If you were to ask my friends a question, who know about my passion for cars, on the probability of me buying a car, that would be...
a) New (Probability 3%) Reason : I prefer buying used car at VFM price and changing it after 1.5 yrs. max, (we also have a beautiful thread by GTO titled : The Beauty of Lateral Upgrades)
b) Sedan (Probability - 3%) Reason : I am a Hardcore SUV person and also here in Goa it makes sense to own a SUV if you like to go out a lot for drives etc.
We also have a thread comparing SUVs with Sedan and that changed my perception completely about Sedans.
c) Petrol (Probability - 33%) Reason : Do I really need to elaborate. We have a beautiful comment by GTO "There is more to life than Kpl."
d) Manufactured by Fiat (Probability - 10%) Reason : Equal weightage to all Manufacturers. We have a one of the most beautiful thread IMHO titled "Analysis Paralysis".
So me ever buying a Petrol Sedan that is New is just not possible.... that's what I thought all these years.
But I was proven wrong until I started following Fiat Linea T-Jet on T-BHP.
All my Calculations, Logics, Resolutions, etc. gone for a toss and now I am a proud owner of Bossa Nova White Fiat Linea T-Jet plus.
I first read the GTOs comprehensive review and then started following SandeepMohan's beautiful thread titled "T-Jet - to buy or not" and let me warn you that if you have even 0.0001% inclination towards that car, it will turn into 110% in No time (as in my case). I was not a very big fan of Fiat as I like almost all the cars and planning to change my Ford Fusion+ (used for 1yr3mths) which I changed from Ford Fusion (used for 1yr 5mths). So first and the best option for me was Ford EcoSport but it was only announced at Auto Expo and no further details are available especially regarding the price and I was ready to wait further. I also knew that it would take a while to get a used T-Jet as it is launched recently and the buyer would have good knowledge about cars and won't sell so soon and that too at a lower price (compared to new one), But after the Fiat started offering extremely good deals on T-Jet, it was that "triggering event" that made me actually go ahead and book the car. IMO the product placement of Linea T-Jet is awkward as its a Petrol car expensive than Diesel, enthusiast's car to be enjoyed better on highways than city but if you are going for highways then Diesel should be preferred isn’t it, and also Diesel Linea is having more Torque (209Nm v 207Nm) then how can one justify going for a Petrol. But in my case the Goan roads are like highways and more importantly the power (93Ps v 114Ps) is more and VFM price very well justify the selection. I had read a lot and lot on T-BHP about T-Jet and when I went for TD it was like I knew almost everything in advance and therefore No surprises were experienced by me as far as car performance is concerned. As I am not a "Sedan" person I spared myself from TDs of all other competitor's cars. To be honest, I try to go for not so common cars and both Fusion and T-Jet give me that satisfaction. I am a great fan of Honda City (Its the best Petrol Sedan IMO) and Swift (Hot Hatch with stunning looks) but for me the biggest weak point of these cars are that they are very common.
Booking experience :
We have only one dealer in Goa and they were having two T-Jets in their stock and both were white. For me after the Black (only due to maintenance), white was least preferred choice as IMHO the Linea looks bald (if this is the proper word) from front. I otherwise like black as well as white very much in other cars. One was T-Jet (Oct. 2010 manufactured) and other was T-Jet + (April 2011 manufactured). They offered 75K discount on T-Jet and 1 Lac discount on T-Jet +. Now if the actual price difference between the two is 50K but after discount the difference is 25K and feature wise one is getting 16"alloy wheels (5 Nos.) and Leather seats and most importantly 5mm more GC then "Koi T-Jet kyun Le, T-Jet + naa Le." So I was sold on T-Jet + only, no second thoughts on that. But as regarding colour I was not at all happy and thought as we don't buy New car daily and in used car we can't get colour choice but atleast in new one I must not compromise as colour would be the first thing everyone notices and one should not repent daily that he didn't get colour of his choice. I was keen on getting Bronzo Scuro or Sunbeam Beige but I had not seen BS in person in Goa as yet and felt that it will have same issues as Black so finally decided for getting SB. Dealer told that they will get it from Pune and will take 1 week maximum to deliver the car. But then something happened that tilted the favour completely in favour of white. Firstly, everyone in my family (except me) was in favour of white very strongly, and out of nowhere one White Linea came to our apartment from Mumbai (some group came for long weekend during Republic Day in Linea and Accord) and that car was parked for 3nights right in front of my balcony. So that colour grew on me completely and I finally decided to go for that colour. Also as I already shown my displeasure to the dealer regarding the White colour (they sold SB coloured T-Jet+ just 2 days before my first visit), they were ready to offer me 15K additional discount. For me it was effectively 21K as I was also saving 6K on premium colour as all other colours except white are considered premium by Fiat and they charge 6K extra for that. I was also offered additional 50K discount on T-Jet as it was 2010 manufactured one but I already made up my mind for T-Jet + for reasons mentioned earlier and also they later increased the cash discount on T-Jet to 1Lac and NO additional discount (after getting mail from Fiat, according to them). So I effectively paid equal to the price difference between the two but got a newer model. I went ahead and booked the T-Jet+. As I was going through the finance route, I did all the paperwork, etc. myself as I opted for Bank of India (BoI) with whom I share a long term relationship. It took 2-3 days for me to do the same.
