[PM - B]

My two bits,

I have been driving the Linea MJD for the last 13 months, 23K KMs, a fair bit on highways also.
I always cringe and despair that i am not driving a 1.6MJD, (I Know, its not been launched yet), as it would be expected to have more HP and Torque.

However I have not at any time felt that i did not have the necessary speed that is required for regular highway driving. And it also depends a lot on your driving style, i accelerate normally as to what the car can do comfortably, (Dont flame me), i also drive at higher speeds, >150KMPH indicated, and these are sustained speeds and not touch and go. i also have this aversion of braking unnecessarily, and hence weave the car between lanes when overtaking if possible.
Now i can tell you that, i am a very average driver, (i am sure we have tons of people on this forum who are very skilled and knowledgeable) But the confidence the Linea shares is very amazing, to the extent, my wife who complains that driving at 50 - 60 KMPH at times in Bangalore traffic is too fast, doesnt feel jittery at the above speeds on the highway during lane changes while overtaking.

3 weeks ago on NH4, i am at a pretty steep left hand bend and i slow down to ~120 KMPH on seeing a large tipper in the left hand lane of the bend, i overtake this guy and suddenly see another large tipper on the right lane, and in a bend i could easily weave in a S pattern, without breaking a sweat.

The confidence that the Linea has so far inspired in terms of being planted on to the road has been amazing. The tyres do not even squeal during these tight lane changes/slaloms.

It can really hug the road, the steering is fantastic, at low speeds i feel i can map the road for every minute imperfection. This can be unnerving.

So back to the engine, it can effortlessly cruise for hours on end at high speeds.
Fatigue free driving once you dial in the seat posture.
YES, i still desperately want a ~ >160 HP >400 NM torque engine on the Linea. I guess that will bring some more amount of satisfaction.

Being the average Indian that I am, the Linea never fails to bring a smile in terms of the efficiency it returns.

15 - 16 KMPH in Bangalore City traffic with 100% AC. This is really good for a 1.3 Ton Car and 1248 CC engine.

The *** so far has been very satisfactory, Touch wood, No complaints So Far.
The cost of ownership has been at the lowest. The response from the *** has also been good.

I do itch to hit the highway at the smallest of excuses. I do envy Mr. HVK, .

Yes on the fit and finish the Vento should be better, The Linea brings a warmth to the hearth everytime i see her.

I had to have a door replaced because of an Accident around 45 days ago, Guess what, the linea door is ~ 7300 Incl of VAT. I am told that the Indica door goes for ~ 11000 ++.

I guess i could go on. This has been a long post, Hope it helps.

[blackbeast]

Originally Posted by PM - B

i also drive at higher speeds, >150KMPH indicated, and these are sustained speeds and not touch and go

I do trips on NH4 very frequently since it leads to home town.>150 kph can be sustained for a couple of minutes.beyond that its dangerous to do.Given the amount of truck movement and their road manners,I'd say S zip is a lot of fun but a very bad idea.Good handling at high speeds gives a lot of confidence.My point is how quickly you get to ~130kph from ~30kph is equally important.Which is why i think i will turn down Linea against vento inspite of my immense passion towards FIAT. upto 130, even Verna feels stable and quick which is more common and practical on highways these days.

I think mailmaldi should go with vento if he doesn't want to go with cruze. Else, wait for some more time to gather funds and go with cruze . I guess im obsessed with chevy

[GTO]

Originally Posted by Driver2000

Now this is interesting. So GTO, would you advise the same for the Polo/Ventor/Linea owners as well? Any additional reasoning behind this?

Originally Posted by SafeDrive

should we still be doing it for lesser intrevals?

Again, regular oil changes are the single most important contributor to a long engine life. I recommend changing at no later than 7,500 kms. Reasons covered in several other threads, please search. For guys like us who live by our cars, a couple of hundred bucks extra for oil changes shouldn't make a difference.

Originally Posted by carfreak

GTO having driven both cars, dont you feel the hydraulic steering itself is reason enough to consider the Linea over the Vento?for the most hardcore enthusiast?

EPS isn't as bad as people make it out to be. It's all about the calibration and VW has done a good job with it. Even the new BMW 5 series has EPS. Though I would have much preferred a pure hydraulic steering in either of these cars, it's certainly not a deal breaker.

Originally Posted by ajai_dev

but have to say the Linea somehow had more grace in higher speeds.

So true. The Linea & Punto are unmatched in terms of high speed behaviour & stability.

Originally Posted by amoghchaphalkar

do you really think the more powerful engine of the Vento is going to be THAT significant ?

The Vento is a whopping 4 seconds quicker to the 100. Yes, it is THAT significant. In addition, the Vento has far lesser turbo-lag than the Fiat (thus, superior driveability too) and a quicker mid-range. Therefore, whether you drive in the city or out on the highway, the Vento's engine is way better.

Diesel : Vento any day
Petrol : The Linea T-Jet seems like a tempting proposition. About the same performance, but with superior handling / steering.

[shankaranand]

Originally Posted by GTO

Petrol : The Linea T-Jet seems like a tempting proposition. About the same performance, but with superior handling / steering.

That brings up the BIG question every one is asking

When are you test driving Linea T-Jet?

[Mindgrinder]

Originally Posted by GTO

- Space : The Vento is way more spacious than the Linea, and within 95% of the Honda City's cabin space.

ummm no vento is not spacious than linea, i have sat in backseat of both the cars, the interiors only seem marginally better nothing out of this world. Haven't drive so cannot compare ride and engine etc. But yeah Vento is less spacious than Linea in the backseat!

