[shuvc]

I didn't feel the rear seat leg space being as bad. Am 6'2". The thing is, the front seats travel a long way back - a tad more than necessary if you ask me. I felt even a tall driver may not need to push it all the way back. Similarly with the front passenger seat. Pushed all the way back I could stretch my legs straight with a bit of room to spare. I would certainly not sit like that normally on the front seat.
So IMO, pushing the front seats all the way back may not give a true picture of 'real life' rear seat leg space.

[roms]

@ ghost rider, that is a great test drive report. So its a good positive feedback as far as the petrol variant is concerned.

Just got a call from Wasan Motors, Marine Lines. The petrol is now available for a TD, but for just a couple of days. Reason quoted to me is that the particular demo car will be in rotation with various dealers in Mumbai.

[rajdoll]

Originally Posted by Proxima

It has even lesser space than the Indica Vista we also test drove according to the folks at home. We are not considering the Vista. Just test drove because the car was there.

I completely agree with you, even I noticed that. For a car of this size it was a letdown. I feel, new Indigo Vista will set the new benchmarks in this space.

[vnabhi]

I accompanied a colleague to have a look and TD of the petrol Linea last week. Unfortunately Concorde Motors did not have a petrol Linea at that time.
So we just took a look at a black top end diesel version, but did not TD it though, as we would have had to wait for half an hour for it to be available.
Here's what I liked:-

1. Great side profile look. Did not like the grill in the front though. Good rear looks too.
2. Good interiors--I mean the door trim, arm rest, dash, etc. However I did not like the full chrome ICE--it looked out of sync to me.
3. Soft clutch was a good feature
4. Great boot space.
5. Prompt attention by a salesman. However I had to give him a 'cut the bullshit and come to the point' lesson a couple of times, as he was reciting his versed lines on some features.
6. Rear vent for Ac is a great feature.

Here's what I did not like:-

1. The door arm rest (with power window switches) seems a tad low to rest your right arm. It slopes downwards--lends plus points to aesthetics, but not good for resting your arm. The armrest on the left is ok, but higher than the door arm rest.
2. The driver's door slopes inwards on the front part, leaving less knee room. This could be a pain point over long journeys.However it lends a sleek look to the interiors.
3. The second glove box at the top cannot really store much as it is quite shallow.
4. Rear headroom was a bit less--like in the SX4. There was only half an inch of space above my head--I am 5'10.5" tall.
5. The pull out arm rest on the rear seat is difficult to pull out. The pull out cup holder looks cheap and brittle.
6. The boot has a small and high opening, so it is difficult to load luggage.

More after we TD a petrol Linea.

[damodar]

Originally Posted by rajdoll

I completely agree with you, even I noticed that. For a car of this size it was a letdown. I feel, new Indigo Vista will set the new benchmarks in this space.

In my earlier post i had mentioned the seating comfort of the active model. Well that was the third time i experienced the car. The previous 2 times i drove the emotion once and the second time was in the passenger seat when my cousin was TD ing . Since i wanted to look at the active varient without the chrome grill i went to concorde motors in hyderabad. If anybody from hyderabad can compare the seats in the active with either the dynamic or emotion versions since both versions are parked side by side at the khairatabad showroom it will be helpful for my cousin who is planning to buy the petrol. I spent a good 30 minutes checking the different seating positions again and again since i myself could not believe that a base versions seats can be better than either the middle or top end varient. I have checked out the seating in all mid size cars and i felt that except the ANHC linea has the best back seats in terms of back angle under thigh support and leg room after adjusting the front two seats for my driving position and for a comfortable position in the passenger seat. It only looses out on the head room compared to others but since linea ride is so good there will hopefully that much less bouncing for the passengers. The acre version even has a folding hand rest. At 6 laks on the road which midsize car offers that?I must mention that my height is 5'8

[damodar]

The silver coloured active model looked better with the black grill and black fog lamp surrounds. Active varient has wheel caps ,dual tone dash with chrome strip, cloth upholstery on door arm rests, folding arm rest for rear seats, 4 functions in my car feature.Compared to dynamic it lacks remote locking, five addition functions in my car feature, electric rear view mirrors, chrome strip on outer window frame. For all this its 35000 more than active varient, so these two versions seem to be the most VFM buy in either petrol or diesel.

[nkrishnap]

Finally got a chance to test drive the Linea Emotion Pack Multijet.

Here goes my observation.