Now let me share my experience or point of view regarding Goan way of doing business. Here in Goa, no one will show any interest whatsoever to the (proposed) customer be it small shopkeeper, car salesman or any banker whatever may be the sum involved. Here its like Sir, this is the product, this is the price and this is the deal (already fixed by us, so No bargaining please) and if you take it or not, it won't affect us a bit as we will anyway get our salary and nothing extra will come to us by your sale so don't expect any enthusiasm please. To summarize, its like "you better listen to us, we will not listen to you at all". So I was not feeling any josh with my experience of going for a NEW car with anyone, I was wondering as to when will I get that wonderful "buying" and "waiting for delivery" experience. When I bought Mahindra Duro from the showroom, same thing happened, they don’t even have a TD vehicle and tell every customer that why are you cribbing for TD when you can drive the vehicle for so many years after buying. Infact, its not been provided to them by Mahindra so its Mahindra's fault IMO. So after learning about Loan and Booking procedure and when I complied with all of their procedures and conditions, the speed at which work was done left me amazed and kick started my enthusiasm. In fact, now I am in all praise for Bank as well as dealership and share a very good relationship with them. Lesson learnt, "Give respect, Take respect."
I requested them for PDI before Regn. for which they told me to let them first do the PDI as per there manual and then they will inform me so I can come accordingly. Let me say, they did a really wonderful job and I was very happy when I did my PDI on Saturday evening (4th Feb). They gave me registration papers duly filled and I went and registered it on Monday. Took delivery on the same day at around 6.30 PM. How I spent my Saturday night and whole Sunday can be imagined by anyone.
FINAL ON-ROAD PRICE – 8.40 Lacs
After Market Fittings :
Floor Mats - 3300/-; Boot Mat - 300/-; Speakers (4 Nos.) - 3700/-;
3M Sunfilm on Front, side and back - 4300/-.
Features:
The car is full of features to the gills. I really appreciate Fiat for loading the car with full features including ACC, 5 Alloy wheels, Sun visor lamps, etc. and not giving step-motherly treatment in the name of ‘India specific’ models. On top of it what I‘ve read that the spare parts are priced reasonably. That shows their commitment toward India. They surely are putting their best foot forward. But still I miss one feature which Fiat has omitted and that is door lock keyhole on passenger side front door. I really don’t understand why they have done so. Certainly not due to cost cutting as this is a highly priced top variant. Or I failed to notice it and it’s already present. I really use this feature sometimes when car is parked in office and remote key is at the home and second key is in the office. Can someone throw more light about this?
Exteriors:
Do I really need to mention again that how beautiful this car looks, especially in white? Its really the most beautiful looking Sedans available today and most importantly it looks equally beautiful from all angles. To me it looks excellent from back with the raised stance. In the manual, it is mentioned on the first page that Linea is a work of contemporary art. I fully agree with that. As I have previously mentioned this car looks little ‘bald’ (not ugly) from the front as the headlamps are positioned slightly backwards than from the grill and in white colour it is more visible than other colours and that was the main reason for my dislike for white.
Overall build quality, fit and finish is discussed in numerous posts already and is strictly average as the gaps are not consistent and I had my share of them at window chrome beading (which I believe is common with all Lineas) and slightly misaligned bonnet at the top left (driver’s) side which is visible to any enthusiast from certain angle but at the same time not too much of a bother to me. The reason for not bothering too much is simply because as the dealership is around 35 kms from my home and it will cost me Rs.500-600 in terms of fuel and 5-6hrs easily in terms of time. The positives are the metal used seems to be of heavy gauge and feels sturdy and as I have shifted from Fusion, I am not disappointed in this aspect also, I must say.
Interiors:
I liked the Interior shades and integration of Beige and Black. The chrome lining used at the front console and around the gear lever gives you a rich feel. But I must add, that the silver colour centre console is not of everyone’s taste and not liked equally by everyone in the family. The centre console gives a plain vanilla feeling without much curves or futuristic designs but it otherwise matches with the ‘classic’ character of the car. As regards the speedometer console, I found it very good and it gives you a classy and ‘its different’ feel every time. The orange lighting used for centre console and speedo look good and I have absolutely no problems with them. The twin orange LED spotlights give a nice feel in the dark and is a very unique feature on this car and everyone was specifically in praise of that. My fusion was having roof light at the centre and Fusion + is having two individual reading lights on each sides at the back in place of centre single roof light so we miss those reading lights here. I am planning to put the reading light and Door sill protection plate with illuminated ‘T-Jet’ sold officially by Fiat.
I also liked the interior leather quality of the seats as well as shade as it was the first time we have bought a car with beige interiors and was also happy that I won’t have to search for aftermarket seat covers and I generally don’t like to invest more in luxury accessories and would have bought soft fabric or faux leather seat covers if not provided any by Fiat.
