[sparameswaran]

I wish to share my initial ownership experience with the Fiat New Linea T Jet Emotion.

To start with, a disclaimer: The only cars I have had any driving experience with, before buying the T Jet are : Maruti 800, Alto Lxi (2008 model), Santro (2006), Hyundai i10 Sportz (2009 version), Ertiga Vdi & The Baleno. Saying this so that you can get some idea of my lack of experience with more sophisticated cars. Take my opinion with a pinch of salt!

I own an Alto Lxi (2008) and a Baleno (Pre-owned) and it was around May 2014 that I finally made up my mind to dispose of the Baleno and get a new car.

What I was looking for in a the new car:

• A car which is as enjoyable driving, as the Baleno
• A car which is at least as powerful or even more
• A car with the best safety features, within the budget I had in my mind

To put it briefly, I was looking for a 'worthy replacement' for my Baleno.

I am a native of Kerala who live and work in Pondicherry. I like driving and I almost always drive myself. I use my Alto for day to day commute to work as well local short distance commutes. Baleno was mostly reserved for trips out of town with family or work related trips and the new car would also would serve the same purpose. On an average I do not exceed 1000 - 1200kms in a month, that too vary widely between months. My Baleno had covered about 31000km in last two years.

I decided that I do not want to spend more than approx 10 lakhs (with a little this way or that way) on the car and planned to get 40% financed by a car loan. This was a tough decision to make because I was finding it extremely difficult to get the Chevrolet Cruze out of my mind, but I finally decided that I will restrict the budget to approx 10L.

The alternatives considered:

• The Honda City iVtech - V
• The Volkswagen Vento TDI (Highline)
• The Hyundai Verna SX (1.6 Diesel)

By July 2014 I had almost made up my mind to buy The new Honda City iVtech ('V' variant). Let me tell you briefly how I reached this decision and how I ended up changing it.

I like cars with 'plain' (?European) styling and my 'mental picture' of a car best match with Volkswagen cars . Hence the first cars to come to my mind were the Vento and the Jetta. When I decided not to spent more than 10L, Jetta was out. I have travelled (but was not behind the steering wheel) in the Vento many times (Pondy to Chennai and back) and I had done enough 'research' to realize that it met all my requirements. The Volkswagen showroom in Pondy is at walking distance from where I live. Enough reasons for asking for a test drive, I suppose! But I also found out about the ownership experiences - mostly about expensive parts as well as routine services being apparently very expensive (relative to other cars). I knew someone who worked in Volksawagen (but no longer works there) and he confirmed these concerns. Another dampener was the limited features list the Vento had (at that point of time), compared to its competitors.

The Diesel Verna (1.6) was powerful and was feature loaded. I know that the majority found the car 'a beauty' with the fluidic design etc. But I must admit that such 'flashy' design / styling is not to my taste. Styling was not the most important factor I was thinking about, anyway. But I was discouraged by consistent reference to the Verna NOT being a 'driver's car'. Most importantly, I thought it was pretty obvious that the Verna was going to get a facelift in India very soon - with stiff competition from the new City & the feature loaded Ciaz about to be launched - the facelift was already out in China. I didn't want to buy a car which was almost certain to get upgraded within the next few months' time. There is only one Hyundai showroom (sales and service) in Pondy and I guess they are finding it difficult to manage - the general perception among Hyundai car owners seems to be that there is room for improvement by the Hyundai service in Pondy (not to say that other car services are good in Pondy).

So, in July - August 2014, I was almost convinced that the best option I had was indeed the Honda City iVtech. I called the Honda showroom and inquired about test driving the car, booking details, waiting period etc. While the staff was very polite and forthcoming, I was disappointed that they did not offer test drive for the iVtech. I was told that I can have test drive of the iDtech, instead. Since I thought I had reasonably good knowledge about the differences between the two cars and I had no intention of buying the iDtech, I decided to wait (as suggested by the staff).

