[ajitsank]

Originally Posted by Pawan Singh

Ajitsank, you sure have a heavy bias against Linea. Every body on this forum is entitled to his or her independent point of view. I liked the way people are accomodating on Team-bhp. Also recently how we handled the NHC vs. Linea conflict in a such matured manner.

One can definitely compare Linea with SX4, but something like this, again and again. Unbelievable!! I am sorry for the rage. Couldnot take it the second time. I smell a rat.

You may be clever with words. But guys reading your comments are not as stupid. One can clearly see where you are coming from. Maruti ??

In that case, well done. You have earned it.

Ya! Smell rats itseems. Mate check your closet, there could be one dead there.

[swami]

First of all thanks to Ajit for providing a pretty good framework for analysing the car. Ajit's comments disturbed me very much and hence I dragged two of my colleagues off to the Concorde dealership for a TD. And to benchmark better we drove my colleagues swift VXi immediately afterwards. The cars were driven by me and colleague. My feedback on the Linea petrol version Dynamic variant follows:

I would add just one more thing to Ajit's framework

Comfort
I have not TDed the SX4 ever. The car did not meet a fundamental test for me. My car will be fully occupied (4-5 ppl of < 5"7' in height) pretty frequently and before taking any car out for a TD the family, as a whole, assesses the comfort. Only after their green signal is the car taken out for the TD. Between SX4 and Dzire, my folks felt far more comfortable (at the rear) with the Swift Dzire. The middle protrusion and the hump made the Sx4 extremely uncomfortable for them. But then Dzire had less width and leg room. Even then the vote from all of them was for Dzire vis-a-vis SX4. Linea was more comfortable than Dzire.

AC:
Mumbai seems to be enjoying some cool breeze these days so we kept the car out in the sun with the windows rolled up. Only when it got uncomfortable inside did we switch on the AC.
The blower makes a loud noise at level 4. Level 3 is ok. Cooling at the front was pretty much within a minute and at the back took about 2-3 minutes. Experience in the Swift (regarding blower noise and cooling) was not much different.

Gear Shift:
As Ajit has confirmed no problems.

Clutch:
Normally, I tend to sit very close to the Steering wheel. To check out the need for Clutch pedal travel I intentionally sat at a farther position. The clutch pedal travel was not a hindrance in either vehicle. Corroborated the same with colleague too.

Engine noise:
At standstill - No noise
1-2k rpm noise is detected
2 - 3.5k noise increases
4 -6 k very loud
I tended to shift out of first gear by 2-2.5k; probably because of the noise. Do not know what is the best way of doing this.

At cruising speeds, I felt, engine noise was far less of an issue than with the first gear.

Power steering
EPS fitted cars (have TDed Dzire, i20 and Swift)definitely seem to have an edge here esp at lower speeds . Though at higher speeds the relative stiffness of hydraulic inspired more confidence. But in city driving AND parking EPS should be better.

Turning radius
Did 3 U turns. 2 were straight off and on one the 3 step maneuver was needed. Cant compare Swift here. But specs say that SX4 has a turning radius of 5.3 m v/s Linea's 5.5 m.

Road view
Personally, no problems. My colleague drives Swift and Civic. No problems for him too.

Alloy wheels
No comments

Power of engine
I am not an enthusiast. So as long as the car pulls effortlessly and cools effectively am not too bothered about lack of top-end power. Linea satisfies both these criteria for me. Colleague felt that you cannot compare power of Civic and Linea at all, putting it mildly

Looked out for Plastics & door quality et al. Found it perfectly acceptable, dare i say better than the Swift.

Railing: yeah it is longer than Swift's. But leg room at rear is sufficient and we did not consider this to be a great problem.

[swami]

Originally Posted by ajitsank

The dealers stockyard that I went to take out the TD car had half a dozen of Linea MJD and few petrols. Why are they doing this, are they trying to deliberatly keep the waiting period up?

At Concorde the dealer did have 2 petrol Lineas for TD. However, no EPack has been received at all. Concorde prefers having the EPack for TD but they have not been able to receive one yet.

One petrol delivery has happened and quite a few Diesels have been delivered (today's schedule indicated 2 diesel deliveries). They had just received a dispatch schedule and even that did not have a petrol Epack. Apparently Emotions will be avbl far sooner than EPacks; but demand is higher, as of now, for EPacks.

Waiting period for EPacks is still 4-5 weeks.

[Prash]

Hello Friends,

This is my first blog on team bhp. So please overlook my errors and suggest me to improve.

I have been driving cars for the past 15 years (though I was underage when I started driving). Have owned and driven Padmini Fiat, 118 NE, Maruti Esteem, Tata Indica (the first lot), Hyundai Accent, Hyundai Getz and Fiat Linea.

So let me come to the point. I have just bought Fiat Linea Multijet emotion pack. Oh I waited for this car for 2 years. I use to dream about this car often and finally had a chance to see and own it.

