[finneyp]

Phamilyman, hated what? Engine I guess....

As mentioned by most of us here, there is no turbo lag and no turbo kick as such in Linea, the power delievery is very linear, which makes it easier to drive.
I prefer this compared to the sudden turbo kick you experience in Swift D.

[anupmathur]

Originally Posted by phamilyman

But sorry, that excuse of an engine is unacceptable, Fiat.

More kneejerk reactions from Fiat! They have lost it almost permanently in this the 'ye ol' country' of the Millicentos and the 1100s, and the Padminis!
"There comes a tide in the affairs of men, which, if not grabbed at the crest, leads on to great misfortune"! (apologies to ......).
Seems like Fiat has again goofed it in India!

[ms001]

Originally Posted by anupmathur

Seems like Fiat has again goofed it in India!

Don't think so , the number of bookings and interest suggest otherwise.
They may have disappointed the "enthusiast" junta, which are few in number.
But the general public seem to love it.

[anupmathur]

Originally Posted by ms001

But the general public seem to love it.

With just such expectations, how many models already gone and lost?!
Each, in its own right, has been a good car, but somehow Fiat are still struggling! And then, to tie up with TATA!!
Where do they think it's going to get them? There seems to be even an absence of commitment!

[finneyp]

Originally Posted by anupmathur

There seems to be even an absence of commitment!

If they were not committed, they would have exited Indian market long back!

The alliance with Tata shows they are serious about the huge Indian market, and the slew of cars they are launching proves this point further.
After Sales has improved & much better now compared to say 2 years back.

Anyway, we are going Off topic, this is a Test drive report thread.

[Proxima]

Originally Posted by phamilyman

Umm,

I hated it. Sorry boss.

Interiors: 9/10. Nice, spacious, high quality. The dashboard had me dying under information overload, which is not necessarily a bad thing.
Ride/handling/Steering: Good precise sedan like handling, and a very direct steering with feedback unlike the VDi. Good but 8/10 - I missed the ability to throw it around.
Engine/Gear: 3/10. Completely useless. Its SLUGGISH. Zero feeling of the turbo kick - I floored it in every gear 1-3rd. Only in 3rd did it feel any good. And doesn't rev as cleanly as the VDi/Vista does. No fun in this car. The gearbox is a SLUSHbox - on the lines of the 1.9D much more than the Vista gear box. Fiat continues its hallmark tradition of hobbling its products. Significant shudder in the key while starting the car.
NVH: 8/10. Good otherwise except the horrible horn and the sound when revved. very silent at idle.
ICE: Decent. But as I ain't no audiophile, can't judge it well.
Spacious and comfortable all around, with lovely ride like any Fiat.

But sorry, that excuse of an engine is unacceptable, Fiat.

I think this is by far the most biased review of the Linea I have come across. Very unfortunate this, especially cos its from a Sr.BHPian. This is my personal opinion.

Some of the phrases used:
Hated it.
Completely useless.
Horrible horn.
No fun.
SLUGGISH.
Hobbling its products
Excuse of an engine.
SLUSHbox.

For a prospective Linea buyer like me, such reviews are of no use whatsoever.

[phamilyman]

Proxima,

Well, I am not being helpful but being factual.

And just FWIW, I had almost bought the Palio MJD (that includes writing a cheque), but dropped it since Gurgaon had only one shoddy service center, and other options were 40km away.

Look at my other posts - I am unashamed to ridicule the useless build quality of the swift, to recommend the palio (if one is within 15km of a good service center), and to accept my car has failings.

Seeing the linea on road was magical - I tailed it for 2km on chd-kiratpur road just to observe it closely. But the driving experience was a letdown.

And you've read like an english professor or a senior mgmt person - just words not some numbers.

And let's get factual now:
a. Engine - Everyone is complaining about it. The amount of revving it needed to awaken was akin to Indica TDi.
b. Gear - Try the Vista and Linea gearboxes back to back and then tell me.
c. NVH - It sounds bad when revved. Wait for another Palio-phile's review soon

PS: Try driving a Vista QuadraJet back to back with this baby and then let's hear you

[supremeBaleno]

Originally Posted by finneyp

If they were not committed, they would have exited Indian market long back!.

To exit from somewhere, the basic pre-requisite is that you should have been there in the first place. Fiat never was here in the first place.

Originally Posted by finneyp

The alliance with Tata shows they are serious about the huge Indian market, and the slew of cars they are launching proves this point further. After Sales has improved & much better now compared to say 2 years back. Anyway, we are going Off topic, this is a Test drive report thread.

The Tata alliance is surely a good way of shoring up their A.S.S in a quick way instead of going the more tougher (but better in the long run) route of opening FIAT service centres all over the country. But the disadvantage is the possibility of its products getting step-motherly treatment by Tata in the showroom and service centre. Anyway, like you rightly said, we are going Off topic, this is a TD report thread.

Originally Posted by Proxima

I think this is by far the most biased review of the Linea I have come across. Very unfortunate this, especially cos its from a Sr.BHPian. For a prospective Linea buyer like me, such reviews are of no use whatsoever.