The good thing I did while I was waiting is that I continued my 'research'.
I must admit that it was not from Team BHP forum that I first read about the T Jet. I stumbled upon a list' of 'driver's cars' in India on a website. I had dismissed 'Fiat' from the list of contenders very early in my search because of two things which I consistently found on online fora : 1] Linea being 'underpowered' 2] Service woes with Fiat (Tata) service. I did not realize initially that all the references of Linea being 'underpowered' was about the Multijet (diesel) version. To be honest, I had never known about the 'T Jet' until I stumbled upon the webpage. I explored further and found out about the facelift launched in March - April 2014. The 'pre-facelift' version definitely looked better than the new version, but anyway, I was not really bothered about appearances. The rest of the car looked 'tailor made' for my requirements. I was concerned about two things 1] The bad reputation of Fiat service 2] The future of the Fiat motor company as such, in India - are they likely to shut shop in India, I wondered.

I found out someone who owned a Linea (Multijet, not T Jet) in Pondy and was reassured to know that he was quite happy with Fiat service in Pondy. There was no way to reliably predict the future of Fiat in India short of approaching an astrologer, but from whatever I could read about Fiat, It appeared to me that they have no plans of 'shutting shop' anytime soon. I decided to give it a try because of some perceived advantages over the new Honda City (gathered from reading various sources):

• The Linea appeared better to me to be, safety-wise : Yes, it is true that on paper both have ABS, EBD and two airbags. However, I gathered that the 'build' of the car shell is also important in the event of a crash - seems to be better (atleast on paper) with Linea, Vento etc. (Short of doing a crash test this is conjectural at best.) But the differences did not end there. Linea T Jet (but not MultiJet)had all four Disc brakes, compared to two discs and two drum brakes in the Honda (and other cars). Someone mentioned that the T Jet stopped at approx 2 meters shorter distance compared to the City, when braking from the same speed. The tires (I suppose) also play a role in improved braking performance - the T Jet came with significantly broader (205R16) tires (City had 175R15). With my limited technical knowledge, it appeared that the T Jet had the edge when it comes to safety, even though on paper both looked equally good.
• The Warranty on T Jet is 3 years or 1 lakh kilometers, and fiat offers an extended warranty of additional TWO years or upto 150000kms. The City comes with a warranty of only 2 years or 40000kms. I may be wrong, but what I gathered is that Honda City used to come with better warranty till the 3rd generation and Honda seems to have reduced the warranty period &Kms for the new (4th gen) City. When I inquired about extended warranty, the person at Honda showroom told me Honda is not offering any (don't know whether he was just ignorant, the Honda website does mention extended warranty). Does this really mean anything? I am not sure, but I can tell you that this makes one pause and think - why would any company reduce warranty on an 'upgraded' product? Added to this were small things I came across in various fora - the new City being deprived of a proper engine guard (I did not go around checking Honda cars, hence please do not quote me) and other minor things which suggest cost cutting measures with the City.
• The Ground clearance of Linea was unmatched, even with improved ground clearance of the City. My Baleno scraped through even modest humps and if fully loaded, it scraped through every single hump on the way. It is heart breaking every time it happens.
• There were ownership reviews on the 2014 City already coming in and I got the impression that there is a general impression (can very well be wrong) that there was compromise on quality Honda was known for.

In the first half of September I called the Fiat dealer in Pondy (Manakular Motors) requesting a test drive of T Jet. The staff from Manakular motors had come to a place close to my home for a test drive with the newly launched Punto Evo (MultiJet) that day. After lunch time, they came to my home to pick me (and my better half). They asked me whether I would like to drive the Punto Evo, which I readily agreed. Thus I ended up test driving the Punto Evo MultiJet un-intentionally, before the T Jet.

The Test Drive(s) and the final decision:

The experience with the sales staff at Manakular motors was pleasant. They were friendly, helpful and courteous. They appeared knowledgeable about the car and readily answered all queries. I was given a description of the car before taking it out for the test drive. They did not place any restrictions on the Kms (anyway I had no intention of taking a long drive). I drove through the town, as well as on the Pondy - Tindivanam four lane highway stretch. I tried the cruise control, I was shown how the 'Blue and Me' works. It rained on our way and I also got a demo of the rain-sensing wiper during the test drive.

I was told that there were no offers / discounts for T Jet. But the MultiJet was having a huge discount, bringing the price of the MultiJet (emotion) at par with that of the T Jet (Emotion).

I called the Honda showroom again because there was no news about the test drive. I was again told that the Pondicherry showroom did not have an iVtech for test drive and test drive was possible only with the iDtech, which I did not want to do. They called me back after a few days asking me to test drive the iDtech, which I politely declined. They told me they will try to arrange a test drive car from Chennai. But after many days I got a call asking me when would I like to book the car, and again expressing helplessness with a test drive. I politely told that I do not want to book without a test drive and I have not received any calls from Honda after that.

