but not as much as I had expected. The cabin also does its bit to amplify the noise.

Concrete: Very quite and soaks up the joints really well.

Paver Blocks: Very quite and an amazing improvement in both noise and ride quality.

..Haven't really driven on any other surface for now.

Now we come to handling and to tell you the truth this is where I felt a REAL difference!!

The car steering feels noticeably lighter. Pulling away from a stop the car feels much more eager to lunge forward and gain speeds in the STRAIGHT line very rapidly and very eagerly! So, your green light drag starts are taken care off!
I did a short run to check for any vibrations, shudder in the steering or otherwise but the car was flat and even at that speed, she wanted to go faster. Also, now the Jet's steering is correcting to dead-center more aggressively while moving and during parking. I am now accurately able to tell the dead centre position significantly better than before!

Now the surprise! In the straight line the car is really moving well but perhaps for the same reasons I noticed a hint of understeer on sharp turns and even on rapid lane change manoeuvres, when each time the car (steering) wanted to snap back to its dead centre position. I noticed this first on a sharp right hander when the understeer (which has never bothered me before) caught me off guard this time around.

Don't get me wrong, the tyres have IMHO complemented the character of the TJet making it more aggressive. Where the GY felt completely neutral and maybe even a tad boring and characterless(in retrospect only), the Potenzas are like wow and have accentuated perhaps an underlying "Madcap" character of the Jet, which with a brilliant chassis is able to take it all in its stride!

I can't wait to take my Jet for a 120-130kmhr tour of the Kasara Ghats asap!!

Yes, all this can be put down to new tyres and as I said before, I would like to reserve my opinions once I have driven at least 10-15K over varying terrains and conditions but I never remember feeling so excited when driving on the good old GYs.

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[palitrana]

Originally Posted by PGNarain

Ok, for all eyes on the forum, I finally changed my stock GYs Eagle NCT5 after 33,370kms of abuse. The GY served me well but had become extremely noisy and hard for the last 10,000Kms. Also, since the rubber had cracked and become hard the ride quality had started to suffer. I have been moonlighting many threads and posts to decide which set of tyres to go for next and Michelin and Yokos seemed to be the favoured ones on the forum! However, once at the service centre decided to finally take the plunge with Bridgestone Potenza GIII. Total cost came to Rs. 37,881, tyres themselves cost Rs. 9,150 per tyre, so a total of Rs. 36,600 for the tyres and the rest for balancing and new valves! Ok, I am not a tyre expert - not by any stretch of imagination so I cannot really comment on which is the better Tyre - Michelin, Yoko or Bridgestones. However, I will put down some of my observations in the 100 odd kms I have driven since I got the Bridgestone yesterday! Please bear in mind that these are initial impressions and I reserve my views after at least 10-15K of driving. Tyre Noise: On New Black Top: No noise at all and a very smooth ride. Though to be fair even my old GY performed really well on a new black top, like we have on the Eastern Freeway. Old / Grained Blacktop: Significant noise reduction but not as much as I had expected. The cabin also does its bit to amplify the noise. Concrete: Very quite and soaks up the joints really well. Paver Blocks: Very quite and an amazing improvement in both noise and ride quality. ..Haven't really driven on any other surface for now. Now we come to handling and to tell you the truth this is where I felt a REAL difference!! The car steering feels noticeably lighter. Pulling away from a stop the car feels much more eager to lunge forward and gain speeds in the STRAIGHT line very rapidly and very eagerly! So, your green light drag starts are taken care off! I did a short 140-150 to check for any vibrations, shudder in the steering or otherwise but the car was flat and even at that speed, she wanted to go faster. Also, now the Jet's steering is correcting to dead-center more aggressively while moving and during parking. I am now accurately able to tell the dead centre position significantly better than before! Now the surprise! In the straight line the car is really moving well but perhaps for the same reasons I noticed a hint of understeer on sharp turns and even on rapid lane change manoeuvres, when each time the car (steering) wanted to snap back to its dead centre position. I noticed this first on a sharp right hander when the understeer (which has never bothered me before) caught me off guard this time around. Don't get me wrong, the tyres have IMHO complemented the character of the TJet making it more aggressive. Where the GY felt completely neutral and maybe even a tad boring and characterless(in retrospect only), the Potenzas are like wow and have accentuated perhaps an underlying "Madcap" character of the Jet, which with a brilliant chassis is able to take it all in its stride! I can't wait to take my Jet for a 120-130kmhr tour of the Kasara Ghats asap!! Yes, all this can be put down to new tyres and as I said before, I would like to reserve my opinions once I have driven at least 10-15K over varying terrains and conditions but I never remember feeling so excited when driving on the good old GYs. 160kmhr ... Easily, I hit 150 testing the new tyres on the EEH.

