[desdemona]

Hi Guys.

The main learning so far, and a big one, is that the t-jet isn't so laggy as to be difficult at low rpms and in gears 1&2 in stop and go traffic and when encountering mountainous speed-breakers etc. So I can feel free to let our experienced-enough driver take helm, without too much worry that he'll bugger the clutch etc (he has only ever driven NA petrols, not even diesels.)

A subjective word on the braking: hard braking is, what with the huge wide tyres and discs, awesome, BUT I am a bit unhappy about the brake pedal (booster) progression.

It feels less immediate than my old Linea. Objectively, the light braking is fine but it feels a bit flacid. For now, I am guessing this is no 'issue' but is just an adjustment I have to make to a different brake pedal feel and progression. Let's see.

Mileage: AC always on @ 22 degrees, Delhi-Gurgaon traffic (which is, for our travel times of day, not as dense and slow as say Bangalore): 10.5+/-.

How I wish we could make a highway 'getaway' on the T-jet, but work and family bindings make that impossible for a while. A great frustration, given the taste of third- or fourth-gear torque I use to weave shootingly between lumbering trucks (often carrying Maruti-s and Hyundai-s!) on NH8 between Gurgaon and South Delhi, at night!

Also, I somewhere feel silly handing this car over to the driver AT ALL, but family members' itineraries are such. In any case, I am a civic virtuoso enough to abjure the cars altogether when travelling solo to Delhi, or when going into the congested, older, central/northern parts of the city: and use the Delhi Metro, which I like very much more than even the new T-jet! ;-)

[racer_ash]

So. My college buddy gets a new shining white T-Jet facelift and he was there at my home yesterday and I had the chance to lay my hands on this Italian beauty for the first time. I had driven my uncles Linea NA 1.4 petrol long time ago and I had walked away disappointed. But by God, what a difference a small turbo makes to the engine. This beauty was a altogether different beast. Just a small tap on the gas pedal makes her lunge forward as if she were a hungry cheetah chasing a Thomsons Gazelle. Scorching performance. Since my home is very close to the Hyderabad ORR, I had a chance to test her both on city (around 5kms) and the ORR (25kms). Some observations.

1) At parking speeds, the steering is quite heavy. I know its a wrong comparo, but my i20 steering feels like heaven negotiating the tight turns especially in a chaotic city like Hyderabad. On the highways though, the lineas steering is the master of feedback. Its just immaculate and precise. It blasts the lifeless steering of my Hyundai to smithereens. The suspension complements the ride beautifully and you feel you could go on and on and on without the risk of getting nauseous even on undulating highways sitting at the back.

2) The Turbo petrol is much more refined than the 1.4 NA one I had driven earlier, but I still felt my 3 yr old i20s 1.2 kappa motor to be much more refined with absolutely no noise coming into the cabin at city speeds. There are slight vibrations felt on the clutch, steering and even the gas pedal in case of the Linea, absolutely none in the Hyundai. I think things should settle down for the linea as she puts on miles. Ofcourse I am comparing a NA petrol of my i20 to the Turbo petrol in the Tjet.

3) The most annoying thing in the Linea was that you could feel the steering wheel turning against the clutch when you are executing tight left turns. I remember one of the review mentioning about it but when I experienced it in person, it felt so uncrude. A serious dampener to an otherwise beautiful drivers car.

4) Rear seats are still not upto the mark against the likes of Honda City. With the seats set at 6 feet for my friend, I was extremely uncomfortable behind him. However I was always comfortable behind the seat of the same guy in his Honda City.

5) Car feels elegant and regal and is a definite head tuner. It feels like a vault and the doors are quite heavy to open and close (again compared to my i20 which itself felt a great deal beter than my dads swift).

6) The petrol motor has a sweet tone when pulling especially in the turbo zone. I could touch close to 96kmph in second on the ORR before the rev limiter cut in and the sound of the engine was just awesome. Felt like getting down and hugging it and planting a kiss at the risk of burning my lips.

7) Creature comforts are upto the mark but yeah, being a driver of the Korean with the controls at the right position, a couple of times I inadvertently switched on the wipers instead of the indicators causing my friend to shout at me due to the risk of spoiling his windscreen.

[desdemona]

Hi RacerAsh.

You know, I am always a bit bewildered by the criticism the Linea faces for lacking rear legroom and therefore comfort, though the scooped-out rear of the front seats have added to the knee-room at the back a lot in the new Linea.

Sure, if the driver's around 6 ft and the rear passenger behind him is also of similar height, then it is a squeeze, BUT how common is that in India (on average)?

