One more Linea story? ... here you go

neotraveller · 18th April 2009, 00:16

Finally after reading everybody's ownership reports and dreaming about mine someday, here it is ... Got my Linea home on April 15th.

Petrol Emotion Pack (Flamenco Red)

History
I own a zen and wanted to upgrade to a sedan. So the hunt started last may. TDed the Fiesta and SX4. Loved the Fiesta and was waiting for the facelift. The facelift came, but then I saw Linea on TBHP. Got hooked and long story short, managed to hold up till now!

Booking saga
Booked on Mar 9 (dealer said 1 month waiting). But car came within 2 weeks and had to give it away to someone (could take delivery only in April - company loan policy). The sales person never called me, I only used to call him regarding status. He used to say its in transit whenever I asked. So finally I spoke to their operations head who promptly made sure I got the engine/chassis number and EDD of 5 days.

Delivery day
My case was unique as I did PDI and delivery on same day! Car arrived at the stock yard on April 14th and on 15th morning I did a brief PDI at the showroom.
- Confirmed the engine/chassis number to make sure I was indeed getting a car from the factory
- Car manufactured in Mar'09,
- All tyres were Mar'09 but spare was Jan'09.
- ODO reading ... surprise .. 6 km! (distance from stock-yard to showroom)
- Played with electricals/music system etc a little
- Exterior was dusty and the interior floors also were dusty
- No scratches and dents
Satisfied, I paid the DD and went to office with instructions that I will come back at 5Pm to pick the car up.

Dealership Blues (Autofin)
The sales guy said delivery will take 2hrs. I thought what could cause so much delay.
I was wrong by a long shot! It was a pain-staking process with the sales guy running around the dealership and me calling him on phone and all. Plus there were prospective new customers and he was serving them as well.
Then came the surprise, "sir prices increased from 11 Apr by 17k (including 12% tax)". I went and spoke with the Operation head again as it was not my fault that my delivery was delayed by a week. Managed to get a 8k corporate discount and floormats free (~1k). So some consolation that. Also bought white Linea body cover for 2.5k.

The dealership itself was full of all kinds of people looking at indicas, nano and all. So the moment didn't feel special at all. Even my car handover was pretty mundane and had no Linea specials (as some people had). It was same as that of an indica.
Finally after 3 hrs of frustrating wait, I tipped the cleaning/security guys and drove out onto the roads carefully.

Initial Impressions
- The car feels really slow in 1st & 2nd gears. Moves lethargically like a sloth bear. 2nd gear seems useless. You either stick to 1st or 3rd.
- Crossing 2000 rpm gives it the much needed josh. But unfortunately for run-in reasons I am stuck with these low rpms
I wonder if its because the engine is brand new, may be after a couple hundred km the engine will free-up? What say Linea (P) owners?
- My samsung phone refuses to pair-up with Blue n Me. Although 2-3 phones from my family easily paired up.
- Did about 50km till now mostly in peak traffic. The avg.fuel consumption shows 7.5kmpl. The instantaneous meter shows anywhere between 5kmpl to 30kmpl (yes!) depending on its mood err car speed
- Smooth gearbox and ride. The deep clutch & long throw are same as my zen. so I am already used to it.
- Overall feels nice car to drive except at those low rpms

Potential Issues
- The front right door speaker seems really distorted and vibrating (especially when the car speaks)
- When applying breaks, there is a sound (slight grinding sort)

Planned accesories
- sunfilm (vkool or llumar) after registration
- art leather seat covers (~5k max)
- reverse sensors

lamborghini · 18th April 2009, 03:03

Hey bro,
Nice review. Post some pics.
Also, is this a petrol or a Diesel?

phamilyman · 18th April 2009, 07:31

Nice review. I hope the mileage sorts out ASAP.

@lambo - P

SkyWalker · 18th April 2009, 08:14

@neo: congrats on your purchase. I have lost count of Lineas in the forum by now.

