[sharathjeppu]

Went to the Tata Showroom in Bangalore to have a look at the linea as my brother had almost made up his mind that this was the car that he likes and he wanted my opinion. The car is feature rich. But I did notice one thing though. The car definitely lacked the finish that car in this price range are expected to have... both teh interiors and the exteriors. Infact I thought that the Indica Vista looked better.
I did not get to test drive it as there was a long queue for a single Test Drive car but my brother's comment was that one has to probably get used to a Diesel engine. I asked him to evaluate his other options like the Honda City, the SX4 and added the Innova and the Verna to the list to get a feel of the pros and cons of each. So he did go a take a a test drive of the Honda City and came back with the impression that in terms of teh finish, the honda City is far better than the Linea. The drive also according to him was far better than the Linea. The Linea seats are also fairly flat and hard. So my brother is very confused right now.

[navin]

Originally Posted by Guna

Linea has a blend of classic form elements and contemporary design language....Of course it is evident that Honda designers admire BMWs

When I first saw the Linea I did a double take. It felt like a bit of deja vu. Then I realised I was looking at a car that resembled in bits and pieces, the '67 Alfa Romeo 33, the '56 Maseratti 300S, '58 Lola Mk 1, '56 Aston Martin DBR1 and '58 Ferrari 250 TR. In my view it is a stunning looker.

Originally Posted by sharathjeppu

So he did go a take a a test drive of the Honda City and came back with the impression that in terms of teh finish, the honda City is far better than the Linea. The drive also according to him was far better than the Linea.

My wife had about the same impression.

[shuvd]

Though loaded to the gills, the Linea lacks the overall feel good factor of the City (even if you take the cheap looking silver inserts into consideration). And, its bloody SLOW!!!!!!!

[shuvc]

Originally Posted by shuvd

Though loaded to the gills, the Linea lacks the overall feel good factor of the City (even if you take the cheap looking silver inserts into consideration). And, its bloody SLOW!!!!!!!

I guess the fully loaded Linea petrol @1L less than the City, will have better feelgood factor. I felt the diesel engine pulled down the appeal of the car - albeit from an enthusiast perspective.
However, for people looking fro VFM, the diesel should be a wonderful car. Loaded, comfortable, nice to drive, decent power for city and FE at a lovely price.

[shuvd]

@ ShuvC - Phir bhi! 90 v/s 116.... I won't mind paying extra for more power.

But, the diesel is a good bet for people who don't want something fast. Very good VFM!

[madan80]

people who have the city - say the plastics is not all that great for the city. the Linea does have some fit an finish issues (which are glaring) but looks to be a rather loaded model.
however, the linea is new, and seems to be quite a value package. the fully loaded emotion+ option retails for about 9L oTR.. which is the exshowroom for the city (IIRC)

[devarshi84]

instead of the 116bhp ANHC, I would instead look at optra Diesel if its pure power I am looking for. The Max version is cheaper than ANHC. Linea makes a good case for itself in the price range. Linea infact matches on size and space what it loses on Power.

[swathyd]

I took a test drive of honda city yesterday , from peninsular honda . It was a top end version . Earlier i got a chance to travel in a lineas' rear seat. So first preferred to sit in citys' rear seat . It is ok , but not as comfortable as lineas , more upright and lacks support for posterior thigh when compared to linea . You wont feel comfortable as in linea , neither you feel secured . But the difference is not wide , may be a difference of 15% . Linea while travelling in over 100-110 kms feel quite safe , the guy who drove the car was an young guy and he did some daredevil overtaking at 100-110 kms. I was not scared as feel secured in lineas' rear seats.

And it is easy to enter into linea than city , applicable to both rear and front seats. Difference is more felt at rear seats.

Front seats of linea is a disaster , ( i sat in front seats before few days, on a display model) fiat has really ruined it . It is more worse than some has reported here . Seats itself is not comfortable due to its design . Additionally there is absolutely no posterior thigh support for the driver . It is severe when you adjust the height . The rise in height is not uniform , the front end doest not rise at all , it further droops down when height increases .Nobody will be able to drive it with posterior thigh on air for long , and if we dont rise the height it is difficult as the default height is too low . Citys front seats are very good as they hold you tight and firm with excellent thigh support and useful height adjustment . Lumbar support is also bad in linea and good in city .