I figure there is often an error made by (let us call them) 'lay' car-people. They mistake visual legroom for comfort, which is not a visual thing at all.

Comfort in the Linea is stupendous in the rear, as good as the Passat say. Because of the longer-than-competition seat base, which reduces visual legroom but enhances thigh support greatly. Plus: seat foam that is firm-ish rather than soft, plus good bolstering and recline angle.

But: most of all because of its brilliant ride-and-handling balance, and silent rear suspension. Everyone who's ever driven with me on long trips seated in the rear has felt comfy and free-of-tiredness at the end of the journey, and have invariably commented as much.

In fact, my mother who has throughout her life struggled with car nausea when on long trips, not only but especially in the hills, has forgotten what that is, since she's been travelling with me in the Linea. There is no better testament to the Linea's rear comfort than that, I feel.

I have noticed that the recent and new Linea-s' increased ground clearance has enhanced rear passenger comfort even further, by enabling a steady speed even through long rough patches, with little bounciness.

[racer_ash]

You are only telling me whatever I told you in my post when I said

The suspension complements the ride beautifully and you feel you could go on and on and on without the risk of getting nauseous even on undulating highways sitting at the back.

Also, I am sure you would agree on my comparison with the Honda Citys rear space for 2 6 footers sitting behing each other. No body would want their knees to foul with the front seat all the time and not complain about it. We might call them people 'Laymen' or whatever we want but most of us would want to have some space between the knees to the front seat when we are at the back.

Thanks

[desdemona]

Originally Posted by racer_ash

You are only telling me whatever I told you in my post when I said



Also, I am sure you would agree on my comparison with the Honda Citys rear space for 2 6 footers sitting behing each other. No body would want their knees to foul with the front seat all the time and not complain about it. We might call them people 'Laymen' or whatever we want but most of us would want to have some space between the knees to the front seat when we are at the back.

Thanks

Man I meant no offense, I was only making an impersonal comment about the rear comfort being NOT a visual thing. I agree, and said so in the post, that two 6-footers back to back is indeed a squeeze.

Just that I feel for the vast majority of Indian driver-rear passenger combinations, the Linea, and arguably even the new Ford Fiesta rear is amply comfy , no matter that it may APPEAR tight back there.

[desdemona]

Hi.

Paying attention to minutiae! :

The much commented upon shorter, stubbier driver's armrest is, on the whole, a welcome change, though at a slight expense.
Not only has room for a big enough bottle-holder above the rear AC vent been opened up, it's much wider and can easily be shared by BOTH driver and front passenger whenever frequent gear changes are not required.

The earlier one was ergonomically poor other than on open gear-change-free highway stretches: it would majorly impede comfortable gear shifts. Which is why I keep it hinged out of the way most times on my 2010 Linea. The new one is short enough to solve that problem, and still pretty usable as a driver's armerest, once you get used to its positioning and dimensions, as any owner will pretty easily.

Cheers

[Sommos]

Originally Posted by desdemona

Unfortunately I am capable only of thinking in little fragments: an observation here, a delight or grouse there. A full thorough ownership, pics and all, thread would be too much to expect of lazy me! Apologies.

The Assembly Line segment gives you exactly what you require.
Pen down your fragmented observations plus some pics; take your time to do it and release it once you're done.

You must go through this Assembly Line

[desdemona]

Hi fellow T-jet owners.

What is the availibility of Fiat-branded accessories at your dealership? I ask because my local dealer doesn't stock too much more than keychains and car perfume.

Not that I want to pimp my near-complete, all-round ride with spoilers etc, but Fiat's missing a trick if they're not getting ALL their dealers to stock a full range of accessories.

[khoj]

Tuli Fiat in Wazirpur has a well stocked accessories counter. Picked up a Fiat car perfume, yes original Fiat, a T shirt, lap top bag and a a small string bag last month also Linea's Tyvek cover a few month's ago. What he does not have he is willing to order.

Kashyap is pathetic in this regard.

As for Fiat missing a trick etc, dealers of other manufacturers are no better. Accessories is the last thing they want to stock.

Originally Posted by desdemona

Hi fellow T-jet owners.

What is the availibility of Fiat-branded accessories at your dealership? I ask because my local dealer doesn't stock too much more than keychains and car perfume.

Not that I want to pimp my near-complete, all-round ride with spoilers etc, but Fiat's missing a trick if they're not getting ALL their dealers to stock a full range of accessories.

[desdemona]

Hi Guys.

Mileage (A/C always on at 22C) is creeping up, as both the driver and I are sync-ing better with this delightful engine and good gearbox: 11 +/- now.