I wondered for a short while what to do next. I finally decided not to go for the Honda City (much to the disappointment of my wife), not because I could not do a test drive, but I was convinced that the T Jet made more sense. Even though I never intended to look at the Linea MultiJet, the massive discount making its price matching with that of the T Jet really did tempt me - but only transiently. I asked for a second test drive - this time of both the MultiJet and the T Jet, back to back. I first drove the MultiJet and then tried the T Jet. As expected, there was a perceptible difference between the two - T Jet is obviously more powerful and silent as well. Having said that, I do not think there is anything wrong with the MultiJet, I would say it is a very practical car. Rather than finding fault with the MultiJet (as being 'underpowered'), I would prefer to say that one need to chose keeping in mind ones own requirements.

I decided to go for the Fiat New Linea T Jet for the following reasons:

• I was convinced that it will be a car which I will love driving, probably even better than the Baleno. It was, obviously, much more refined than the Baleno and I felt that it a significant 'step up' from the Baleno.
• I felt that it offered the best safety features in the <10L segment and probably had an edge over the City
• The facelift was launched only in March - April 2014, and Fiat cars in general seems to be having a long 'life cycles' - the car was unlikely to go out of production or get a facelift in the immediate future
• The Linea was not bad with features too. The only things it lacked were touch screen display and a rear parking camera (but it has got parking sensors without camera)
• The Fiat service in Pondy seems to be OK. I got the impression that they were seriously trying to change the general perception about Fiat car service (more details below) and were keen not to antagonize customers
• The long term maintenance expenses for the Linea seems reasonable. Recommended services are at 6 months/5000km (1st service) and then annually/every 150000kms. The first 3 services were free (labor costs) and subsequently the services were expected to cost approx Rs 6-8K. I also gathered that spare parts of Fiat cars are not very expensive (relatively).
• I was not very concerned about the resale value because I intended to keep the car for as long as possible, and not less than 5-6 years. I really thought about this a lot, then decided better to go for a car I really like, rather than buying another one which I do not like as much but might fetch more when I try to sell it off. I guess this is a purely individual decision one need to make while in a situation like this.

The Purchase Process and Delivery of the car:

I am not good at bargaining at all, but I did try to find out about getting some discounts. I was initially told that there was no discounts offered in the month of September. I verified it from other cities and it seems it was true - discounts were being offered only for MultiJet, not T Jet. I was offered a discount of Rs 6000/- which they offer for all government servants. I waited another one week (because I was busy at work) and I got another offer - free insurance for the first year (worth approx Rs 31000/-). I was told that it will not be possible to offer any other 'discounts' unless Fiat comes up with some other offer in the month of October or later. I finally made the booking on 18/09/2014 by paying Rs 25000/-. I got a total discount of Rs 37000/- . The delivery date was fixed on 29th September 2014. The sales staff from Manakular motors themselves contacted the SBI (Pondy main branch). I got a call from SBI the very next day (19.09.2014, Friday) and the same day evening a SBI staff came to my home, explained the details of the loan, collected all the documents and got my signatures on the forms. I got a call from SBI on 22/09/2014 (Monday) informing that the loan has been sanctioned, I went to the branch, signed the documents and completed the formalities. I was surprised at the efficiency of SBI, to be honest. Had absolutely no hassles getting the loan.

Got a call from Manakular motors on 25th Sept to inform that the car had arrived at the showroom and asking me to take a look at it. I went and a saw the car, but it was already getting dark. I was told I can do a PDI on 28th (Sunday - it seems last Sunday of all months are working days at Fiat showrooms) and I requested them not to register the car till I do a proper PDI.

I took a print out of the Team BHP webpage on PDI, went through it carefully and discussed with my brother as well. Went to the showroom on 28th at about 4pm with a print out of the PDI checklist and did a proper PDI including a road test, with my brother also coming along with me. The odometer showed 14km. We could not find anything amiss during the PDI, except for a sound I heard (just once) while driving, which appeared to come from the front left suspension. I asked the service staff about it but was reassured that it was not abnormal (which later turned out to be wrong - please see below).

