[sandeepmohan]

The ultimate driving machine gets better and better as I drive the car more. No more going easy on the throttle. I floor the car as and when the situation permits.

The car returned 9.6kmpl on the last tankful. This included a spirited drive on NH44, a trip to work (whitefield) which is nearly as good as driving on the highway as I take NH4 and then switch to state highway 35 at kattanallur gate and driving in Bangalore city. The ac running all the time. However, I doubt if the air conditioning puts much of a load on the car with present Bangalore weather. The efficiency is still some way off from what a T Jet should deliver. My car has run just 2600km.

No serious issues with the car. Off late I have been noticing pairing issues with my phone. It pairs alright but won't stay paired into a conversation. I suspect the phone more than the cars blue tooth system. I deleted some user data stored in the car after which the phone stayed paired into a conversation.

I also noticed that the front seat rails are TATA branded. They function well.

The climate control suddenly decided it was time for some fresh air, when it was not running in Full Auto and switched to fresh air mode on its own. I normally start with hitting the "STAR" (semi automatic Air conditioning) button followed by circulate air button. Don't know what really happened. It was not supposed to switch to fresh air and it happened at the wrong time when I was driving through a small rubble being burnt on the side of the road. No smoke inside the cabin but the smell was enough for me to reach out for the windows.

There are times I feel like selling off my bike and switch to driving the car to work. The power, the brakes, the handling and the feel that this car gives you is unmatched by anything in its segment. I was standing at the STOP line, at a traffic light one afternoon. Johnson market signal to be precise, facing hosur. I looked far ahead and the view was clear. When the lights switched to green, I dropped the hand brake, shifted to first, took it easy, moved to second, took it easy till about 40, shifted to third and then mashed the throttle all the way. The car accelerated very linear for a little and then it was a riot once the turbo spooled up more. I saw the rev needle go all the way to 4200rpm and the speedo was about to cross 100kmph and it was time to stop for the next signal. There was nothing behind me for a good 10 seconds after I came to a stop. Not that I had competition, this is a public road. That is how fast the car took off even though I gradually accelerated for the first 2 gears. Acceleration is one thing, control and braking are another. The T Jet has all of this in one package.

[mnemonic]

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan

There are times I feel like selling off my bike and switch to driving the car to work. The power, the brakes, the handling and the feel that this car gives you is unmatched by anything in its segment. I was standing at the STOP line, at a traffic light one afternoon. Johnson market signal to be precise, facing hosur. I looked far ahead and the view was clear. When the lights switched to green, I dropped the hand brake, shifted to first, took it easy, moved to second, took it easy till about 40, shifted to third and then mashed the throttle all the way. The car accelerated very linear for a little and then it was a riot once the turbo spooled up more. I saw the rev needle go all the way to 4200rpm and the speedo was about to cross 100kmph and it was time to stop for the next signal. There was nothing behind me for a good 10 seconds after I came to a stop. Not that I had competition, this is a public road. That is how fast the car took off even though I gradually accelerated for the first 2 gears. Acceleration is one thing, control and braking are another. The T Jet has all of this in one package.

Looks like Akshay has unleashed the redliner in you.

On a side note,am looking forward to testing the revving capability of the T-Jet soon. Would be an interesting comparo to look at how it performs against my Palio 1.6.

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by mnemonic

Looks like Akshay has unleashed the redliner in you.

He only took it to 4200, still a little way for the redline Next time try redlining in 1st and 2nd gear so that you are not at a very high speed when you hit the limiter, of course not with your kiddo in the car.

But looks like you are enjoying the car, and thats all that matters. The Fiat engine will open up fully only by 7-8k kms and the car will keep becoming quicker till then.

[cranky]

I would not recommend redlining in 1st gear (or any other gear) except on a non-public road and preferably empty. The car has lots of torque steer and takes a bit of knowing to control under severe 1st gear input. I have managed to get the wheels to totally lose traction all through 1st gear. Not the quickest way to get anywhere, though fairly spectacular and not always pleasant.

[sandeepmohan]

Originally Posted by mnemonic

Would be an interesting comparo to look at how it performs against my Palio 1.6.

