[ghodlur]

Fantastic and superb review Krishna. I hope Linea with the new interiors will be back in reckoning in the competition. The illuminated footwell is going to win a lot of appreciations.

How's the ICE perfomance? Does the new Linea still have the speakers from the previous gen? What has been added in the new Linea to increase the kerb weight by almost 28 kgs (T-Jet) and 58 kgs (MJD)? Wouldnt this affect the already known turbo lag issues of MJD?

All in all, superb review, great narration with pics. Thanks a ton. Rated the thread 5 stars it truly deserves.

[nkrishnap]

Originally Posted by ampere

Amazing review NKP. As Vidd mentioned, no one but a Linea owner can do a perfect justice to check out the face lift.

Few questions/clarifications?

- Any changes to ICE? Are the new speaker better or the same?
- Rear AC vents?
- What tyres do they come with now? Any changes there?
- Sad to see, the spare is not an alloy.
- Rear power outlet if any?
- How is the cruise control? Looks like will take quite a lot to get used to it. I checked out the Fiesta. Felt it to be much easier than the way you described it for Linea. Did you get a chance to test it out?

Great review overall .

Still that elusive 1.6MJD.....!

• Yes, the headunit is upgraded to handle the latest microsoft version of Blue and me. The Sales person was mentioning it had JBL speakers though I have personally verified it yet. I have not heard the music on stock (pre facelift and post facelift) back to back to comment how much improved it is. But compared to the ICE set up I currently have in the car, the facelift definitely falls short
  
  
• Yes, the rear AC vents are very much there. Here is the pic
  
  
• The tyres are the same, Goodyear Eagle NCT 5 205/55 R16.
  
  
• True, the spare should have been an alloy. Might have been done to follow other manufacturers or pure cost cutting.
  
  
• No rear power outlets. It would have been a good addition.
  
  
• The cruise control can be a boon on the open highway which can turn out to be fatigue free for the right foot. We did get to drive it along the NICE road during the test drives, its not hard to use at the same time its not very simple to use either. You have to manually set the speed but first accelerating to that speed and pulling the stalk to '+' position or manually increase the speeds in steps of 2 kmph. When the cruise control is restored after braking or de pressing the clutch, the accleration is pedal to metal which is more evident in the lower gears. But a cruise control with an automatic would have made it perfect.
  
  
• Still no 1.6 MJD, tell me about it

Originally Posted by deetjohn

The interior looks much better now, but the fit of that plastic casing over the steering column is still amiss even after all these years. Please don't take this as a rant, I am just feeling very sorry looking at it. And the old instrument panel was a work of art! Too bad they have replaced it. Also, I would have also preferred the original color theme of black and grey on the inside.

Very good to know that Fiat has extended the excellent T-jet across the range and the car is still a hoot to drive. That petrol power pack ought to get sold more.

The finish around the steering column though improved is inconsistent. The old on display yesterday had good finish. Even ignoring that the classic which was on display too had better finish. Such inconsistency from the same assembly line is not acceptable in today's world.

The Tjet makes a compelling case in the segment, the pricing and the discounts that would follow in a couple of months makes it very lucrative. But sadly there is no autobox option on the petrol like the competition.

Originally Posted by deepakhon

Wonderful review! Sorry, I could not make it yesterday.

The cruise control seems to be a welcome addition. The interiors look better than my T-Jet, but I fancy the exteriors of the one that I have. All in all, it looks good. The old Linea was so good looking and well proportioned that it is quite a challenge to come up with a facelift.

It would have been really hard for Fiat to facelift the Linea and they have not screwed up the facelift. At least, after seeing the car in person the facelfit slowly grows on you.

Originally Posted by ghodlur

Fantastic and superb review Krishna. I hope Linea with the new interiors will be back in reckoning in the competition. The illuminated footwell is going to win a lot of appreciations.

How's the ICE perfomance? Does the new Linea still have the speakers from the previous gen? What has been added in the new Linea to increase the kerb weight by almost 28 kgs (T-Jet) and 58 kgs (MJD)? Wouldnt this affect the already known turbo lag issues of MJD?

All in all, superb review, great narration with pics. Thanks a ton. Rated the thread 5 stars it truly deserves.