We were satisfied with the car and asked them to register the car as planned on next day (29th Sept) so that we can take delivery. I also asked for underbody coating (In Pondy, we are very close to the sea) as well as polish (both by Wurth, and comes with 5 year warranty for underbody coating and 1 year for polish). I also bought a waterproof cover for the car. I opted for the extended warranty offered by Fiat as well.

The formalities at the RTO was expected to take time and hence I was told in advance that the car can be delivered only after 7pm. I was not worried about this, because we had already seen the car very well in broad day light. I went along with my brother to take delivery of the car, carried a camera with me to get snaps.
The delivery was a smooth affair. I was once again given detailed demonstrations of the functions as well as other features of the car. By about 8pm I left the showroom driving the T Jet!

The expenses:

Ex - Showroom price - Rs 918606/-
Registration - Rs 13900/-
Extended Warranty - Rs 7303/-
Insurance - Rs 31391/-
Anti-Rust treatment + Car Polish + Accessories like mat, mud flap etc - Rs 10000/-
Car cover (water proof) -Rs 2000/-

Total : Rs 983200/-

Discounts

Insurance- Rs 31391/-
Government -Rs 6000/-

Total Paid: Rs 945809/-


The Initial ownership experience:

Took the car the next day morning 5:30am to the temple and got puja done.

I have covered 3000km till now in the T Jet. This is unusual for me, October happened to be a busy month.

The journeys included two trips to Vellore (via Tindivanam - Vandavasi - Cheyyar - Arcot), a trip to Chennai and a trip to Kerala.

The Kerala trip went like this:
Pondicherry to Vellore (Bagayam) on 7th October 2014.
Vellore (Bagayam) - Polur - Asanur - Trichy - Dindigul - Kumily - Kottayam on 8th October 2014
Multiple trips in Kerala between 9th and 14th October (Kottayam to Aluva via Muvattupuzha & Valayanchirangara and back, Kottayam to Panachikadu temple, Kottayam to Kodungoor and back etc)
Back to Pondicherry on 15th October (via Kumily, Dindigul, Trichy, Villupuram).

• The usual driving speed on the highways in TN was between 100-120km/hr.
• It was raining everyday and often quite heavily during the one week in Kerala.
• Extensively used cruise control on the highways
• The rain-sensing wipers had fulltime job while we were in Kerala
• The only drive at night was along the MC road from Muvattupuzha to Koattayam, it was also raining heavily all the way.
• I was the only one driving all the while.

Issues / Niggles:

On our first trip out of Pondy (to Vellore) on 30th September (the day after taking delivery of the car), I noticed a 'thak - thak' sound from the front suspension (both sides). This was audible when the car went over slight irregularity on the road, and was present even if you are driving at dead slow speed. The sound was most consistent while turning (left or right) over a bad patch of road (for eg: turning and entering a hotel across an irregular patch between the road and the hotel entrance). I recollected that this was the sound I noticed once earlier, during the road test when we did the PDI. I also noticed that there was a slight tendency for the car to 'drift' to the left instead of staying in a straight line while driving, if you take your hands off the steering wheel. This, somehow, had escaped my attention during the PDI). Rang up the showroom immediately upon reaching back (the same day evening). The staff (Mr Muthukumaran) came home the next day morning. I took him with for a drive over a bad patch of road and demonstrated the 'thak - thak' noice and the 'drifting'. He took the car with him to the showroom and delivered it back the same afternoon. We went out for a drive and both the problems had disappeared. He did not elaborate what exactly was the problem why the noise was there, and gave the explanation that 'something was loose somewhere'. I decided not to probe further, since the problem was sorted out.

That weekend I went to Chennai and before leaving Pondy, I went to the petrol pump to fill the fuel tank. After the fuel fill, the fuel lid (the external body colored lid, not the cap inside) did not 'lock'. Tried a few times and it refused to 'lock' and I left it like that. During my trip to Chennai (along NH 45 and NH 66), I noticed 'wobbling' of the steering wheel when the car speed approached 100km/hr. It was not noticeable below 90km/h. I probably did not notice it earlier because I had not exceeded a speed of 90km/h earlier. Once I was back from Chennai I called Mr Muthukumaran again and informed him about both the problems. He came home the next day morning itself and took the car with him, the car was returned the same afternoon. I was told that a wheel re-alignment was done again and they also did a road test at 100-110km/hr and the wobbling is not there. I checked myself and I also felt that it had disappeared, but I had not exceeded a speed of 105km/hr. The fuel lid was locking well.