Hmm. I think his grouse is ONLY about the engine, like it has been with many others on the forum. For the rest of the params, he has given the car a really good rating.

Different people will have different views, especially on a public forum. Given that you have enough experience with cars, I would think the best way to decide whether to go for the car or not is to personally do a TD of the car. After all you are going to pay for the car, not a reviewer on the forum.

[finneyp]

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

Fiat never was here in the first place.

Oh, this is news to me!

As far as I know, Fiat is in the Indian market for more than a decade now.
Whether they succeeded or not, everybody knows.

But, with Fiat-Tata alliance, they are moving in the right direction.

[extreme_torque]

Test drove the Linea today and I am hopelessly in love with it.

The first and second gears are very short which me thinks is for luggability since the engine isnt high on cubic capacity.
The interiors are very nice but some of the plastic bits were cheap for a car of this segment.
The ride is execellent and the body roll is well contained.
Now I come to the most impressive bit which undoubtedly are the looks! Its one of those cars which isnt just designed to sell in numbers else how would you explain the tight headroom which could have been corrected had they not gone if for that sexy curvy roof which gives it the side profile to die for. How about the clean back which looks as soft as a baby's behind but rivals JLO for curves. You see it and you want it even before you have gone through the specifications sheet or knowing how much power and torque the engine makes or how it rides or handles or how comfortable and luxurious the interiors are. Its utterly gorgeous!
Its one of those rare cars of today which sacrifices function for form and for that reason alone I would buy it.

[harry10]

Originally Posted by phamilyman

Umm,

I hated it. Sorry boss.

Interiors: 9/10. Nice, spacious, high quality. The dashboard had me dying under information overload, which is not necessarily a bad thing.
Ride/handling/Steering: Good precise sedan like handling, and a very direct steering with feedback unlike the VDi. Good but 8/10 - I missed the ability to throw it around.
Engine/Gear: 3/10. Completely useless. Its SLUGGISH. Zero feeling of the turbo kick - I floored it in every gear 1-3rd. Only in 3rd did it feel any good. And doesn't rev as cleanly as the VDi/Vista does. No fun in this car. The gearbox is a SLUSHbox - on the lines of the 1.9D much more than the Vista gear box. Fiat continues its hallmark tradition of hobbling its products. Significant shudder in the key while starting the car.
NVH: 8/10. Good otherwise except the horrible horn and the sound when revved. very silent at idle.
ICE: Decent. But as I ain't no audiophile, can't judge it well.
Spacious and comfortable all around, with lovely ride like any Fiat.

But sorry, that excuse of an engine is unacceptable, Fiat.

Now why will you say you Hated it when i can see you just didn't liked the engine(just like me).
I'll just point my opinion regarding your review-
Interiors- agreed
Engine/Gear- Not that bad. Yes not as responsive as Vdi/Vista but then not everyone loves to rev (I will prefer Vdi in this)
NVH- Agreed.
ICE- Couldnt test that.

However just for the engine it cant be hated.

[extreme_torque]

@all... guys come on! You dont have to defend Fiat for everything. There will be people who will love it and people who would hate it and everyone is entitled to their opinion.. what matters is if you like it?

@phamilyman... although the engine isnt sprightly or fast, it has more than enough power for everyday city and highway driving. And then there's the fact that you would love seeing it standing in your driveway, gleaming and no amout of technical jargon can quantify this. This car makes you feel special.
Regarding the missing pull in 1 and 2 , the only reason for that is very short gearing which I believe is for luggability. Third gear onwards its absolutely fine.

[pawan_pullarwar]

Petrol Linea test drive vehicle has arrived in Pandit Auto Pune. 40 diesel were booked in Pandit. waiting period increased to 6 weeks.

None of the petrol is booked yet.

[neoonwheels]

Test drove the Linea today. Petrol version as it is available here in Pune. It was a very short test drive. May be this weekend will again go and check it out with wifey.

Much has been already said about it. My few cents below:

Tested: 1.4 Linea Emotion Petrol

Good bits:
1. Fantastic exteriors.
2. Did not feel like car is asking for mercy when starting from standstill.
3. Nice driveability in city. 2nd seems to be pretty short to me.
4. Good handling and smooth ride
5. Adequate power to smoothly roam around in city. AC was on and we were 4 of all types of weights. My Palio 1.2 struggles when AC is put on with full load.
6. Rear view mirror rocks. Fantastic view.
7. Good brakes. Better than my Palio
8. Adequate music system
9. Good visibility
10. Clutch is not hard as Palio

Bad bits:
1. Rear seat parcel tray (The one in the center) could have been better
2. front armrest is ok-ok
3. Opposite placement of indicator levers (One can get used to)

I was very comfortable driving this beauty. Not at all felt like it is underpowered as it is made out to be.

[sanjaymugur]

these test rides & comments regarding engine power is turning out to just like stile 1.1 57bhp car... every tom dick & harry was saying it as underpowered... but once the ownership reviews came along with updated ones with say 5K kms run, no owner said that it was underpowered... hope ownership reviews of linea also turns out to be same...