The footwell lighting is not standard. That was available only on the auto expo display vehicle. It would have been a good addition too. On the ICE performance, requoting myself.

Yes, the headunit is upgraded to handle the latest microsoft version of Blue and me. The Sales person was mentioning it had JBL speakers though I have personally verified it yet. I have not heard the music on stock (pre facelift and post facelift) back to back to comment how much improved it is. But compared to the ICE set up I currently have in the car, the facelift definitely falls short

On what is added to increase weight, Fiat will have to come out and disclose. They have made an already heavy car heavier. The 1.3 multijet will be driven this weekend and post the observations more so due to the increase in weight by over 50 kgs.

[extreme_torque]

Great review! Thanks for sharing. Is the orange ambient light on the dashboard, just above the glovebox, in one of the night interior pics, standard?

[nkrishnap]

Originally Posted by extreme_torque

Great review! Thanks for sharing. Is the orange ambient light on the dashboard, just above the glovebox, in one of the night interior pics, standard?

Yes, the ambient lighting on the dashboard is standard on the top end emotion variants.

[puchoo]

Great write up , thanks for putting this together!!

For me personally i still prefer the design of the outgoing model atleast from the exterior point of view. On the interiors , they definitely look really fresh . i however have mixed thoughts on the driver console / MID area , subject to seeing it personally again i feel that the outgoing model design is better looking.

What i do like is the integration of the indicators into the mirror , depending on how much they cost and how simple or complicated it would be to get them , i might explore the possibility of getting them put on my older model.

I would have preferred the original armrest probably rather than a space for a bottle . yes the car is short when it comes to accommodating big water bottles but i think the original design was more functional .

[Jaggu]

Just superb review! Rated the thread 5 star!

Very nice change to the interiors and welcome addition to the feature list too. BUT... what were the designers thinking when they touched the exterior?! it's gone HORRIBLY wrong. The old one looks so neat and classy compared to this puffed up gal!

[Batfreak]

Many congratulations on this brilliant review. You have managed to cover each and every detail of the beautiful car. The Linea is back in action and is looking sexier than ever! The addition of even more features and the revamping of the interiors to a totally drool worthy set has made the car an excellent proposition in the highly competitive C2 segment.
Now if only we had got the 1.6L MJD! You listening, Fiat India?

Edit: *Rating the thread a well deserved 5 stars!*

[GTO]

What mind-boggling detail, simply awesome . Rating thread a fully-deserved 5 stars.

I checked out the facelift at the Auto Expo and liked what they've done with the interiors. The ambience is much improved and honestly, there is little to complain about anymore in terms of fit, finish or quality. Designing a facelift on a car that's great looking isn't easy; keeping that in mind, I think Fiat has done a good job. Must add that it looks better in person than the pics might suggest.

Nearly 4 years since the engine's introduction, yet for a driving enthusiast, the T-Jet remains the petrol sedan of choice. Equally, I might add, considering the quick depreciation & loss of resale, I'd much rather pick up a pre-worshipped T-Jet than a new one.

Thank you for sharing this report with us! I know the amount of time, effort & detailing that goes into preparing a comprehensive review

[S_U_N]

This review is quite different than the others - there are references to the car manual/ documentation for people to get more details. I think that is a very good improvisation of "official reviews"
Great work!

My neighbour just got a white multijet classic and from outside, I can say the fit and finish is perfect. There were no inconsistent panel gaps for instance. So, perhaps there was nothing to improve externally in terms of fit and finish in the 2014 version. One point though 15" wheels look small on that car. My Cedia parked right next to it seems to fill in the wheel wells better with the same size of wheels.

There is too much chrome in the rear in this facelift, which kinda goes against the looks of this well proportioned car.

I have no comments on the interiors, expect that the previous version was having ergonomic issues for some of us. It was difficult to find a good driving position, especially for those around 5-5.5 feet tall. Any experiences around those?

Fiat does not offer any suitable upgrade path for its loyal customers in India.
The same neighbour whom I am referring above, upgraded from a white Punto to a white Linea classic. What is he going to do next?

Thread rated 5 stars.

Edit: 5 years, 150000 KM warranty. Is that a segment first?