The Kerala trip happened subsequently and on our way back we frequently touched a speed of 120km/h. I feel that there is a fait 'wobbling' of the steering wheel once you near a speed of 120km/h, but it is not there at lower speeds. Guess I should get it checked once again.

Has had no other issues till now.

The exterior styling & design : I opted for the Magnesio Grey colour (car chosen by me, color by my wife!). As I mentioned earlier, I prefer the appearance of the pre-facelift version of the Linea.

Overall build quality and fit & finish : Appears very good. The doors feels heavy. Could not find any fault with the paint and finish of the car. There were no abnormal panel gaps.

Interior design & quality : Appears very good to me, esp because I come from the outdated Baleno and the Alto. The seats have Italian leather upholstery. The dash looks good, esp when it gets illuminated at night . Initially I felt there is lack of space for keeping things like your cellphone, Purse, Umbrella etc on the dashboard area or where the person on the driver's seat can easily keep and retrieve them - I was used to this in both my Maruti cars. However, there real problem is that such 'storage spaces' are located elsewhere in the Linea. Actually there is space for keeping toll tickets etc and there are reasonably large spaces on the doors as well.

However, there is one thing which I find troublesome - the leg room is limited for the driver. The 'well' feels slightly cramped. This is especially a problem if you driving with your shoes on. When trying to depress the clutch along with the brake, the left foot often finds itself stepping on the foot rest (which is XL size), instead of depressing the clutch! Not a very serious issue, but some more leg room would have made things more pleasant.

Air conditioner : The climate control is very good, AC is quite effective.

Engine/Refinement/Driveability: The car is quite powerful and I love it! The NVH levels are pretty good and sometime you do wonder whether the engine is running or not, while waiting at traffic lights. You can feel a 'thrust' of acceleration after the RPM reaches about 2000 and overtaking on highways is very easy.

I don’t know whether I am the only person who experience this - I am yet to 'master' the second gear of the Linea. This mostly happens when I slow down at humps / bad roads where the car is still moving, though very slow. The car stalled atleast 4 times and tended to do so a few more times (making me cringe). I am getting the feel that the gear ratio between 1st and the 2nd gear is probably much more than it was in my Baleno - guess I will get used to it very soon. I am extra careful now and my threshold for down-shifting is lower than usual - I do not want the car to stall again.

The car is very 'planted' and I did not feel 'unstable' even when negotiating curves on the highway at >100km/h speed. The car inspires confidence.

Fuel efficiency: If something could be better with my Linea, it is the mileage.

My Baleno used to give a mileage of 14 - 14.7km/L on highway trips to Kerala (speed not less than 100kmph on highways, and the route included about 100km of ghat section, with A/C ON all the time). The maximum mileage I got on the Baleno was 16.2km/l on a 'Pondy - Chennai - Pondy' trip. In the city Baleno gave 9-10km/l.

I have been keeping track of The Linea's mileage since the first fill up. I use the 'aCar' app on android to keep track of the mileage and other information. The mileage for the Pondy - Kottayam trip was 12.9km/l (Almost 500km on TN highways where I tried to maintain a speed of 110km/h, 100km of 'Ghat road' from Kumily to Kottayam, about 200km or 'rural' TN road between Tindivanam - Bagayam - Polur. A/C was ON all the time.)

The mileage for my return trip was 13.1km/l. I was driving faster (>110km/h, often touching 120km/h and occasionally exceeding it. AC was ON all the time).

All the calculations were by filling the fuel tank to full each time, while filling petrol.
The fuel consumption displayed by the car is more 'optimistic' and actually exceeds the calculation by approx 1km/l.

The mileage for in-city driving is yet to be determined.

I do not want to 'pretend' that I am not concerned about the mileage, I would have been perfectly happy the car gave similar mileage as my Baleno. I am hoping that the mileage might improve a little in future…

Braking : I find the brakes much better than what it was like in my Baleno. The car stops so abruptly - esp at slow speeds - I am worried that people might tail-end my car! At speeds >100kmph, you do feel that there is a fraction of a second's delay before the brakes 'bite' and the car decelerate significantly. Feels as if the 'momentum' of the car keeps it going. I guess I am experiencing this because I am comparing with the Baleno - a much lighter car.