1) did you reset the trip/mileage display meter after you got the delivery? if not please do it as it could be a reason for low mileage. Hope it sorts out better.
2) don't read too much into that initial 6 km odo, i believe they can reset the odo once (check Opendro's thread).
3) you car is a petrol and it is not a turbo - i don't understand low response till 2000 rpm. Yes it can happen - but i thought it would be much better compared to the VGT one?

joy_swift · 18th April 2009, 08:15

Neo - Now one thing atleast I most cherish is the exp when I go for the delivery of the car.In my case,the sales guy sat with me for over 1.5 hrs(showing me how to operate remote locking,stereo controls etc) and all Maruti checklists(told me takes a long time but he had to go thru it,its compulsory as per Maruti).It felt quite special.And the sales guys should treat everyone like this.

But,you have bought a fantastic car.And a great color

The mileage seems to be low and the drive I think will get better.

Please post some snaps when you find time

neotraveller · 18th April 2009, 08:49

Thanks guys.

I am posting few pics for now.
I will wash the car today and take nicer ones and post later in the day.

PS: Thats my dad by the way

bharanidharang · 18th April 2009, 09:00

congrats neo...

just one question... how do you get into the car on the drivers side without hitting the wall

is it not better to park it face forward.

TOR · 18th April 2009, 09:00

Congrats on the buy! Drive safe.

That surely is a close park-getting out would be easier if you drive in rather than reverse in i guess.

Was the bumper rubbing strips given free? or is it OE?

Mud flaps?

So guess your next buy would be a mobile phone! LOL.

neotraveller · 18th April 2009, 09:14

Yeah, space constraints

.

I get in from the passenger door. I used to do same in our zen too.
But with Linea its difficult to cross into the driver seat as the gear-shift console area is fully packed.
I now get into the car in an almost slow-motion

I feel reversing into the house is easier as I can go as close to the wall as possible. Also this leaves max gap on the other side for people to walk.

LOL. Yeah next buy is surely a cell phone ... maybe something with GPS. I wonder if BluenMe would pair with GPS functionality as well (wishful thinking)

The bumper and door strips are all part of Linea Emotion. This car has almost everything.

Mud flaps are not yet available.

Quote:

Originally Posted by TOR

Congrats on the buy! Drive safe.

Was the bumper rubbing strips given free? or is it OE?

Mud flaps?

So guess your next buy would be a mobile phone! LOL.

pranava999 · 18th April 2009, 14:27

congrats on the Linea buddy. Nice colour. A little surprised you find it sluggish on the 2nd gear! Mine is a petrol and feels decent. May improve once you run it a lot more The mileage calculations generally happen every 100kms so don't really go by the dash reading. Try and do a full tank to full tank measure.
About the grinding noise..I have not noticed any such noise in my car.

shantyrocks · 18th April 2009, 15:18

nice looking car dude!
congratz!
the f.e figures you mention are real less.are you riding the clutch?

neotraveller · 18th April 2009, 16:03

@pranava, shanty

So far its been peak bumper to bumper traffic. So lots of clutch usage. Also the max speed I reached so far is 50-60kmph, that too only briefly.

I don't know, why it feels underpowered in 1-2 gears. I only press the accelerator till 2000rpm and change gears. Maybe I am under-utilizing the gears?
What's the max rpm for each gear in the Petrol Linea?

Also, the manual recommends 91 Octane unleaded fuel.
I filled BP Speed petrol don't know its octane rating.
Anybody knows what the right fuel type is for Petrol Linea?

veishal · 18th April 2009, 16:57

congrats, Buddy.

The petrol edition is for sure a better choice. Get a K&N installed and you slow speed woes would vanish. The over usage of the clutch would also disappear once the vehicles breathes better when in slow motion.

Happy and safe driving to you, Sir!!!

finneyp · 18th April 2009, 19:24

Congrats Neo! Enjoy the Italian beauty!

d3mon · 18th April 2009, 20:09

The colour of your Linea is absolutely FANTASTIC. Looks lovely, especially in the first pic.

Well, I don't think you will be able to use GPS functionality with the Blue and me, as the linea doesn't have any display to show the map/directions.