I have been reading a lot of people views regarding the Linea, mainly about its under powered Multijet 1248 cc diesel engine. Let me tell you about my experience of the Linea that I test drove in the last week of December. Concorde had not started the test drive and the car was placed in the basement. Few days before the test drive (in mid December), I had got a chance to see the car at Concorde itself. First I went to check the car and then after few days took all my family members to see the car as we were going to buy the new Honda City or were thinking about the Linea. First we went to see the new city. Everyone was ok with the new city though I knew that the older version of the city was any day better than the new one. From there we went to check the Linea. Everyone was against buying a Fiat product but to my surprise all were very pleased with the styling and the look of the Linea, and to the extent that they had buried the thought of buying the Honda City. Also with the diesel motor it was an added advantage.

So now coming to the topic of the test drive, I drove the Linea on the worli sea face road. Half of the road is under construction and so the ongoing traffic as well as the traffic coming from the opposite side was all on the same road. So basically didn’t get a chance to speed up the Linea. The first and second gear seemed to be very short and also the car was sluggish but was good in third and forth gear. The drive, the ride quality, braking, seat comfort (front and rear both) were all very good. All in all the entire test drive ok. I had dreamt of the Linea to be a very good car in all aspects. That time the official figures were not out and I was thinking the Linea to be 90 bhp as against the 75 bhp powered Vista and Swift. Thought it would be much powerful than both that I had test driven in the past. But I felt it all same and in fact thought this was terribly under powered. I took couple of test drives from different dealer in Mumbai. I always felt that the car was struggling in first and second gear and also always felt that the engine noise was intruding too much in the cabin. I felt swift diesel to be the quietest of these 3, though with the same engine.

After many test drives I was not able to decide about buying the new Linea or not, but after the official figures were out along with price I thought it was a good option to buy one with the Blue and me (emotion pack). Booked the car on 20th Jan and got the delivery on 2nd Feb. And to my surprise I got a car which was manufactured on 16th Jan 09. I thought I would get a December 08 make but was very happy to get a 09 product.

Now that I have bought and am using the diesel Linea let me tell you that this car is not at all under powered. Also I use to fear about the loud engine noise, but I assure everyone that the noise is not at all while driving the car. And in third and forth gear you won’t get to know that it’s a diesel or petrol. No sluggishness and no engine noise at all. The car felt very different than the cars that I had test driven. Above that the car gives a mileage of 15 kms per ltr of diesel in city. Don’t know about the highway fuel efficiency yet. And with the host of features the Linea is a real good bet. It’s much better than buying a city, fiesta or even the much powerful verna. At same price you get a solid built car. At the test drive of City I felt the car so light that I thought it will turn turtle on high speeds.

I am so happy to make a right decision and buy Linea.

Here are few plus points that I would like to mention. And don’t think that I am not writing down any minus points just because I have bought Linea. There aren’t any. And the slight sluggishness which everyone is talking about (and which I don’t even feel after driving it for some 500 kms) is not a minus point.

1) Amazing interiors, loads and loads of features and fun to use Blue and Me,
2) Very silent diesel motor,
3) Amazing fuel economy,
4) Great seat comfort for front and back as well. Three can sit on the rear row with ease and comfort. Also no issue with the so called height problem in the rear. Loads of leg room for rear benchers as I drive the Linea with seat fully stretched towards the back. Something I never got to do in my Hyundai Accent,
5) Stunning road manners and very well connected power steering,
6) Remote for the key less entry (with boot opener in the remote) also makes you feel that you are using a 12 lakh plus car,
7) Its multi functional display lets you see your fuel efficiency, kms covered, time spent behind the wheel, average kms travelled per hour (all these features stored with two different sets as ‘A’ and ‘B’), plus range (in kms for the car fuel tank will to go empty) and the present fuel efficiency figures.
8) AND ABOVE ALL THIS THE SUPPORT FROM THE FIAT COMPANY AND THE SERVICE PART HANDLED BY THE TATA SERVICE CENTRE.

I have to mention this as all are worried about the after sales part of the Linea. From past 6 months I was in constant touch with the Fiat officials regarding the launch of the Linea. After the launch, Fiat and Tata officials help me get my Linea as early as possible. The registration part and the insurance part were done by me. So there was some problem getting the car from the dealer. He didn’t want the registration part to be done by me. But due to the pressure from Tata and Fiat officials the dealer had to release the car.

After getting the Linea, on the very 3rd day I got the experience of after sales at Tata service center at worli. That day after parking my car I was closing the outside rear view mirror on the left door. As I was closing the mirror it broke. The piece just came in my hand and only the wire of the motor was there between the car and the mirror. I was zapped by this incident. I called up one of the Fiat official in Pune. I thought I would have to pay for it because it was an ORVM and someone would obviously feel that it broke due to some impact of an accident. But the Fiat official told me that I need not worry about it as it would be covered under the warranty. Also about the availability of the ORVM he said that if it’s not available with the service center he would provide me the same in just 1 day. I called up Tata service center at worli. As the Linea was newly launched I thought I would get a reply that the part was not available and that I would have to wait for few days for it. But again I was zapped that the ORVM was readily available. I asked for the appointment and I was politely replied that I didn’t require that. I was told to get the car any time and any day. I took the car at around 3.30 in the noon and within half hour my job was done. The only thing that they took from me was a signature of mine and nothing else. I was offered tea/coffee/cold drink. I spoke to the manager about the availability of the Linea parts and the service related to it. He comforted me and assured me that there would never be any problem with the Linea in that aspect. I was so happy to receive such service and attention at the Tata workshop. And also if I had to pay for the ORVM it was just Rs.1500. I think it’s very cheap as it has an electric motor in it. I think my Hyundai Accent and Getz manually operated ORVM cost more than this. As I inquired with the service advisor he said Fiat has kept its spare parts prices very low. Front bumper cost Rs.2500 (painting charges extra) and each headlight Rs.4500. I hope they stick to such prices.