Exterior – Do I really need to describe the looks of the car? Looks being subjective, it would be hard to find people who would really hate the car from all the angles. Those lines, the wheel arches are superb, the grill, very much a Masaeratti Type, neatly sculpted boot. Overall an excellent design which will not be an aged one anytime soon.

Rating: 9/10

Interior – The black beige combination is good, the fit and finish is good except for a few places. The steering is the best part of the interiors. The instrument cluster is retro and good looking with loads of information. It also tells you which door is open. The key fob is good, but certainly it can be better. The indicator placement to the left takes some getting used to. The ICE from the factory seems decent enough with good bass. I fell in love with the Blue&Me. The plastics at a few places could have been better. The legroom and headroom is good enough for a person like me as my height is about 168 cms. The seats at the front and back both are comfortable enough. The AC does a neat job. Overall the interiors are on par with the competition if not better.

Rating - 8.5/10

Engine, Ride, Handling and Braking – The engine is silent at idle, but the noise intrusion increases with the RPM, but the engine note is good and throaty. To me the noise intrusion is not much of a problem. The first two gears are short, and are good for lugging in the bumper to bumper to traffic, third gear onwards with the turbo kicking in does not make the car feel underpowered. This one will be a good cruiser keeping in mind that the Indian highways are not safe beyond 120 km/hr.

The ride is a bit stiff at the lower speeds, but once the speeds pick up the ride is excellent. Linea can carry much higher speeds on the bad roads. The car handles like a dream with excellent feedback from the steering. The only thing I felt a bit lacking was the ground clearance, the car’s bottom was scrapped on one of the monstrous hump in the ITPL road.

Brakes have excellent bit and feed back.

Engine – 8/10 (8 because of the excellent fuel efficiency and the decent cruising ability)

Ride, Handling and Braking – 9/10 (would have been 9.5 if not for the ground clearance, huh enough said about Bangalore roads, The only city I guess to boast of a pothole on a Flyover )

Overall I would rate it an 8.5/10

Fiat are you listening, bring on the T-jet and the 1.6/1.9 multijet

Given a chance would I buy this car? A definite and a bold YES.

[maverickxx2006]

One reason people find difficult to find a good driving position is - the rear view mirror obstructing the front visibility. As the angle of the front glass is less / front part slanting (aerodynamic shape) - it gives less room for front visibility and add to it the rear view mirror. Due to this there is less room for visibility.
I found the front visibility from Fiesta v. good.

But considering such a exceptional car, such minor flaws are ok.

[downsouth]

I took the much awaited TD of the Linea Emotion+PK Diesel. I was not around when the car was launched. The second thing I wanted to do after the flight landed was go take a TD.

The TD was at Concorde Motors, HYD sales guys have upped their standard, or is it a whole new team. They were right there waiting for me when I went in. The usual introductions coffee, water etc I was asked to wait for the car.

Interior/Exterior

Standing right in front of me was a Black Dynamic version and next to me was the silver(minimal grey) which was an active version. This is a huge car, the active version looks a little bland, but the proportions were spot on. Nice big grill, good lamps which actually improves the look on the front. I was not too fond of the side profile, I guess it was the wheel covers. Rear was good looking, the tail lamps curve into the body which made it look big. I sat inside the Black Dynamic version, it felt nice and comfortable. I think I fell for the Black. Fiddled with a couple of buttons, switches etc. The interiors were not as bad as some of the reviews have been.

Then was taken to the Maroon(Flaminco Red) Emotion+PK, I was impressed, is the least I could say but not as much as the Black. The car was ready for me, I started the car and with the AC blowing I could hear very little, switched it off, then could hear little sound inside the cabin, which was very negligible.

The interiors were refreshing, plastic were not great, they were not cheap either. What was really good was the placement of the controls, on steering as well as the center console. The sliver mettalic finish on the centre console looks flaky, but I am not crib(I have seen worse plastic in a premium brand). The Fiat media department has done a great job using Photoshop. Adequate storage space all around, which felt were at the right nook and corner. The display between the speedo and odo was the best, shows you a lot of info, I think everyone else has covered it enough. IF YOU LOVE gizmos, this is the king or should I say queen of them all.
Drive and Handling

I put the vehicle in 1st gear and had to negotiate to move onto the road, since the dealership is on a busy road, did it move smooth or what. Great handling at low speed.
Car handling was good, the short gearing was low but I felt it was fine for city driving. I enjoyed going on the Necklace road, since it was close to 3 KM drive, I did some fair bit of driving. The Linea took everything, the bumps, potholes and humps. Nice ride, wife at the back was comfortable as well. I was cruising at about 70 and I braked hard(after mentioning to everyone in the car). The car handled the sudden braking with a lot of grace, mighty impressed with that. The pick-up was quite decent considering this was a 1.3 MJT for this size of a car.