Suspension : Is definitely stiffer than my Baleno.

The Audio System: Is quite Good, but it can be better. If you jack up the volume a bit high (beyond my usual volume), the sound quality takes a beating and you can actually here the speaker 'vibrating'.

Other Comments:

Cruise control : I have never used this before and I am loving it. On the highways of TN, this is a very useful thing to have. To start with I was afraid whether it will interfere with braking response etc, but it is just a matter of time before you get used to this and find it a very useful thing. The cruise control actually allows you to drive using your hands alone, on the highways. You can accelerate, overtake, slow down (eg: at a curve on the road) - all using the cruise control knob. I love it!

Rain sensing wiper : I think this should be more popular than it is now, esp in a place like Kerala (with plenty of rain, round the year). It was quite sensitive (you can change the sensitivity setting if you want) and works very sensibly. The speed variation (with intensity of the rain as well as the car's speed) seems quite sensible. The only time I found it wanting was the drive at night under heavy rain on the twisting MC road segment through the hilly areas between Muvattupuzha and Ettumanoor. With poor visibility being worsened by rain, I had to manually set the wiper speed higher, a few times. Otherwise the rain sensor worked quite sensibly.

Blue and Me : My android phone crashed while I was in the process of buying the car and I was using a temporary phone for a few weeks. Got my new android phone only about a week back - yet to start using the Blue & Me system. Shall review it after I start using it.

Attention to Detail by Fiat:

• When you clean the windscreen with the sprinkler (and the wiper getting activated), after coming to rest, thewiper gives a delayed stroke after 6 seconds, to clear any residual water drops on the wind shield.
• The power windows can be operated for one minute after the ignition is switched off
• There is a thread hanging inside the boot exactly opposite to the fuel lid. In case the fuel lid opener situated near the driver's seat do not function, this thread can be used to open the fuel lid opener (the fuel lid do not have a lock which can be opened with a key).
• Cabin light switches off by itself after 15 minutes if left on and the ignition is switched off
• 'Follow me home head lamps' can be activated for various durations - 15s, 30s & 60s (I am unlikely to use this function, though)
• The warning sign not only warns you about 'door open', it also tells you which door is open ("left front", "right back" etc)
• The seat belt alarm do not go silent after sometime - it keeps ringing, until you wear the seat belt (unless you have deactivated altogether)

Likes :

• It is a joy driving the car - I might sound dumb saying this, but this is a feeling difficult to describe in words. Fiat got it right, when they advertised Linea with the slogan "If you still like driving, we are still ahead"
• The car feels 'solid', is largely silent, and feels very stable.
• The rain sensing wiper is a very useful thing
• Ground clearance is simply superb - never hit anything till now, despite going through huge humps on rural roads in TN and deep 'trenches' in Kerala roads.

Dislikes:

• Foot well is a little cramped, for the driver
• The automatic headlamp comes on even when there is reasonably good ambient light (esp in the evening) and you feel embarrassed - I leave the headlamps in the manual mode
• The second gear needs some 'getting used to'

Overall, till this point of time, i am very happy that i bought the New Linea T Jet. Driving the car is pure joy for me. The experience with Fiat service so far has been very encouraging (despite the initial niggles), esp my interactions with Mr Muthukumaran.
I hope things will stay pleasant in the days to come as well!

[noopster]

Thread moved from Assembly Line to Initial Ownerships section. Thanks for sharing!

Nicely written thread sparameswaran. Your thought process comes across nicely. I have driven a TJet over a long distance and it simply sizzles on the highway. All the best and wish you many million miles in your new ride.

[rahul4321]

Congratulations on your Linea. Possibly the best car you can buy within 10 lakh rupees (The other contender is the Polo TSI). I hope you have thousands of memorable and trouble free kilometers with this car. Why no pictures but?

[StepUP!]

Congratulations!! Where are the pictures?

Wish you miles of happy driving!

Fiesta is another gem of cars which fits your bill and requirements. But Ford has given only diesel mill under Fiesta's belly. I get a feeling you would have loved Fiesta 1.6S which is discontinued now.

[fiat_tarun]

Nice and crisp review there & congrats on the T-Jet . Need some pictures please !

