[parimal_g]

@prash, But as per the website info currently Eco drive is available for Grande punto and 500 only.

[Prash]

Originally Posted by parimal_g

@prash,

Eco drive is an application which need Blue and me,so i dont think its country specific you can download on your pc and use it.Use it and also let us know how useful the application is .?

I have already downloaded the ‘Eco drive’ software on my laptop and have transferred the required data on the USB pen drive which I usually connect to the Linea. But the system shows some ‘Error 30’ on the display and it fails to recognize the software. I tried it with the ‘500’ data as well as the ‘Grande punto’s’ data also but the result were same. There is no option to select ‘Linea’ and load the software on the pen drive.
I am planning to mail Fiat (Italy) and ask whether this feature is present in India. And if not then is there any way it can be enabled. Had inquired about the ‘Eco drive’ with Fiat India but got a plain answer that the feature is not present in Linea’s manufactured here. But I have a notion that this feature might be present as it’s just a software and not any mechanical part that need to be fitted separately in the car.

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[downsouth]

That’s how my wife described me yesterday after the TD of the Linea Petrol. A little bit of background info, my initial TD report was for a Diesel version. Since I was more interested in a Linea Petrol, I desperately wanted to do the TD of the same. Infact I booked petrol after the TD of a Diesel, without giving much thought. My reasoning was if the Diesel 1.3 MJD with 85PS of power was comfortable, then the 1.4 Fire with 90PS of power would be better. But luck had something else in store.

The first Linea petrol was available with Malik motors, in Hyderabad. Another member Ajitsank took the TD and his report was very negative regarding the car. First it was outburst, then reasoning then TD of the same car. It turned out to be a disaster, that car was a LEMON. I was really nervous after the TD since the car performed below average, and I was very disappointed. So I waited for Concorde Hyderabad to get their TD petrol vehicle. Apparently Ajitsank, took a TD but his TD had a few +ve points this time but he still reported some problems. Many members were not convinced with Ajitsank for several reasons, and I was waiting for my own TD before I had to make a call.

Well I did my TD yesterday of the Linea Petrol and It was everything I expexted and more. Anybody planning to buy either the Diesel or Petrol, please go ahead do not think twice.

I will not get into the details regarding the Interiors, Exteriors and features, this is about the few points which were debated earlier on the thread about the Linea Petrol

Power of the Engine: It’s the right balance of power and delivery; this is well suited for normal driving conditions and handles quick acceleration well. I did pull off a few times and except for a second or probably less the engine response is relaxed but then the car is quite quick. No engine noise whatsoever when the car was at standstill. We could feel some noise when revving it hard and the RPM crossed 4000, I think this is normal in most cars.

Gearbox: Beautiful, I thought the one in diesel rocks, but this one is so smooth. All gears engaged well, there was no issue at all. I took the car upto 120Kmph, no vibration or shaking at the gear lever. So this car still felt it had enough power to push it further. But I am quite happy with the 120 on the speedo. At lower speeds I was able to cruise fine, this is what I loved the best, I did not have to shift down when I slowed down at 20+/-2Kmph, I was able to maintain this speed in the 3rd gear. I felt the reverse was a little uncomfortable, but I got it right the 3rd time. Maybe that’s a flaw but yet to hear from others.

Handling: Should I really go harping more, I think so. The Linea definitely proves that it is from Fiat, the power steering was good, comfortable, at around 120 it was steady no vibrations. But around 40-50 I felt there steering was soft. I was able to negotiate in the peak hour traffic well. No complaints at all. Though the diesel steering felt a miniscule harsh. I have been driving a Ford Fusion last couple of weeks, and the steering on the Linea felt like heaven. I went over a hump, at around 40+/- the car absorbed it well, the noise inside the cabin was audible but it was not jarring. Small potholes didn’t shake the car at all. Going up the ramp and parking was effortless. The Hydraulic power steering was not at all a problem.