[gsurya]

Originally Posted by S_U_N

Fiat does not offer any suitable upgrade path for its loyal customers in India.
The same neighbour whom I am referring above, upgraded from a white Punto to a white Linea classic. What is he going to do next?

Stable brand / models never undergo a dramatic change. Eg Punto, Suzuki Swift, Polo - the basic design & concept would never change dramatically year on year. You can only expect that in 3-5 years timeframe.

[JayKis]

Excellent Review. Rated 5 stars.

I still believe the old one looks much better than the new one on the exteriors. The interiors are a different story thou.

A specific detailed question --BTW can the front passenger play with music system and change the folders, if the mode of play is USB? Since in the current version the front passenger can change the folders only if its a disk playing and if the driver has to change folders for USB, he has to use the voice commands to do so.

The bottle holders are a welcome change and am trying to source bottles that can fit in my front door now!!

Originally Posted by GTO

What mind-boggling detail, simply awesome . Rating thread a fully-deserved 5 stars.

Nearly 4 years since the engine's introduction, yet for a driving enthusiast, the T-Jet remains the petrol sedan of choice. Equally, I might add, considering the quick depreciation & loss of resale, I'd much rather pick up a pre-worshipped T-Jet than a new one.

Thank you for sharing this report with us! I know the amount of time, effort & detailing that goes into preparing a comprehensive review

Its very very difficult to find a preworshipped T-Jet. The owners dont part with them readily thou!! If you are using it for 5+ years, then depreciation is not much of a factor when compared with other cars as well.

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[S_U_N]

Originally Posted by gsurya

Stable brand / models never undergo a dramatic change. Eg Punto, Suzuki Swift, Polo - the basic design & concept would never change dramatically year on year. You can only expect that in 3-5 years timeframe.

Well, I am not sure if that is relevant to the portion of text where you quoted me.
The portfolio of Fiat India has nothing to offer to those who want to upgrade from a Linea.

[sandeepmohan]

This new facelift surely tickles to trade in my existing T Jet with the new one. There is a lot to like about the new Linea. A lot of improvements.

The dashboard alone looks superb and the photographs suggest excellent quality.

Don't care much for the new clocks. I prefer the previous retro theme used on the top specification Linea.

Gear shifter cover in leather is awesome and so is the matt finished door open levers.

Finally; a place to keep a water bottle. 1.5l in total sounds good.

As mentioned, Blue foot well lighting totally out of place. Normal yellow lighting would have been more than enough. They managed to take it into the glove box too.

Relocating and adding the USB and Aux points were a good move. I wish they provided a slim slot to pop in your ipod/smartphone. With the way things are, the cup/bottle holder gets used up.

Cruise Control, though limited in how much one can use it in India, is a welcome addition. Implementation could have been better. Considering there is already comprehensive multi information display (MID), I don't understand why information on cruise control could not be relayed here. With cruise control in place, I am now curious on how efficient the T Jet is. You just can't hold a steady right foot on the T Jet throttle for economy runs. You always want to floor it.

Not happy about Fiat ignoring the diesel engine. This is where the money is. Sure looks like the 1.6mjd is shelved on a global scale too.

Leg room still a problem at back. I guess this would have required a complete overhaul of the chassis and body structure.

Is the new Blue N Me ipod compatible?

How is the air throw from the central AC rear vent? When the climate control display 3-4 bars, there is very little air coming out of this vent, atleast in my car. Not that air conditioning suffers in any way, just asking.

Originally Posted by nkrishnap

However, the Linea is still one of the best handlers in the segment

I thought it was the best in the segment or does the Fiesta have an edge?

[nkrishnap]

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan

I thought it was the best in the segment or does the Fiesta have an edge?

The new fiesta too is good and does match up with the Linea. But alas, that one hardly sells even compared to the Linea.

[gsurya]

Originally Posted by S_U_N

Well, I am not sure if that is relevant to the portion of text where you quoted me.
The portfolio of Fiat India has nothing to offer to those who want to upgrade from a Linea.

This, I agree. I have a Chevy Aveo but am not convinced I should move to Cruze next even though I have had a superb ownership experience. I am considering Fiat Linea though.

I would love to own Skoda Rapid or Vento but with a maintenance / service network / costs / commitment of Maruti or GM.