[adimicra]

Linea T-jet sounds so so tempting with a wonderful engine, far more features, better ride and handling, leather seats, all discs, 205 section tires.
Having said that, the niggling issues and the A.S.S. can be deal breakers.
Otherwise, I think Linea T-jet is going to be the best car in the segment IMHO.

I feel the rear seat of the Vento is more spacious compared to the Linea, but not by a huge margin. The leg space in the Vento is similar to ANHC.

[oxyzen]

Originally Posted by GTO

Diesel : Vento any day
Petrol : The Linea T-Jet seems like a tempting proposition. About the same performance, but with superior handling / steering.

I am really waiting for Linea T-Jet and VentoD comparo strictly from drivers point of view.
Will New Ford Fiesta sweeten the deal?

Anyway is there is nothing much to differentiate btwn Vento D and Linea TJet I think it will be Vento as (kitna deti hai) is in indian Blood.

[Rock 'n' rollz]

Originally Posted by GTO

So true. The Linea & Punto are unmatched in terms of high speed behaviour & stability.

. I have a GP. The car feels nicely planted on the highways. The steering is precise and so addictive that sometimes I wish I could take it home .

Things I don't like @ Vento.
1. Bland looks
2. Yet to be proven After Sales Service
3. Costs of various spare parts and maintenance bill in general

If I had to put my money on one of these two, it would be Fox Trot Azure Linea. As they say, a known devil is better than an unknown angel.

[ObsessedByFIAT]

Hi Mailmaldi!

Though my handle reads "Obsesedbyfiat", I would rather suggest you to go in for the Vento. A few reasons behind this are :-

1. TATA-FIAT Sales and Service are really a big question (Quoting this from a week old experience when I had been to book Putno MJD).

2. Vento has great looks (not that Linea is any far in looks segment). However, looks are not the only thing you would want to see in your 10+ L car, interiors to matter a lot here.

3. Being German, Vento would surely have great ride and handling capabilities.

I feel, overall Vento would be a better choice.

Just in case, if it matters, I would suggest having a look at the Linea T-Jet though, there are a lot of goodies in this car (though it is a petrol one)

Cheers!

I feel Vento is half German but fully European, the German qualities that car is suppose to posses Vento seems to have got half in the bag and other half left out "Most likely a cost cutting measure"

I have yet to take a test drive of Polo but Vento's build seems miles away from current generation Jetta or Laura, still it's build is better than the likes of Verna, Fiesta and Linea.

Now with the New Jetta 2011 also featuring similar build and cost cutting its quite possible that VW's image will take a nose dive "You are what your products are". Hopefully VW does not force Skoda also to do cost cutting and we will still have a good Germanish car for a good amount.

[Autocop]

Mailmadi,

+Ve with Vento:
Better interiors
More power and performance
German Engg

-Ve with Vento:
Higher Price to buy and service
Less Number of features
Lower FE compared to Linea
A** is ??
New Product (Not a proven one)


If performance is your top priority then it would be good to go for Vento. But then Vento is very new to the market. Also the new product inherently goes thru changes/improvements in design in first of couple years. IMHS, if you want to go for Vento wait for a year and see how Vento/VW is doing with refinements/A** and then take a dip.

If you want the car very soon and fine with Linea Power/Performance, then, Linea would be much safer option. You can also avail good discounts on Linea which could further widen the price difference between Linea and Vento. I doubt if VW would offer any discounts on Vento.

[Driver2000]

Just to put another perspective on this:

As many of us now know, the 1st generation Maruti 800s were possibly one of the sturdiest built, and commanded a fan following till much later. With the first generation Ventos - coming from a VW stable and with lots of 'imported' parts - we might be in a similar situation where the first batches might be better than the later ones once the 'indigenisation' sets in. Somehow the manufacturing qualities within our shores, are not upto the standard (how many cars do we export, to the more competitive markets)?

[invidious]

Originally Posted by Driver2000

Just to put another perspective on this:

As many of us now know, the 1st generation Maruti 800s were possibly one of the sturdiest built, and commanded a fan following till much later. With the first generation Ventos - coming from a VW stable and with lots of 'imported' parts - we might be in a similar situation where the first batches might be better than the later ones once the 'indigenisation' sets in. Somehow the manufacturing qualities within our shores, are not upto the standard (how many cars do we export, to the more competitive markets)?

Patriotism aside, if the assembly lines are similar and the inputs meet the quality standards - can the difference be that significant, if at all?

[samyakmodi]

looking at what your needs are, I would strongly suggest you try the new linea t-jet. though it's a petrol car, your average running is barely 50 kms a day. so buying a petrol wouldn't effect that much.
the car is feature packed, with a fantastic engine to give you a broad grin each time you drive it. interior quality has improved drastically and the over all interiors look decent. since you are sure about what all safety features you need in a car, the linea t-jet gives you every reason to feel more secure in it than any of it's competition. the car's stability on high speeds sets the standards real high for the competition. other than a sluggish petrol, linea didn't have a chunk in it's armour. that chunk also now thankfully has been cleaned up with the new engine.

before jumping the gun and buying the vento, I suggest you should check out the linea t-jet. since you are already in love with the way the beauty looks, i am sure you would love the features in the car too. blue & me is something that once you get used to, there is absolutely no way you can survive without it. overall a fantastic package.

[ajay_satpute]

Its VENTO all the way!

No two minds bro.

I took a test drive of both Vento (TDi) and Linea (MJD), and Vento was on a different planet man.

Sheer quality of interiors and exteriors, VW engine (any doubts...).

Excellent power. Diesel Vento is already a winner in the C Segment.

The only question could be the A.S.S., but Fiat is not award-winning too. Whenever you want to service a Fiat car, you need to go to a Tata-Fiat service station. ... So this point can not be compared.

Go for Vento.