Do earlier T-jet owners feel that this engine 'opens up' noticeably say after 5000k, yielding more mileage and refinement, as many say the MJD does? Or is that just a superstition? Not that I am unhappy at all with either the mileage (or the torque) it's returning here in the hot, crowded roads of Delhi-Gurgaon.

Also, I have decided the brake booster/progression doubt I had about the T-jet in comparison with the earlier Linea I still own, was only in my head, a question of habituation, which has now happened. The braking on this car, especially if urgent from higher speeds is staggeringly good what with the all-four discs and all.

Thanks to the really beautiful, resonant design of the new dashboard, this new Linea feels more tastefully sumptuous to the eye on the inside. Also, it sure feels significantly more refined. Unless Fiat have added to noise insulation, I figure that is entirely down to the new model of Goodyear tyres, NCT5, which are FAR quieter than the OEM Goodyear tyre model on the 2010 Linea.

My only wariness is about the FASS here in Gurgaon, which while good enough for routine servicing is yet to convince me that they can be trusted with more complex repair tasks. But they are improving, slowly. On this front, it is reassuring that there are 5-6 other FASS operations in Delhi NCR.

No rattles or niggles to report. Fancy that! ;-)

[Rubbertramps]

I see a lot of appreciation for the new Linea in this thread. Nevertheless i dont see it getting reflected in the sales charts of April 2014. I wonder why !

[desdemona]

Originally Posted by Rubbertramps

I see a lot of appreciation for the new Linea in this thread. Nevertheless i dont see it getting reflected in the sales charts of April 2014. I wonder why !

Well, April was only the first month of deliveries, and since they were surprised at the proportion of Linea buyers keen on the t-jet rather than the mjd, some deliveries were delayed a bit. May and June sale will be a better gauge.

In any case, appreciation among us 'cognoscenti' rarely if ever reflects in the sales charts of the Great Indian Car Bazaar!

[nikhil0405]

The major factors for success for a car manufacturer in the Indian market are
1. Product reliability and low maintainence costs.
2. A.S.S. and how they treat existing customers.

Fiat has already proved itself on point 1. Once people are convinced on point 2 there will surely be greater demand for fiat vehicles.

There are other factors like resale value etc but I find those dependent on the points above.

The story is expected to change once they bring in the jeep brand.

[r0ckstar.1]

Visiting this thread after sometime (read 3 months). nice to see a lot of BHPians going for Tjet. Congrats to all of you for making the choice. your decision will keep you smiling for sure.

I have had my Pearl white Tjet Emotion for 5 months now and have driven close to 3500kms. Not much, I know, but work has kept me busy. so, it's only weekend drives. Still, What an experience it has been !! Both city and highway driving has been a pleasure. Like someone said few post before, you need to find that power range at which the engine gives the maximum power and maximum mileage. I have found that out after driving almost 2000kms. I always try and keep it above 2000rpm and have learnt to drive with engine braking as well. The engine also "opened-up" after 2000kms. it revs more freely now.

Last weekend, made a 3 day trip to Bandipur and back. A total of 500 kms and still have about 100kms left (per the Trip A range reading). Comfort and handling are the top offerings. A 4-hour non-stop drive of 240 kms and I got out of the car without a hint of exhaustion. Now, that's what i call a good car.

1st service due this month end. shall keep you updated with the service feedback.

Have fun and drive safe. Cheers

[r0ckstar.1]

Originally Posted by nikhil0405

The major factors for success for a car manufacturer in the Indian market are
1. Product reliability and low maintainence costs.
2. A.S.S. and how they treat existing customers.

Fiat has already proved itself on point 1. Once people are convinced on point 2 there will surely be greater demand for fiat vehicles.

I had a very good experience on point #2 recently. About 2 weeks ago, i could hear a "tak tak" sound whenever the car passes a hump or potholes. Heard this for 3 days straight, couldn't figure out what the issue was or where the sound was originating from? So, took it straight to Vecto service on hosur road. There were quite a lot of customers, considering it was a weekend. I was asked to wait for few minutes. A service advisor came in and we went for a test drive. 2 minutes and he said that the sound is coming in from the front suspension and that the linking rods might be a bit loose.

Back to service station, put the car on the lift and the mechanics asked to check the fitting. They were indeed a bit loose. Tightened, car lowered down, test drove again. no noise and the car was flying all done in 30 minutes and not a single penny paid from the pocket! A very satisfied customer drove back home. The sound hasn't comeback until now

Note: The SA and the mechanics didn't even accept a generous tip from me for their display of customer obsession !