Everything Else AC, If the blower is set at 4 speed it does make a lot of noise, it does it in Fusion, in Esteem and even in a Magnum(I drive all this cars some regular some occasional) but when you are on ACC, set it auto and let the electronics do the job. The cabin cools down in no time, at least it was very decent and folks this is Hyderabad. GC, Road View, Front Seating was perfect. No other complaints. BTW, both initial and second TD of the Petrol Linea was done with a colleague of mine, he confirmed the first car from Malik did not compare to the second one from Concorde.

So now the negatives, I did notice that the rear seat can accommodate 3 people, but the leg space does not do justice for the big wheelbase. Engaging the reverse gear was a little tricky. Please do not compare this car to a SX4, Fiesta or other powerful cars out there, the Linea performs really well and does the job more than is required and you get every rupee worth from this.

Driving the Linea petrol only reassured me and put the confidence back and there is no turning around now. In fact, told the sales exec that I will only bother him the day of the PDI.

@Ajitsank I don’t know which Linea petrol you took the TD at Concorde, the one I drove was very good. Somehow I feel you should have waited for the car to be out. Sorry that you had to buy the SX4, but enjoy it anyway.

[sukrit7]

Will someone please tell me the 0-100 timings of the petrol linea. Please.
Mods please don't ban me but i found this really funny, please check the following link, it's the most bizzare, idiotic thing i've seen in a long time
Fiat Linea Dynamic Pk 1.3 MJD User Review : **** - A Review on Fiat Linea Dynamic Pk 1.3 MJD by Daud06 - CarWale.com

[ghost_rider]

HI All, Just had a chat with one of the Fiat officials and he said that the white color will be launched April 1st week followed by the blue color in the last week of May. He also said that there were no plans to introduce the Linea with bigger engine options but an auto box was being considered for 2009 year end launch. Furthermore, the launch of the Grande Punto has been delayed to Aug-Sept.
Can anybody else with FIAT contacts confirm this

cheers

[crn12]

Originally Posted by sukrit7

Will someone please tell me the 0-100 timings of the petrol linea. Please.
Mods please don't ban me but i found this really funny, please check the following link, it's the most bizzare, idiotic thing i've seen in a long time
Fiat Linea Dynamic Pk 1.3 MJD User Review : **** - A Review on Fiat Linea Dynamic Pk 1.3 MJD by Daud06 - CarWale.com

When I read your thread, my office cabin / dept was silent...& then I just burst out laughing which made everyone jump from their seats.....

Too much mate, just cant believe that people post in such a hilarious way !!

[luky_13]

Originally Posted by ghost_rider

HI All, Just had a chat with one of the Fiat officials and he said that the white color will be launched April 1st week followed by the blue color in the last week of May. He also said that there were no plans to introduce the Linea with bigger engine options but an auto box was being considered for 2009 year end launch. Furthermore, the launch of the Grande Punto has been delayed to Aug-Sept.
Can anybody else with FIAT contacts confirm this

cheers

I second that, during my test drive of Linea last week the sales guy told me GP would be launched in Aug/Sept.

[luky_13]

Have a clarification, does Linea MJD Emotion+ come with alloy wheels as factory fitting ?

[finneyp]

Luky, Emotion+ is the Optional pack and so you get Alloy wheels as well.

[srikarsai]

Originally Posted by luky_13

Have a clarification, does Linea MJD Emotion+ come with alloy wheels as factory fitting ?

yes , You get Alloy Wheels with the emotion Optional Pack . Factory Fitted.
Also According to the brochure its standard on Linea Petrol and Optional on Diesel.

[luky_13]

Originally Posted by finneyp

Luky, Emotion+ is the Optional pack and so you get Alloy wheels as well.

Why i had a doubt was because the website mentions (O*) Optional on Diesel and standard on Petrol. Thanks anyway.

[sridharp77]

I think the alloy wheel comes as a standard in the Emotion petrol itself where as in Diesel it is available only in the Emotion +

[Ravveendrra]

Originally Posted by A.R

. . . .

On a diff note, Fiat should have consulted Maruti on how to make thin sheet metal body to reduce weight!

Oh no! Reduced weight would make a tin can out of the car. The whole solidity thing would be gone. The victims of a thinner body would be build quality and stability, (not to mention longevity).