As regards the quality of plastic parts inside which is hotly debated many times on this forum, I found them OK and felt they will do the job but yes any improvement is surely welcome. I also feel that they will become smoother after some use. The fuel tank opening knob and steering-tilt knob plastic cover though looks as may fall anytime.
The overall space at the front is sufficient but at the rear it looks small. I very rarely get a chance to sit backwards so can’t comment but during my TD I sat behind for a while and found the seats comfortable. IMHO It depends on the angle at which backrest is set. As we have shifted from Fusion it is foolish even to compare the interior space, legroom, etc. But yes the ride quality and comfort of the sedan is in a different league altogether and my family confirmed that they found Linea far comfortable than Fusion. I have read that Honda City interior space is more and better utilised by Japanese, while in Linea, as the more concern is on looks, the interior space is not properly planned. At front there is very long front console that eats valuable interior space and at the back the boot is very long. Some amount of space could have been compromised from the two and legroom could have been increased. But who knows there may be some reason behind this.
Air conditioner is a chiller and I am finding ACC very convenient and also feel privileged after looking at other cars in this segment.
Few things I liked :
Hazard Light blinking twice while boot is opened is a nice feature.
USB port inside Glove compartment is useful as pen drive is safe from kids as well as accidental damage.
Rear defogger has in-built timer.
Absolutely silent cabin and we are more pleased as we moved from Fusion which has fair amount of engine noise inside.
and few which I didn’t :
Internal Rear view mirror is useless.
No keyhole at co-passenger side front door.
Stock speakers are not upto the mark (upgraded on day 1) Fusion is the benchmark for me.
Headlights are weak compared to my Fusion.
No storage for Water bottle.
No storage at front other than glove box. Fusion has open storage above glove box (but No Airbags) and also at the centre of the console.
So far I have faced three issues with the car.
Day-night knob is not working (or broken) in the inside rear view mirror. Will get it replaced whenever I go to dealership.
Volume is at maximum when call is made/received via Blue and Me, called and got it solved, couldn’t find it specifically mentioned in the manual. It can be reduced / increased via volume control switches at the steering only while the call is in progress.
Windshield washer jets are throwing water so high that the water lands on the boot and on the vehicle behind. I plan to adjust them afterwards.
Off late, Brakes make some sound when applied. It didn’t affect the braking a bit though. I have changed the Fusion front Brake discs in last service around 7 months ago. I got the similar sound around two months back. When I did regular servicing last month, discussed the issue with them. They checked the brakes thoroughly and told me that if the car is parked for more than a day, brake pads become hard and make a sound for first few times and then become softer. Nothing to worry about and its absolutely normal. I noted that they make sound only when I use my car after a gap of 2 days or more and that sound disappears after say 2-3 times when brakes are applied. Performance wise they are perfectly fine. Now the absolutely similar sound came from Linea after I took the car out after a gap of 2 full days i.e. almost 60-65 hours. So can someone tell is that true or I should I get this checked.
Initial Drive and Impressions:
I am an enthusiast and not at all a technical person. Maximum I do is going through the car's manual thoroughly. You won't find my posts in technical threads at all. The reason for the same is I have not allowed or prepared myself to go deeper into technical aspects but I am seriously planning to do so. (I mean going through Technical threads on T-BHP, nothing more.)
I own a Fusion and that is Benchmark for me with regard to Handling, Steering and Power (as I have also not driven many cars) and T-Jet didn't disappoint me in any of those aspects but in fact fared better as it’s a SEDAN and hence no body-roll. Steering of both Fusion and Linea T-Jet give very wonderful feeling and are the standout feature of both the cars. I use to believe that I won’t get the Fusion like steering feedback and feel in any other car but I am glad that I have got the perfect match. As regards road grip the wider tyres really grip the road and you can literally feel the rubber gripping the road on slightly rough roads.
I have covered around 450kms so far and not crossed more than 90-95 yet. Its Average Fuel consumption reading shows around 10KMPL and 75% of my driving has been on highway kind of roads. I definitely expect this to increase above 12 after sometime.
I had also experienced similar things as reported by other T-Jet owners, namely ECU adapting to the driving style, slight Turbo Lag below 1500-1700 RPM which can be taken care of by downshifting to the proper gear. The sound of turbo whistle can be heard if you switch off the AC and ICE and close the windows while driving.
The most standout thing I noticed about the car is that "It’s really next to impossible to drive this car with a Light Foot." The thrust of power is really addictive and believe me in my short stint I have actually overtaken 4-5 cars in one go where I planned to overtake one and I was not driving rashly or planned in advance to do so. I was really wondering afterwards that ’did I actually do that?’ I am not at all exaggerating or boasting but I was really surprised at the power available at the disposal. So I stand corrected that this car is not only to be enjoyed on the highway but equally in the city.
This is my first try for ownership report and the post has really become very long. Will add more later. Thanks for reading.
Few pics taken from my Mobile.
12th February 2012, 13:29
(15)
Thanks
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