And the winner is.. the Linea!!

ihrishi · 16th July 2009, 18:51

Ok, did some extensive test driving last weekend. Tried out the Safari, Punto, Linea and the i20.

Here are my first impressions.

Punto: Build quality is good, Ride quality is good. Engine, no doubt, is good. Fit and finish sucks. Broad panel gaps and ugly glue visible at places. I was relieved that I didn’t see fingerprints on the glue. Rear leg room is lesser than the palio. Overall, its not an upgrade at all from the palio, when it comes to comfort.

Safari: This is a joke. It handles like a whale, the steering is just to point it to the general direction. The safari will then decide whether to go for it or not. Fit and finish and quality feels distinctly chinese. Ergonomics are pathetic. The gear lever seems to be more accessible to the co-passenger, and not the driver. However ride quality is fantabulous. Glides over potholes where the punto/linea/i20 had distinct judders.

I20: Loved the car. The way it pulls when the turbo wakes up is something to be experienced. Fit and finish is great. Good boot space. Loads of goodies in the car. Rear leg space better than palio/punto. This is one lovely car. Only downside is the price. It comes to @7.92L which me feels, is a little overpriced.

Linea: Much better build quality, rear leg room better than the punto/palio(obviously). Handling is precise. Ride quality good. Interiors are good too. The boot is actually a cave. Price is 8.06L, so overall, Linea wins. Will probably book the Linea Dyanamic Pack, Diesel soon.

prince_pervez · 16th July 2009, 22:41

Congrats @ihrishi on your booking. Let us know the everything till the point you get your delivery. And yes we appreciate photos very much.
And in case you are wondering why no one has replied to your post for so long, pssst..Safari and Palios are everyone's darling around here. Just kidding mate.

Enjoy your stay.

finneyp · 16th July 2009, 23:02

Linea is a nice choice to upgrade from a Palio! Congrats!

phamilyman · 16th July 2009, 23:20

oye lucky lucky oye

Congrats

neotraveller · 16th July 2009, 23:25

congrats ihrishi,

But I would suggest you opt for "Emotion" instead of "Dynamic pack". Both are roundabout same price but in Emotion you have lots of goodies like Auto-climate control, leather-wrap steering, rear AC, rear sunblind, armrests etc.
Also interiors are better than dynamic.

.anshuman · 16th July 2009, 23:31

Its not fair to compare a SUV to sedans especially when talking about the handling.

Quote:

Originally Posted by phamilyman

oye lucky lucky oye

Congrats

OT:you've been caught singing this song multiple times on the thread,whats the matter?

jaygeetee · 17th July 2009, 00:01

Congratulations dude!!! So the italian beauty managed to steal your heart too. Hope its the start of a beautiful friendship

extreme_torque · 17th July 2009, 00:43

broad panel gaps on a punto? are you sure?
Congrats on your choice!

shantyrocks · 17th July 2009, 01:19

+1 to neotraveller.
Go for the emotion varient.

singh_dfi · 17th July 2009, 06:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by ihrishi

Ok, did some extensive test driving last weekend. Tried out the Safari, Punto, Linea and the i20.

Here are my first impressions.

Punto: Build quality is good, Ride quality is good. Engine, no doubt, is good. Fit and finish sucks. Broad panel gaps and ugly glue visible at places. I was relieved that I didn’t see fingerprints on the glue. Rear leg room is lesser than the palio. Overall, its not an upgrade at all from the palio, when it comes to comfort.

Safari: This is a joke. It handles like a whale, the steering is just to point it to the general direction. The safari will then decide whether to go for it or not. Fit and finish and quality feels distinctly chinese. Ergonomics are pathetic. The gear lever seems to be more accessible to the co-passenger, and not the driver. However ride quality is fantabulous. Glides over potholes where the punto/linea/i20 had distinct judders.

I20: Loved the car. The way it pulls when the turbo wakes up is something to be experienced. Fit and finish is great. Good boot space. Loads of goodies in the car. Rear leg space better than palio/punto. This is one lovely car. Only downside is the price. It comes to @7.92L which me feels, is a little overpriced.

Linea: Much better build quality, rear leg room better than the punto/palio(obviously). Handling is precise. Ride quality good. Interiors are good too. The boot is actually a cave. Price is 8.06L, so overall, Linea wins. Will probably book the Linea Dyanamic Pack, Diesel soon.

