[rohittunga]

My car which had done about 5300 km developed an usual problem. Whenever I braked from say 80 kmph the steering wheel used to vibrate(shudder). I wasn't bothered about it much because it involved another visit to those dreaded workshops but later on it was a major irritant.

So finally I bit the bullet and booked an appointment with Prerana Motors (Hosur Road). I was greeted as usual and when the sales rep went on a test drive within 2 min of driving it at high speeds came to a conclusion that the brake discs were defective and would need replacement. Replace them immediately I said, but the reply from the other side was " Sir no stock of spare parts . So have to wait for 15 days while I place order." More worryingly I was told that I had to pay for it as front discs belonged to "wear and tear" category hence no warranty on those.

Much dejected I came back home and decided to complain Fiat about the same using their Toll free number. I was assured that I would get a response call from any of the service centre immediately.
To my surprise exactly 1 day later I get a call from Concorde Motors(Mysore Road) saying that they'll sort my problem at the earliest. When I visited the dealership boy was I in for a surprise. They were extremely courteous and very helpful. Immediately they came to the same conclusion that the discs needed replacement. Within 1 hour both the discs and pads were replaced.
When I asked about the bill they said that since my car had this problem since 3000 km before and since my car hadn't clocked 10k km yet, it would be replaced under warranty

Here is a scanned copy of the bill



From this what I gather is

• Concorde are way better than Prerana
• Concorde really values those reviews that we give when Fiat Pune calls
• The spare parts of Linea aren't that expensive. Believe me, my Cielo has more expensive spare parts than this
• Fiat maintains a database of each and every vehicle regarding its services, spare parts used etc. Not sure whether other manufacturers do the same

To sum up then

I was really impressed with Concorde Motors. Thats why I gave them 10/10. They are happy, I'm happy and suddenly the world is such a nice place again.

[Jakku]

Congrats Rohit on your new possession. Also thanks for an un-biased reporting of your dealership experience. I am also actively considering Optra Magnum or Linea (with more weightage to Optra !!!). The dealership I was considering was Preana Sarjapur ORR branch or Concorde Dairy Circle branch. Now I will just drop Prerana from my list.

[ampere]

Congrats on the new Linea. A generic question: (to all Linea MJD owners).

1. Does the car ever feel under powered on the highways?
2. How good or bad are the noise levels in the cabin?
3. How easy it is to drive in the city (from gearing standpoint)?

[bluevolt]

Congratulations for your Fiat Linea MJD. The car looks very nice in this shade and I think this is the best seller as well.

Wishing you happy and safe driving!

[rohittunga]

Originally Posted by Jakku

Congrats Rohit on your new possession. Also thanks for an un-biased reporting of your dealership experience. I am also actively considering Optra Magnum or Linea (with more weightage to Optra !!!). The dealership I was considering was Preana Sarjapur ORR branch or Concorde Dairy Circle branch. Now I will just drop Prerana from my list.

I can only advice you to go for the Linea instead of the Optra. However I employ you to not go to Prerana Motors atleast their Lalbagh branch.

Originally Posted by ampere

Congrats on the new Linea. A generic question: (to all Linea MJD owners).

1. Does the car ever feel under powered on the highways?
2. How good or bad are the noise levels in the cabin?
3. How easy it is to drive in the city (from gearing standpoint)?

1. Under powered ? Never. Its nice and punchy at highway speeds. Excellent for a quick overtaking.
2. Noise levels are bad. May be the OE tires are the culprit.
3. Its ok to drive in the city. Have to change gears quite often though but that doesn't compromise FE

[mdsaab]

Hey thats great that they did value the customer and replace it under warranty.
with the mileage you clocked at the time, it is very obvious that it's a manufacturing defect. and am glad that you have found the right authorized service center who will serve you well throughout your years of ownership.

[rohittunga]

My car had clocked 9300 km when they changed the discs

[nkrishnap]

Forget at 9K or 10K. My friend got the lower arm replaced at 45K kms. Thats where the advantage with FIAT is unlike other Manufacturers who crib away to glory to replace even a small part under warranty.

[figo_mba]

Originally Posted by ampere

Congrats on the new Linea. A generic question: (to all Linea MJD owners).

1. Does the car ever feel under powered on the highways?
2. How good or bad are the noise levels in the cabin?
3. How easy it is to drive in the city (from gearing standpoint)?

Linea we have has done, 25k kms. On the highway it is a great car to drive.

The noise levels are higher and sometimes discomforting. Engine noise and road noise are present.

To tell you the truth, the Linea is not so good in the city. The engine has got this terrible turbo lag and gear shift is rubbery.
There are better cars I have driven in the engine city.
I am not in any way sayin its a bad car. Just not a city car. A highway car and tourer? Definitely yes.

[Jakku]

Originally Posted by rohittunga

I can only advice you to go for the Linea instead of the Optra. However I employ you to not go to Prerana Motors atleast their Lalbagh branch.

Rohittunga, is there any reason why you don't advice against Optra? Had you considered an Optra as a part of your new car search? Your answers to the above questions will immensely help me in shortlisting the car. I am having time before I can decide, so if Linea 1.6/1.9L comes in the mean time, it would mostly be my next car. Since you are also from Bangalore, how did you find the ground clearance of Linea over the notorious bumps? During my 2 TDs, I had find it very bad. But as per the sales guy, the car was not properly maintained and that the reason for the very bad GC. Thanks in advance for your help.