I can answer this question as I have driven a Gtx extensively. Not the stile. First; there is no comparison with regard to the amount of torque that is available to you. You feel it when you drive lazily and then some more when you mash the throttle. However, driveability is still superior on the Gtx. Though turbo lag is at its minimal, it is still there. As you know, the Linea is a heavy car and so is the Gtx. Not the best for outright acceleration. In a straight line, the Palio might stay with the Linea for the first 2 gears, not after this. Once that turbo spools up, it is a wave of power that comes in a snap and at much lower revs. The handling of a Linea is superior and the braking is in another league. The wide tires and all disc setup helps

Originally Posted by akshay1234

He only took it to 4200, still a little way for the redline

You have to remember that I was on a public road. Have to keep safety in check.

Originally Posted by akshay1234

The Fiat engine will open up fully only by 7-8k kms and the car will keep becoming quicker till then.

Which is why I won't be complaining too much about efficiency as this takes time to improve as well. Heck, you don't buy a car like this if efficiency is all you care about. Revving the car has unleashed the beast within.

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan

You have to remember that I was on a public road. Have to keep safety in check.

Right but the redline in 2nd would be less than or equal to the 4000 rpm you did in 3rd. So it would be about as safe or dangerous as what you already did. I would not recommend trying to redline any higher than 2nd gear on even a remotely crowded road, unless it is an expressway and clear ahead for a long way.

[sandeepmohan]

My ride is doing great. Not much running though as I travel by motorcycle to work.

As I still have the fabric floor carpets that are dust magnets, I am forced to take them out and dust, vacuum them and the insides of the car every weekend. While doing this, I went in a little deeper into the foot well on the driver side and passenger side and found lots of interesting stuff. The pictures shall explain more.

This label was found stuck on the firewall, on the inside of the car, behind the pedals. I was shocked to read BSI or BS1. Wonder what it means.


The fuse box in detail. The big blue and brown plugs, on the left and right have some kind of latch over them. Must be to prevent them from slipping out. The OBD diagnostics port can be seen at the bottom, in the middle, below the red color relay.


The clutch pedal spring.


The throttle body.


Overall view of the pedals, steering rack and various other fittings. The pink label, seen far back, reads a little surprise, meaning part sharing.


Focus on middle pedal, the brake pedal mount.


Throttle and body assembly.


A sticker on the air conditioning unit inside the car.


Steering rack.


Underneath the drivers seat. The rectangular opening at the bottom if the for the air conditioning. Operational when air throw is set to foot level.


Seat rail manufactured by IFB Automotive Systems. They have a plant in Whitefield, Bangalore.

Denso, fan blower unit.


The various air conditioning parts in the passenger side foot well.

Lot of sound proofing and insulation material. I must say that the quality of furnishing in unseen places has very good execution. No hint of cheap part quality.


Inside the glove box, you need to strain your neck to see where the usb slot is located. The USB logo has back lighting.


Placed the camera inside the glove box, facing up and took this picture. Do not know the purpose of the vents. Never checked if they blow or suck air. Not sure if this is the location of the cabin air filter. This can be removed.

Sticker on the front passenger seat rail, viewed between the center console. TATA branded, IFB manufactured seat rail.

Note from the Team-BHP Support Team: Please use the "edit" button if posting within 30 minutes of the first post, instead of creating another back-to-back post.

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[carwatcher]

Brilliant!!!
Thanks for such rare pics and informative post.
We all love our T-Jets but the way in which each one look at their Jet is entirely different from each other. Be it Sandeep, Karthikk, Sathya, Bnzjon, Vinay and others.
I am unable to understand as to why you are not going for aftermarket floor mats. Mine too gathered dust pretty fast and I installed aftermarket ones only after 7 days but by then they were looking very dirty even though we have very minimal dust and dirt in Goa.
Though, I must add, the original ones are really very nice in terms of quality and finish.