I, for one, like my cars to be built like tanks. But, I like powerful tanks! Maybe Fiat should shove in a 2 lire or larger engine into the Linea.

Cheers,

[Steeroid]

The first time I went for a TD, the car wasnt available as it was in for its 5,000 km service. Full marks for this as they (Concorde) did not want to send that car out for a test drive.

Still, I sat in the car available at the showroom (Emotion?) to get a feel of it.

INTERIOR - ERGONOMICS
The driving position was spot-on and I liked it instantly. The car also did not have the ridiculous Palio-pedal setup where you're not sure whether its the accelerator you're stepping on or the brake. The pedals had a good weighty feel to them without being heavy.

First class.

INTERIOR - LOOK AND FEEL
Plastics were a mixture, though. There were quite a few quality bits but the overall effect was let down by the use of low-spec plastics on the centre console and various other bits. So the effect is not as good as it could have been and

Interiors will be classified as 'Tolerable' from a look and feel point of view.


INTERIOR - SPACE
This was the much debated aspect of all TBHP reviews, with most people complaining about space and the Fiat boys saying there was no problem with space.

Seating and legroom is excellent both front and rear, with the rear seat being particularly good from a seating posture POV. Front seating is excellent and is on par with or better than other offerings in the segment. The driver's seat is excellent without being tall-boyish.

However, the roofline slopes in abruptly which cramps up rear headroom significantly.I would definitely not recommend this car for someone who plans to travel on the back seat all the time as he would either get a neck or back condition - I'm not particularly tall at 5'10" (lost 1" after my back surgery) and I couldnt sit straight on either side of the back seat while the centre is NOT a good place to be.

SPACE - Not very good.

Again, the boot is very very very spacious but the floor is lower than the bootlip making it clumsy to load and unload.

A few days later (on the day I left) I finally got my test drive.

DRIVING IMPRESSIONS
There isnt any.

The vehicle does not impress you on the move - the engine feels as laboured as that on lower-specced diesel sedans and you cannot plan an overtaking manouvre with confidence. It is underpowered without doubt and for this reason alone I will NOT buy this car - its a bit ridiculous to drive around in a car that LOOKS good and fast but is about as good to drive as a 2000 DSL Amby.

Worse yet is the body roll. Yes there is body roll, almost Accent-esque. You need to take it out on a road with undulations to feel this and since we have a byepass that is currently being four-laned this was easy. The rear of the car would pitch like an Accent every time you went over one of those gradiant changes on the road surface that is caused because work is in progress.

Otherwise the suspension felt quite comfortable and isolated the cabin very well from the road. This car is tuned for comfort and not for speed.

Would I buy this car?

I bought an Accent a few years back, a car that was clearly not class-leading in any one aspect when compared to the competition - power, ride, handling, FE, etc.

However, the Accent was different in the sense it gave you generous doses of everything without letting you down on any one aspect (except driveability) majorly.

THis is a car that scores very heavily on looks and presence and promises a lot of everything but lets you down in key aspects like drivability, interior space and things like plastics.

I dont care much for gimmicks like Blue&Me or other gizmos as I have enough of these around me without the car adding to the list. In any case, I would prefer to rate a car on its core competencies and consider garnishing factors such as these at a later stage in the buying process because these will only be decision factors on which variant to buy, not which CAR to buy.

This is a car that looks luxurious and powerful from the outside and lets you down in both look (it doesnt feel very luxurious inside) and feel (very underpowered).

I have NOT considered pricing here because I did not get to a point where I would consider the price of a car. It may well be that the car offers enough for someone with a specific budget, but I feel it does not differentiate itself much from competition. I would much prefer to buy a Fiesta and Pete it or buy a Verna and Bilstein it - in either case about 25-50k spent in Peter's shop will take care of their weaknesses.

[downsouth]

@Steeriod

Great review. The center console with the silver garnish, the Flaminco red colour as well is a let down. I was mighty impressed looking at the brochures, pics etc online but in reality they are not the same.

But one clarification though, if you could Pete a Fiesta or a Verna why not a Linea, is it because of the handling? I am sure inputs from members like you will give more inputs for the Linea owners who would have planned for petefying.