Awesome man! Mines about 27k Kim's old too and I know what you are saying about the gy eagles. Starting to bump round quite a lot and noise in mumbai roads makes it feel as if something is wrong with the suspension itself. But I want to continue at least for another 5k before I change.

Btw did you get any price on the old tyres?

[Sommos]

Originally Posted by palitrana

Btw did you get any price on the old tyres?

No tyre shops are interested to buy old GoodYears.
So do not expect anything in exchange for the old tyres.

[Raps]

I am really happy to post the pics of my T-JET and finally its home. After going around back and forth in deciding with different cars and at the end the decision was made to go with Linea T-JET.

Posting some of the pics from my maiden drive to Malavalli temple.

Thanks to all the T-JET ownership threads - this is indeed a wonderful car and loving this color.

More to come in my ownership review -

[Higgs_Boson_i]

Originally Posted by paharino1

For the 2014 T JET - what are the available discounts ? Is the 1 lakh off on exchange/old fiats still offered ?

No the 1 lakh offer is not there. You can negotiate up to 65 k on discounts. Also, possibly now there may be additional freebies on offer in case there are some stock to clear before the face lifted model arrives.

In my case I do not like the face lift. The current model has the timeless look!

Originally Posted by deepakhon

I have bought a black T-jet too. It has been a worthy replacement for my Palio. I have so far covered about 2400 km and I am loving it.

Congrats deepakhon!

I also in the meantime took delivery of my new 2014 Linea T-Jet Emotion Tuscon Wine. It is absolutely brilliant!!

I have one concern though which I want to ask all of you experts and the new car owners (Raps, deepakhon, and others) to guide and comment on. Every time I am pressing the brake there is a mechanical screech/sound which comes. Is it that the car is brand new or is there a fault? Will this sound go away in due course? I am reluctant to take the car to the service center so soon. Please advice.

There is no problem in the braking function as such and otherwise the car is excellent.

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by PGNarain

However, once at the service centre decided to finally take the plunge with Bridgestone Potenza GIII. Total cost came to Rs. 37,881, tyres themselves cost Rs. 9,150 per tyre, so a total of Rs. 36,600 for the tyres and the rest for balancing and new valves!

I don't want to spoil the party, but the Potenza G3s are a very old pattern actually replaced by the MY01. They may seem silent now, but give it 5k kms and they will almost be as hard and noisy as the Goodyears. I've used them on a couple cars since 2004 and I'm saying this from experience.

I think the Tjet deserves better, so if it is possible bear the loss and exchange them for something else. Unfortunately 205/55 16 doesn't have many good options, other tyres like the MY02 and A Drive R1 are also budget tyres like the G3s and will become hard and noisy after a few thousand kms. Though the grip on all 3 are good.

Butt I checked changemytyre.com and saw Hankook Ventus V12s in that size, I recently picked up a set for my Accord and the steering feel will be a tad bit less but the grip will be more and so will the silence and comfort. Infact they are priced so well that in case it is possible to change you may not have to pay a single rupee extra.

No offence meant, but if I were in your place I would strongly consider this.