I envy you Pondy people for the super low road tax you have to pay !!

Originally Posted by sparameswaran

...
The Kerala trip happened subsequently and on our way back we frequently touched a speed of 120km/h. I feel that there is a fait 'wobbling' of the steering wheel once you near a speed of 120km/h, but it is not there at lower speeds. Guess I should get it checked once again.

.....

This happens when the wheels are not balanced properly. Do get this checked.

[Reinhard]

Hey a very nice detailed writeup. Thanks. Wish you unlimited safe & happy miles with the Linea. Please upload photos . Linea is one eye candy.

As fiat_tarun already said, you need to get the wheel alignment + balancing checked soon. If that is found to be fine, you may need to get the suspension looked at. Thus, do check the wheel alignment/balancing quickly.

[Biraj]

Congrats Sparameswaran! Your admiration and passion for the car reflects in the write-up. I can totally relate to it because of my ownership experience of ~3 Years and 33,000 KMs. I still love my T-jet as much as I did when I first drove it. Wish you many miles with smiles on your T-jet.

Originally Posted by sparameswaran

After the fuel fill, the fuel lid (the external body colored lid, not the cap inside) did not 'lock'. Tried a few times and it refused to 'lock' and I left it like that.

This was a known issue in Linea, and I am quite surprised that Fiat didn't fix it in the new lot. I got the lock changed under warranty but the problem surfaced again. A generous spray of WD40 on the lock solved the issue. Since your car is new, you might want to take the service centre route before trying WD40.

The Kerala trip happened subsequently and on our way back we frequently touched a speed of 120km/h. I feel that there is a fait 'wobbling' of the steering wheel once you near a speed of 120km/h, but it is not there at lower speeds. Guess I should get it checked once again.

You need to get the balancing done. I prefer to get it done outside at some reputed shop than FASS. Alignment and Balancing is done better by the tyre guys (genuine ones) than FASS.

Cheers,
Biraj

[VeluM]

Originally Posted by sparameswaran

Likes :

• It is a joy driving the car - I might sound dumb saying this, but this is a feeling difficult to describe in words. Fiat got it right, when they advertised Linea with the slogan "If you still like driving, we are still ahead"
• The car feels 'solid', is largely silent, and feels very stable.
• The rain sensing wiper is a very useful thing
• Ground clearance is simply superb - never hit anything till now, despite going through huge humps on rural roads in TN and deep 'trenches' in Kerala roads.

Dislikes:

• Foot well is a little cramped, for the driver
• The automatic headlamp comes on even when there is reasonably good ambient light (esp in the evening) and you feel embarrassed - I leave the headlamps in the manual mode
• The second gear needs some 'getting used to'

Congratulations on the Linea TJet! Wonderful car, and I'm glad you could went with your heart on this one.

Your review is beautifully detailed, and very well written. I'm sure this is going to be extremely helpful for anyone considering the Linea.

The only additions I would like are pictures and a review of the usability of the boot and rear-seat space/comfort, as the latter was the only reason this car was vetoed by my family (sadly).

[arun_josie]

Congratulations on your new buy! Nice and a crisp review,I should say!
Even I went through the initial niggles, but they were taken care by FASS promptly.

I went through the 'thak-thak' issue and the fuel lid external cap issue as well. For the first one both the shock-absorbers were replaced for me under warranty.

And yes, where are the pics of this beauty? :-)

[DRIV3R]

Ownership thread without pics is a crime.

Congrats on the T-Jet, the most FTD Fiat in production right now.

The noise you described from suspension is from the loose link rod, a certain batch of cars had it loose even after factory checks and dealer level PDI. Even the T Jet I TD'ed had it loose. It takes under 5 minutes to hoist the car and tighten the suspension link rod.

I have also faced the fuel lid issue in my Punto, I feel it is something to do with the dirt and grime that settles there from the rear wheel, periodic lubrication with WD-40 should keep that in check.

[deepakhon]

Congrats on your T-Jet. As a fellow-T-jetter, I can understand what you are talking about.
You probably need to get the wheel alignment done at a proper place.

I do hear the "thak thak" sound when the car goes on bad roads, and anyway, my second service is due in another fortnight. I will get that rectified then.

120-130 is a cakewalk for T-Jet, is all I can say. I have done speeds that I can not mention on a public forum, and my car has taken it well.