VFM Etc. Etc.
I felt this car best suited as a family sedan, looking at the TV ad’s I guess they/I are the intended target segment. I feel people who are more sedate in driving, family plying and city driving, will like it the most. But it would be false to assume that this car lacks the power, I could definitely feel the punch when the car was pushed. I guess the power is adequate for most families and most people unless you are an enthusiast and require 150+BHP of power under the hood.

Extra’s

1. First surprise, I locked the door, the sales exec asked me to keep it open, Huh, OK. After moving onto the road, the doors locked after the speed touched 20Kmph, isn’t that cool.
2. There are actually 3 AC vents for the rear passengers, 2 underneath the front seat at foot level(you cant see those) and one at the knee level.
3. The tail light assembly actually has 2 fog lamps(no not the reverse lights) but actual lamps, so that makes it - break lamp, parking lamp, Fog lamp, reverse lamp and the indicator lamp , so you have 5x2 assembly.

What a car, What a car, I simply can’t stop smiling. Over the last couple of months I have been trying to decide to upgrade from an Esteem, so this car actually stole my heart is the least I can say. So there is still no Petrol to TD(atleast in HYD), what the hell I booked the car with a 50K deposit. After being a Maruti customer for 13 years, the Linea turned the smile into a grin.

Originally Posted by nkrishnap

Ride, Handling and Braking – 9/10 (would have been 9.5 if not for the ground clearance, huh enough said about Bangalore roads, The only city I guess to boast of a pothole on a Flyover )

Well Bangalore is not the only one, Hyderabad can boast of a pothole on a flyover. That means I am not really missing my home town all that much, since Hyd and B'lore have similar roads.

The Linea does take in all the bad roads, I would say as good as the Magnum. I suspension is spot on for indian roads.....err Hyd roads.

[rajen83]

Hi downsouth,

congrats on the booking.
Which one did you buy .. petrol or diesel? What color and option?

Also whats the wait-time like in hyd?

[shantyrocks]

hey..
congratz downsouth!!!
i didnt know there were 3 a\c vents
this is news to me

[finneyp]

Originally Posted by downsouth

What a car, What a car, I simply can’t stop smiling. Over the last couple of months I have been trying to decide to upgrade from an Esteem, so this car actually stole my heart is the least I can say. So there is still no Petrol to TD(atleast in HYD), what the hell I booked the car with a 50K deposit. After being a Maruti customer for 13 years, the Linea turned the smile into a grin.

Congrats pal! Fantastic choice!

Did you book the diesel or petrol? color?
Expected date of delivery?

[downsouth]

@rajen83@finneyp

Thanks guys,

I booked Linea petrol, Hip-Hop Black Emotion+PK OTR is coming to 7,92+registration and RTO charges. Expected date of delivery is 4 weeks. I want to safely assume it is going to be 6+ weeks.

Seems like there is a lot of verification for Loan approval, with so many scams abound in HYD, the chap handling finance mentioned things have become real crazy. So i guess it is going to be a wait.

Originally Posted by shantyrocks

hey..
congratz downsouth!!!
i didnt know there were 3 a\c vents
this is news to me

oh yes they do exist trust me, also 2 more features I missed yesterday.

1. The vanity mirrors exist for both Driver and passenger, when you flip up the cover there are 2 small LED soft glow lamps which come on. My Missus really found that option smart and it does the job well in the dark.

2. The sensor for the ACC is right in the middle of the dashboard where, the windsheild meets it. You can see a small round protrusion. The reason the sensor is placed, is to check the sunlight coming into the cabin and set the ACC blower working to compensate for the rise in sunlight.

Damn I think the features list will run into a couple of pages long at this rate.

[manish7]

Guys, Linea Petrol Emotion pack (7.73L OTR Pune) is max that I can stretch my budget. My running is not much as of now (less than 1k per month), but it may go up around 1200 to 1500 kms/month. But I am so smitten by Linea's looks, that I would love to buy it. Diesel Emotion Pack is out my budget ( almost 9l OTR Pune).

Does it make sense to buy Linea Petrol at all? How good is this car and Or is it more sensible to go for Linea diesel?

[finneyp]

Manish, if your running is only 1000-1500 kms a month, petrol makes sense.

Test drive the Linea petrol and then decide.