Are you looking for only Diesels? Why don't you test drive the Scorpio too?

Ramsagar · 17th July 2009, 10:55

There is only a marginal diff. in the price of both the variants.
you can better go for Emotion.
BTW what color have u selected.

ihrishi · 17th July 2009, 11:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by prince_pervez

Congrats @ihrishi on your booking. Let us know the everything till the point you get your delivery. And yes we appreciate photos very much.
And in case you are wondering why no one has replied to your post for so long, pssst..Safari and Palios are everyone's darling around here. Just kidding mate.

Enjoy your stay.

Thanks! The Palio is my darling too! Have been using it for many years now.

Will post the pics, as soon as i get her home!

PS: Have to book the car yet.

Seeler_Rebeiro · 17th July 2009, 12:24

Congrats. Please let us know of the booking experience. A lot of people have been commenting that the dealership experiences are improving.

narayan · 17th July 2009, 12:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by ihrishi

Ok, did some extensive test driving last weekend. Tried out the Safari, Punto, Linea and the i20.

Here are my first impressions.

Punto: Build quality is good, Ride quality is good. Engine, no doubt, is good. Fit and finish sucks. Broad panel gaps and ugly glue visible at places. I was relieved that I didn’t see fingerprints on the glue. Rear leg room is lesser than the palio. Overall, its not an upgrade at all from the palio, when it comes to comfort.

Safari: This is a joke. It handles like a whale, the steering is just to point it to the general direction. The safari will then decide whether to go for it or not. Fit and finish and quality feels distinctly chinese. Ergonomics are pathetic. The gear lever seems to be more accessible to the co-passenger, and not the driver. However ride quality is fantabulous. Glides over potholes where the punto/linea/i20 had distinct judders.

I20: Loved the car. The way it pulls when the turbo wakes up is something to be experienced. Fit and finish is great. Good boot space. Loads of goodies in the car. Rear leg space better than palio/punto. This is one lovely car. Only downside is the price. It comes to @7.92L which me feels, is a little overpriced.

Linea: Much better build quality, rear leg room better than the punto/palio(obviously). Handling is precise. Ride quality good. Interiors are good too. The boot is actually a cave. Price is 8.06L, so overall, Linea wins. Will probably book the Linea Dyanamic Pack, Diesel soon.

congrats on the Linea.

on the Punto - what is the difference between "good build quality " and " poor fit and finish" ?

i think if u drive the Safari after driving a Palio ( for that matter any decent sedan ) - u wont be impressed with the steering !

how come the Linea has better rear leg room than Punto ? is it due to the seat dimensions or the wheel base is different ?

ihrishi · 17th July 2009, 13:11

Thank you all for the warm welcome. I have been lurking on the site for a long time now, and have learnt a lot.

My brief background - I cut my teeth on dad's Premier padmini, and then the maruti 800. My first car was the Palio 1.3 ELX and am now planning to upgrade to the Linea. Bikes are my first love, and i moved to a Karizma from a Pulsar 180 classic. Have done a few long tours on the bike.

@Ramsagar/@shantyrocks/@neotraveller
Point noted. Looking at the Emotion variant too. Have asked for the invoice for the emotion. Have selected the Red color.

@.anshuman:
I agree its not fair to compare SUV handling with a sedan. The comment was a purely personal view, and one of the reasons why i eliminated the safari from my original list.

@extreme_torque:
Yep. Open the boot and check the place where the bumper plastic is supposed to meet the metal body. It was ugly sharp and had a finger sized gap.

@singh_dfi:
Yes, diesels only. I have been on a petrol diet so far, and have my heart set on a diesel. (Ever since i drove a Pete'd diesel Verna)