While mentioning ride quality , there is an advantage for linea . It absorbs bad roads better , city is little firm and hard . But both are almost equal .

Interiors are fine in both , plastic quality in city is slightly poor . But when i hit citys' dashboard with my fist it produced less sound than lineas' dashboard . And sound proofing is an area city scores over linea . You wont hear the suspension sounds as in linea . There was slight squeaking from lineas rear left side which was audible to me , and city also produced such a squeaking from the same area .

And coming to handling city is ok and there is no element of excitement . It is ok , not very numb . No bodyroll felt , firm ride and not shaky at all . The fun to drive factor is not there , but you feel confident to drive at high speeds . This lack of fun is there even when compared to my 'adventure' .

Coming to its performance ,there is nothing as hyped by the media and t-bhpians . You cant feel the power,torque nor anything from the engine . Pick-up is also not felt like in my adventure , so no point in taking 1.3 multijet(palio,swift) here . Its ok but not a great engine as far as its performance is concerned . The person who came from honda told honda engine is smooth so you cant feel power as in fiat engines .

Horns in city are of no use , a bikes ' horn in these days are much better than citys' horns. It is a pity that honda people compel us to go for aftermarket fitment just after purchase .

Brakes of honda city are also just ok . It may be due to skinny tyres .

Best part is that of the mileage if the digital display is accurate . When i started my TD it was showing 15.3 but by the time TD was over it was displaying 19.2 , most of the TD was on high way though . I never took more than 100 kms and was pretty sedate in my driving .

Will write more after taking a proper TD of fiat linea .

[loving_alaap]

well earlier people are complaining about NHC,that, its a under powered car. But just for luxury & comfort it was sold like a hot cake.

Now Same thing is happening with Linea. It is also underpowered.

both cars lacs proper interior finish.

LINEA: Alloys / good FE (diesel) / Fog lamps / Avg. interiors / Solid built

ANHC: no alloys / poor FE (compare to NHC) / No fogs / Avg. Interiors / Solid built.

External looks: both are equally good looking.

Advantage Linea: VFM / Loaded / FE / Price

Advantage ANHC: Refinement / Status / Resale

My choice... probably Linea at this point.

Better to wait for a year and have reviews from experimental owners of both the cars.

May be at that time Fiat might improve their *** And Honda might load ANHC (Fog, Alloys, Climate control etc.).

So, i think its better to wait.

[sudipz]

Hi all,

Now that the linea & the new city are both on road, can we get some more reviews? I'm keen on buying a petrol, and it seems, i'd love to own the Fiat! I'v also wanted to have one from the Fiat stable..

Thanks.

[drashkum]

go for linea mate!!. now the price of anhc has increased to 9.55 for 1.5 smt, it has become all the more pricey. dont u expect alloys/ fog lamps and other etc etc from a 10l car?. honda must be sleeping...............

[opendro]

People should have heard from the people who sat in my car halfway from Bangalore to Kudremukh before/after switching to Swift. Not comparable in comfort. But still a vast difference. And you say Linea is underpowered. I challenge anybody to follow me in that ghat roads from Kudremukh to Hassan, a little uphill and a lot of winding, but not hair pin bends, thus allowing you to turn even at 80Kmph speed, but not allowing you to cross 100 most of the time. I made sure that I wouldn't put anyone in danger, sticking to my lane all the time even in sharp curves. The amount of grip and road holding it had was fantastic. And when I had to brake right in the curve, such as when the opposite vehicle is a bus or truck, Linea maintained a fantastic composure. There was another team bhpian who sat on the return with me. We have not shared how he felt. Probably he will share here.

[sudipz]

Thanks for te inputs folks! I'd still prefer to opt for the Linea.. P - Emotion+! Gathering $ for the dp! ... ANHC - good, looks too much of an executive car, adds up to my age