[khoj]

LOL, thanks to your snap of the fuse box I now know where to get the 7.5Amps fuse for my Cedia. the Linea's fuse box is stuffed with them and since only two of this rating are used in the Cedia, the Mitsubishi A.S.S. replaces them with 10 Amps ones.

BS1 should mean Bharat stage 1 as in the fuel specifications.

[sandeepmohan]

Originally Posted by carwatcher

Though, I must add, the original ones are really very nice in terms of quality and finish.

Far from it. That little scrub pad patch in the middle of the drivers floor mat has already worn out. The front edge of the stitching is torn and it should be uselss in another 6 months. I got these floor mats for free. Most of us have. I can't imagine the plight if somsone has paid for these. They just don't work in out country. Even if I step out of the car once and back inside with the bare minimum of dust, I tap my foot ware each time before stepping into the car, the mats are back to being dusty and need to be taken out.

[Ford5]

Nice pictures, and what about your cars certain slowdown in acceleration due to ECU adapting to gentler/normal driving style, is it still responding slowly?

[raajks]

Sandeep, congratualtions on your amazing ride. The pictures and detailing captures the car well.

I could not resist after reading about your upshifts

I can reason why you are pretty happy with the 2200 range upshift

Not only does the Linea make the most torque of its petrol competitors (207 Nm versus 146 for the City & 153 for the Vento), it does so at a lowly 2,200 rpms (City's max torque is produced at 4,800 rpm & the Vento at 3,800). the Linea gives you a fat chunk as soon as the turbo kicks in.

When you are alone and have a resonably clear road ahead of you, I would urge you to try moving up the revs, just for the sheer pleasure (Caution: You fuel consumption would go above average)

You could take the engine all the way to 5500 RPM and then shift, the best gear would probably be 2nd and if you happen to have enough room in the roads a 3rd, I am sure this would bring a smile on your face.

High RPM driving within the turbo-band is addictive.
Intent is to share it to another petrol head, if you already are in this space I am sure these words would fall short to your state of ecstacy. (Safely ignore)

The T-Jet is reasonably revv-happy for a European petrol, all the way to 5,500 rpms. One fly in the ointment is the motor starting to run out of breath beyond 5,500. This isn’t an engine you would love to work above 6,000; it’s nowhere as “hyper” as the OHC (regular or Vtec) at the red line. Power delivery starts tapering off after 6,000 and there’s really no point in going further. In fact, max power is available at 5,000 rpms itself

[sandeepmohan]

Originally Posted by Ford5

and what about your cars certain slowdown in acceleration due to ECU adapting to gentler/normal driving style, is it still responding slowly?

To start, I don't think a car like this has an ecu that can adapt to driving style. I would attribute the loss in power feeling to the engine bedding in process. All new car engines would be tight during their first few hundred kilometers. My car is now at 2600km and it does feel better. It is absolutely dead if you are trundling along in 4th at 40kmph, nothing really happens when you mash the throttle as the engine speeds are just 1100rpm. You are a good 700-800 rpm off for the turbo to start spooling up. General engine response has improved. No complaints.

Originally Posted by raajks

I can reason why you are pretty happy with the 2200 range upshift

This is really all I need for the city cycle. Acceleration and progress is very swift even in this short range. I have started to rev upto 4500 engine rotation speeds. The car is an absolute riot when pushed to such high engine speeds. The car behind me appears stand still when I take it up to such rpm's.

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan

Far from it. That little scrub pad patch in the middle of the drivers floor mat has already worn out.

The free floor mats were very bad in quality. I replaced them with 3D Kagu mats after one year of purchase of my Linea. The details are here. The discarded floor mats are not entirely useless. They are still doing duty at my home as door-mats!

[hemanth.anand]

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan

The big blue and brown plugs, on the left and right have some kind of latch over them. Must be to prevent them from slipping out. Attachment 896872

The pink latches are used to connect and disconnect these plugs/connectors.
The pink lever has a gear like profile on them and it acts like a rack and pinion assembly.
When you turn the lever, the pins inside move vertically ensuring proper connection.
Also if you see the picture properly, the levers lock in position.
Its quite a complicated design and I was part of deveoping such connectors in my earlier company.