Originally Posted by figo_mba

Linea we have has done, 25k kms. On the highway it is a great car to drive.

The noise levels are higher and sometimes discomforting. Engine noise and road noise are present.

To tell you the truth, the Linea is not so good in the city. The engine has got this terrible turbo lag and gear shift is rubbery.
There are better cars I have driven in the engine city.
I am not in any way sayin its a bad car. Just not a city car. A highway car and tourer? Definitely yes.

Hello Figo_mba, as a prospective buyer, I would like to know if there is anything other than the turbo lag which you find in this car bad to be considered as a city car. Thanks in advance.

[figo_mba]

Originally Posted by Jakku

Hello Figo_mba, as a prospective buyer, I would like to know if there is anything other than the turbo lag which you find in this car bad to be considered as a city car. Thanks in advance.

As a highway cruiser I cannot find better cars. Probably the ford fiesta.
In the city the length is one problem which is compounded by the huge turning radius. It is very difficult To wade through the traffic and then you see youself struggling to catch up with these fiesta and vento even more frustrating are the blaring horns and the small cars zipping past you. Turbo lag is so bad that you totally feel the second and first gears are wasted. This affects driveability in bumper to bumper traffic. people who have driven other cars will agree that in the Linea there is considerable turbo lag along with superb riding comfort and steering feel.

[rohittunga]

Originally Posted by Jakku

Rohittunga, is there any reason why you don't advice against Optra? Had you considered an Optra as a part of your new car search? Your answers to the above questions will immensely help me in shortlisting the car. I am having time before I can decide, so if Linea 1.6/1.9L comes in the mean time, it would mostly be my next car. Since you are also from Bangalore, how did you find the ground clearance of Linea over the notorious bumps? During my 2 TDs, I had find it very bad. But as per the sales guy, the car was not properly maintained and that the reason for the very bad GC. Thanks in advance for your help.

Hello Figo_mba, as a prospective buyer, I would like to know if there is anything other than the turbo lag which you find in this car bad to be considered as a city car. Thanks in advance.

The optra was considered and the guys at sundaram motors gave me a very good deal apart from the excellent after sales package. The ONLY reason why we discarded the optra was that it was old. Since our car spends most of its time on the highways we chose Linea. Also because of all the highway runs, safety was also a priority. Its in these 2 key areas that linea zooms ahead of the optra.

From what i've heard linea 1.6 MJD isn't coming anytime soon. So it might be a gamble waiting for it. As far as GC is concerned I must admit that in the Linea its a little low. However in the new type humps (the ones wher you go up then flat and then come down ) the Linea doesn't scrape anything at all even on full load. But where I have scraped the belly of the car is those really awkward sharp humps usually made of concrete. So one has to be a little cautious there.

TD vehicles are atrociously maintained. The black linea MJD that I test drove was only 2 years old and had done 5k km but it was already fit for the scrapyard. Thats how badly they were maintained. I only got convinced when I drove my friend's brand new linea. So I suggest you TD a vehicle that is in better condition and then make up your decision.

Other downsides is the lack of visibility especially at the back. You have to do a lot of guess work while parking. Driving in the city again is not that much of an issue. You need to adapt your driving style but frequently changing gears. Get it above 2000 rpm and there is a nice rush of torque available.

[Poitive]

Originally Posted by rohittunga

So what do I like about the car

• Excellent looks and value for money
• Fuel Efficiency
• Excellent ride quality and equipment on board

Hope you will add more to this list soon @rohit -

• The wonderful feedback from the steering.
• The handling of the car
• The very quick steering response
• The overall agility of this car, despite it's weight and wheelbase.
• The sturdy feeling one gets, while driving this car, especially when compared to Korean and Japanese counterparts.

Have more thoughts on this car, but now is not the time for it.

Oh yes! Hearty congrats mate! And welcome to this wonderful forum.
I just love this colour on the Linea. It IS "Admiration Guaranteed"!

Hey, this car (IMO) looks the best from it's rear. No pics from that angle? If you click some with a lighter background, it may look very very good.

All the best and happy motoring

[ampere]

Originally Posted by figo_mba

Linea we have has done, 25k kms. On the highway it is a great car to drive.

The noise levels are higher and sometimes discomforting. Engine noise and road noise are present.

To tell you the truth, the Linea is not so good in the city. The engine has got this terrible turbo lag and gear shift is rubbery.
There are better cars I have driven in the engine city.
I am not in any way sayin its a bad car. Just not a city car. A highway car and tourer? Definitely yes.

Thanks for those details @figo_mba. We do highways only once in a 2-3 months. Rest of the time, mostly it drives in the city only. Turning radius is definitely a negative.

I am told, even the Vento has high levels of cabin noise.
(lesser insulation from the engine bay).

[figo_mba]

Originally Posted by ampere

Thanks for those details @figo_mba. We do highways only once in a 2-3 months. Rest of the time, mostly it drives in the city only. Turning radius is definitely a negative.

I am told, even the Vento has high levels of cabin noise.
(lesser insulation from the engine bay).

Turning radius is way too large. Even the sumo grande turns better than the linea into our parking lot.

Vento is noisy in the higher speeds. Below 3digit speeds Vento feels smoother. In my opinion vento loses out in equipment and Driving feel. The electronic power steering has no feel at all at high speeds.