16th July 2009, 18:51	#1
ihrishi BHPian Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Pune Posts: 256 Thanked: 1,225 Times	And the winner is.. the Linea!! Ok, did some extensive test driving last weekend. Tried out the Safari, Punto, Linea and the i20. Here are my first impressions. Punto: Build quality is good, Ride quality is good. Engine, no doubt, is good. Fit and finish sucks. Broad panel gaps and ugly glue visible at places. I was relieved that I didn’t see fingerprints on the glue. Rear leg room is lesser than the palio. Overall, its not an upgrade at all from the palio, when it comes to comfort. Safari: This is a joke. It handles like a whale, the steering is just to point it to the general direction. The safari will then decide whether to go for it or not. Fit and finish and quality feels distinctly chinese. Ergonomics are pathetic. The gear lever seems to be more accessible to the co-passenger, and not the driver. However ride quality is fantabulous. Glides over potholes where the punto/linea/i20 had distinct judders. I20: Loved the car. The way it pulls when the turbo wakes up is something to be experienced. Fit and finish is great. Good boot space. Loads of goodies in the car. Rear leg space better than palio/punto. This is one lovely car. Only downside is the price. It comes to @7.92L which me feels, is a little overpriced. Linea: Much better build quality, rear leg room better than the punto/palio(obviously). Handling is precise. Ride quality good. Interiors are good too. The boot is actually a cave. Price is 8.06L, so overall, Linea wins. Will probably book the Linea Dyanamic Pack, Diesel soon.
	() Thanks

16th July 2009, 22:41	#2
prince_pervez Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Redwood shores, CA, USA Posts: 4,210 Thanked: 51 Times View My Garage	Congrats @ihrishi on your booking. Let us know the everything till the point you get your delivery. And yes we appreciate photos very much. And in case you are wondering why no one has replied to your post for so long, pssst..Safari and Palios are everyone's darling around here. Just kidding mate. Enjoy your stay.
	() Thanks

16th July 2009, 23:02	#3
finneyp Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Bangalore Posts: 2,716 Thanked: 319 Times View My Garage	Linea is a nice choice to upgrade from a Palio! Congrats!
	() Thanks

16th July 2009, 23:20	#4
phamilyman Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Gurgaon Posts: 5,968 Thanked: 4,642 Times	oye lucky lucky oye Congrats
	() Thanks

16th July 2009, 23:25	#5
neotraveller BHPian Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 739 Thanked: 0 Times	congrats ihrishi, But I would suggest you opt for "Emotion" instead of "Dynamic pack". Both are roundabout same price but in Emotion you have lots of goodies like Auto-climate control, leather-wrap steering, rear AC, rear sunblind, armrests etc. Also interiors are better than dynamic.
	() Thanks

17th July 2009, 00:01	#7
jaygeetee BHPian Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Singapore Posts: 106 Thanked: 121 Times	Congratulations dude!!! So the italian beauty managed to steal your heart too. Hope its the start of a beautiful friendship
	() Thanks

17th July 2009, 00:43	#8
extreme_torque Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Melbourne Posts: 4,377 Thanked: 5,105 Times	broad panel gaps on a punto? are you sure? Congrats on your choice!
	() Thanks

17th July 2009, 01:19	#9
shantyrocks BHPian Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: thane Posts: 741 Thanked: 5 Times	+1 to neotraveller. Go for the emotion varient.
	() Thanks

17th July 2009, 10:55	#11
Ramsagar Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: BLR_Nellore(AP) Posts: 1,396 Thanked: 252 Times View My Garage	There is only a marginal diff. in the price of both the variants. you can better go for Emotion. BTW what color have u selected.
	() Thanks

17th July 2009, 12:24	#13
Seeler_Rebeiro BHPian Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Mumbai Posts: 261 Thanked: 82 Times	Congrats. Please let us know of the booking experience. A lot of people have been commenting that the dealership experiences are improving.
	() Thanks

17th July 2009, 13:11	#15
ihrishi BHPian Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Pune Posts: 256 Thanked: 1,225 Times	Thank you all for the warm welcome. I have been lurking on the site for a long time now, and have learnt a lot. My brief background - I cut my teeth on dad's Premier padmini, and then the maruti 800. My first car was the Palio 1.3 ELX and am now planning to upgrade to the Linea. Bikes are my first love, and i moved to a Karizma from a Pulsar 180 classic. Have done a few long tours on the bike. @Ramsagar/@shantyrocks/@neotraveller Point noted. Looking at the Emotion variant too. Have asked for the invoice for the emotion. Have selected the Red color. @.anshuman: I agree its not fair to compare SUV handling with a sedan. The comment was a purely personal view, and one of the reasons why i eliminated the safari from my original list. @extreme_torque: Yep. Open the boot and check the place where the bumper plastic is supposed to meet the metal body. It was ugly sharp and had a finger sized gap. @singh_dfi: Yes, diesels only. I have been on a petrol diet so far, and have my heart set on a diesel. (Ever since i drove a Pete'd diesel Verna)
	() Thanks