[deepakhon]

Originally Posted by Higgs_Boson_i

I also in the meantime took delivery of my new 2014 Linea T-Jet Emotion Tuscon Wine. It is absolutely brilliant!!

I have one concern though which I want to ask all of you experts and the new car owners (Raps, deepakhon, and others) to guide and comment on. Every time I am pressing the brake there is a mechanical screech/sound which comes. Is it that the car is brand new or is there a fault? Will this sound go away in due course? I am reluctant to take the car to the service center so soon. Please advice.

There is no problem in the braking function as such and otherwise the car is excellent.

Thank you and congrats on your Tuscon Wine T-Jet Emotion. It is a good car to drive, and I have had as much fun as I could have so far, as it is yet to cross 2500 km.

I did have the screeching sound while it was very new, but, I do not find it now. And as you have mentioned, the braking is really good.

[swiftnfurious]

Originally Posted by Higgs_Boson_i

....This begs the question should one change to better quality tyres right from the word go? And which one is better the Michelins or the Bridgestone Potenza?...

If you have good roads, stick to Michelin please. Potenza (which is discontinued now) will be a good bet for rough roads, but will be noisy.

Originally Posted by Higgs_Boson_i

.... Also what do the experts feel in order to take the T-JET do high speeds does one also need to have the so called "rear spoilers" and if so which one?..

I do NOT think so unless you want o get closer to the double ton.

Originally Posted by PGNarain

...However, once at the service centre decided to finally take the plunge with Bridgestone Potenza GIII....

GIIIs were out of production atleast 3-4 months back. Did you check the month of manufacturing of the tyres?

Originally Posted by PGNarain

...Tyre Noise:
On New Black Top: No noise at all and a very smooth ride. Though to be fair even my old GY performed really well on a new black top, like we have on the Eastern Freeway...

Potenza's will be quite noisy over 100 kmph. I was running a set on my Swift and the noise was HUGE over the mentioned speeds. But the grip on corners will be phenomenal.

Originally Posted by akshay1234

...but the Potenza G3s are a very old pattern actually replaced by the MY01...

Wasn't it replaced by MY02? At least this is what my dealers told me. Never heard of MY01 and hence the query.

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

Wasn't it replaced by MY02? At least this is what my dealers told me. Never heard of MY01 and hence the query.

Aah, must be that. I get confused sometimes. But either way even the replacement isn't much better than the G3s when it comes to being hard and noisy.

[swiftnfurious]

Originally Posted by PGNarain

....However, once at the service centre decided to finally take the plunge with Bridgestone Potenza GIII...

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

...GIIIs were out of production atleast 3-4 months back. Did you check the month of manufacturing of the tyres?..

Was re-reading my thread. Guess GIIIs were discontinued atleast an year back (unlike 3-4 months as I stated) when I was tyre shopping! Please do have a check on the month of manufacturing and let us know.

[PGNarain]

Originally Posted by palitrana

Awesome man!....
Btw did you get any price on the old tyres?

Thanks Palitrana and no there was no exchange benefit offered on the old tyres. they were pretty worn down!!

Originally Posted by akshay1234

I don't want to spoil the party, but the Potenza G3s are a very old pattern actually replaced by the MY01. ....
No offence meant, but if I were in your place I would strongly consider this.

No offence taken and thanks for the advice, will consider it!

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

Was re-reading my thread. Guess GIIIs were discontinued atleast an year back (unlike 3-4 months as I stated) when I was tyre shopping! Please do have a check on the month of manufacturing and let us know.

Actually, that was one of the reasons I decided to switch when I did! The tyres are 0414 manufactured.

[swiftnfurious]

Originally Posted by PGNarain

....Actually, that was one of the reasons I decided to switch when I did! The tyres are 0414 manufactured.

Sorry, but what's 0414??

[PGNarain]

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

Sorry, but what's 0414??

Sorry did not elaborate on that. The tyres are manufactured 4th week of 2014 and as I said, since they were new I decided to make the switch.