I used to curse the huge ground clearance when I bought my car, but, after driving on Bangalore roads, I am in fact thanking Fiat for the GC.

[johy]

Originally Posted by sparameswaran

It is a joy driving the car - I might sound dumb saying this, but this is a feeling difficult to describe in words. Fiat got it right, when they advertised Linea with the slogan "If you still like driving, we are still ahead"

This sentence sums it all, doesn't it? Congratulations on your buy. Great choice. Just like you, I myself changed from a Baleno to a T-Jet (the pre-face lift), and have not looked back. You might want to look at my thread

The cars really is so solid, so nice to drive, everytime I take her out. It amazes me every single time, especially on longer drives. There are a few things about the car like a tighter cornering, which I would have liked, but otherwise, it is really good.

Oh and by the way, have you ridden in the back seat? I was pleasantly surprised the few times I have had to let my wife take the wheel (reluctantly I add ), and the ride quality feels so good in the back seat. Really comfortable place to be.

Congrats once again. Drive safe. And please post some pictures.

[deathwalkr]

Congrats on buying the mighty jet Lovely car and great write up as well. Hope you keep updating this thread.

[sparameswaran]

Originally Posted by StepUP!

Fiesta is another gem of cars which fits your bill and requirements.

I did 'research' the Fiesta. But i felt that the newly launched Fiesta failed to sell (even less than the Linea) - guess this means there is a high chance that the car may be replaced / upgraded or even withdrawn very soon. Hence left it out.

Originally Posted by fiat_tarun

I envy you Pondy people for the super low road tax you have to pay !!

This happens when the wheels are not balanced properly. Do get this checked.

Road tax is onetime expense, look at the fuel expense - Petrol cost approx Rs 5/L less in Pondy, compared to TN

Originally Posted by Reinhard

As fiat_tarun already said, you need to get the wheel alignment + balancing checked soon. If that is found to be fine, you may need to get the suspension looked at. Thus, do check the wheel alignment/balancing quickly.

Shall get it done as soon as i can. Thanks!

Originally Posted by johy

You might want to look at my thread

Oh and by the way, have you ridden in the back seat?

Thanks, i read every single page on the TBHP forum on the T Jet before buying it, including yours! Thanks for sharing your experience. Write up like yours' encouraged me to share mine as well!

And no, i have not been on the back seat, yet. I have only been on the driving seat, in the T Jet, till now.

Originally Posted by deathwalkr

Hope you keep updating this thread.

I intend to do so, as long as i can take time out to do it.

I also wish to thank everyone of you who appreciated the write up - it is nice to get good feedback!

And i shall post picture soon - as soon as i figure out how to upload pictures here!

Thanks again!

[Speed Pujari]

Congrats sparameswaran for your Jet. You will certainly enjoy the drive for all the years to come and the car will never disappoint you. Mine is 4 years 45k now and still going strong like a beast.
When you think you are getting bored of the car simply TD another car from same price segment and then you will know the value of your possession. I do this quite often.

Originally Posted by sparameswaran

Issues / Niggles:
...I noticed 'wobbling' of the steering wheel when the car speed approached 100km/hr. It was not noticeable below 90km/h. I probably did not notice it earlier because I had not exceeded a speed of 90km/h earlier.

The wheel balance and alignment of Linea is tricky and not many are able to get it right. For me not a single FASS could get it right except one tyre alignment shop in Bangalore (Tyre Empire, Whitefield).
There had been instances of my wheels getting heavily misaligned after service.
So you may need to find a good pro-tyre shop.
My car use to slightly wobble at certain speeds, below or higher than that speed it would not wobble. FASS could not fix this but the Tyre Empire did it.

Originally Posted by sparameswaran

...Fuel efficiency:

The mileage for my return trip was 13.1km/l. I was driving faster (>110km/h, often touching 120km/h and occasionally exceeding it. AC was ON all the time).

Let me not give you a false hope. That is what you will get if you dont use all kind of FE saving gimmick such as engine braking, not dragging, keeping speed below 80 kmph etc.
I know this will bother for a while, every T-Jet owner has learned to live with this 'kadwa sach' (Bitter truth). You will too since its your 10 Lakhs at stake. .
Since your car is not so often used, its better you enjoy the ride at 13 kmpl which other dieselers are unable to at 20 kmpl.