Linea is like a baby with two parents, Fiat and Tata. First you approach Tata service center for any problem. If they don’t have certain part you can contact Tata officials and still if you don’t get a response you can get in touch with Fiat. Linea rocks people. Buy it with your eyes closed. It’s a gem of a car.

[theragingbull]

i test drove the petrol variant today at the Concorde(Prabhadevi) showroom in Mumbai.Here's a short review:

EXTERIORS
Beautiful and truly admirable.When i was driving,the car managed to turn many heads.The rear view mirrors were beautifully crafted.The exquisite detailing in the rear lamps looked gorgeous.The boot was huge but the opening a bit smaller than City.

INTERIORS
My bro is 6ft2 and when he pulled the driver seat back as to adjust himself, i somehow felt uncomfortable in the rear cuz the legroom wasn't enough.Then due to short headroom at the extreme right and left ends of the car, the roof was touching my head.If you're sitting in the center, it's absolutely fine and there's enough headroom. The driving position wasn't difficult to find, i could find myself in a comfortable position in few seconds.Quality of materials in the Emotion variant was pretty good but not in the Dynamic variant where the center console looked very dull.Door handles inside looked great with a nice silver finish.

DRIVE
Once inside and all windows up, i could barely hear any noise nor did i sense a single vibration.It was so silent that you'd be thinking if the engine is still on! The initial pick up was smooth but i could sense some turbo lag.The clutch was soft and gears shifted seamlessly.The dead pedal beside the clutch was obstructing sometimes.Engine noise only increases when you cross the 4000rpm mark but by that time i engaged into the next gear.The brakes were pretty good and brought the car to a halt in very few time.
AC was pretty effective in the rear although i was driving the dynamic variant which didn't have either climate control nor rear AC vents.

OVERALL RATING
I would give the Linea 8.5/10.-1 for the low engine power and -0.5 for less interior space.It is surely worth all the money you spend.A great value for money car! I'm probably going to book the emotion pack.Yet to decide on petrol or diesel cuz i haven't driven the diesel yet.

[sirajbose]

Originally Posted by theragingbull

i test drove the petrol variant today at the Concorde(Prabhadevi) showroom in Mumbai.

The initial pick up was smooth but i could sense some turbo lag.

Turbo lag in a petrol car???

[harry10]

Nice review Prash. post some pics of your ride as well.

[anupmathur]

Originally Posted by sirajbose

Turbo lag in a petrol car???

If a petrol car can have a turbo, why do you expect it is not entitled to also have turbo lag?! Of course there will be turbo lag; however small or large.

[phamilyman]

Anup ji,

Now we're being ignorant here. Its neither an Audi, nor a vRS(?). It may just be a diesel head attributing the high rev performance to "turbo lag"

[anupmathur]

Originally Posted by phamilyman

Now we're being ignorant here. Its neither an Audi, nor a vRS(?). It may just be a diesel head attributing the high rev performance to "turbo lag"

Could be. That does not alter the fact that (technically) a petrol car can have turbo lag.

[SilentEngine]

Originally Posted by anupmathur

Could be. That does not alter the fact that (technically) a petrol car can have turbo lag.

But the Linea petrol is not a turbo charged car.

[anupmathur]

Originally Posted by SilentEngine

But the Linea petrol is not a turbo charged car.

Guilty as charged!
Though my response was specifically to the query:

Originally Posted by sirajbose

Turbo lag in a petrol car???

[sirajbose]

Originally Posted by anupmathur

Guilty as charged!
Though my response was specifically to the query:

Agreed! I was referring to Linea Petrol specifically as it does not have a turbo charger.

[anupmathur]

Originally Posted by sirajbose

Agreed! I was referring to Linea Petrol specifically as it does not have a turbo charger.

Maybe that's why it feels like there's a turbo lag, LOL!!

[muneemmk]

Originally Posted by Prash

Hello Friends,

As I inquired with the service advisor he said Fiat has kept its spare parts prices very low. Front bumper cost Rs.2500 (painting charges extra) and each headlight Rs.4500. I hope they stick to such prices.

Can I do a I told you so dance I am just so happy about your whole experience,these guys have been trying so hard to do a good job I guess their work is finally paying off. Hope this condition is not just restricted to the specific dealer and area.you will be more surprised when you go in for your oil change/service as the price of the all the frequently used parts are unbelievably low !