2000 rpm is a very conservative limit. You can take her up to 3000 rpm during run in without any issues. It's important to vary the engine speed (rpm) and not keep it constant for a long time. It allows the engine components to bed in better.

Cheers !

18th April 2009, 00:16	#1
neotraveller BHPian Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 739 Thanked: 0 Times	One more Linea story? ... here you go Finally after reading everybody's ownership reports and dreaming about mine someday, here it is ... Got my Linea home on April 15th. Petrol Emotion Pack (Flamenco Red) History I own a zen and wanted to upgrade to a sedan. So the hunt started last may. TDed the Fiesta and SX4. Loved the Fiesta and was waiting for the facelift. The facelift came, but then I saw Linea on TBHP. Got hooked and long story short, managed to hold up till now! Booking saga Booked on Mar 9 (dealer said 1 month waiting). But car came within 2 weeks and had to give it away to someone (could take delivery only in April - company loan policy). The sales person never called me, I only used to call him regarding status. He used to say its in transit whenever I asked. So finally I spoke to their operations head who promptly made sure I got the engine/chassis number and EDD of 5 days. Delivery day My case was unique as I did PDI and delivery on same day! Car arrived at the stock yard on April 14th and on 15th morning I did a brief PDI at the showroom. - Confirmed the engine/chassis number to make sure I was indeed getting a car from the factory - Car manufactured in Mar'09, - All tyres were Mar'09 but spare was Jan'09. - ODO reading ... surprise .. 6 km! (distance from stock-yard to showroom) - Played with electricals/music system etc a little - Exterior was dusty and the interior floors also were dusty - No scratches and dents Satisfied, I paid the DD and went to office with instructions that I will come back at 5Pm to pick the car up. Dealership Blues (Autofin) The sales guy said delivery will take 2hrs. I thought what could cause so much delay. I was wrong by a long shot! It was a pain-staking process with the sales guy running around the dealership and me calling him on phone and all. Plus there were prospective new customers and he was serving them as well. Then came the surprise, "sir prices increased from 11 Apr by 17k (including 12% tax)". I went and spoke with the Operation head again as it was not my fault that my delivery was delayed by a week. Managed to get a 8k corporate discount and floormats free (~1k). So some consolation that. Also bought white Linea body cover for 2.5k. The dealership itself was full of all kinds of people looking at indicas, nano and all. So the moment didn't feel special at all. Even my car handover was pretty mundane and had no Linea specials (as some people had). It was same as that of an indica. Finally after 3 hrs of frustrating wait, I tipped the cleaning/security guys and drove out onto the roads carefully. Initial Impressions - The car feels really slow in 1st & 2nd gears. Moves lethargically like a sloth bear. 2nd gear seems useless. You either stick to 1st or 3rd. - Crossing 2000 rpm gives it the much needed josh. But unfortunately for run-in reasons I am stuck with these low rpms I wonder if its because the engine is brand new, may be after a couple hundred km the engine will free-up? What say Linea (P) owners? - My samsung phone refuses to pair-up with Blue n Me. Although 2-3 phones from my family easily paired up. - Did about 50km till now mostly in peak traffic. The avg.fuel consumption shows 7.5kmpl. The instantaneous meter shows anywhere between 5kmpl to 30kmpl (yes!) depending on its mood err car speed - Smooth gearbox and ride. The deep clutch & long throw are same as my zen. so I am already used to it. - Overall feels nice car to drive except at those low rpms Potential Issues - The front right door speaker seems really distorted and vibrating (especially when the car speaks) - When applying breaks, there is a sound (slight grinding sort) Planned accesories - sunfilm (vkool or llumar) after registration - art leather seat covers (~5k max) - reverse sensors
	() Thanks

18th April 2009, 03:03	#2
lamborghini Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Mumbai Posts: 6,166 Thanked: 5,937 Times View My Garage	Hey bro, Nice review. Post some pics. Also, is this a petrol or a Diesel?
	() Thanks

18th April 2009, 07:31	#3
phamilyman Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Gurgaon Posts: 5,975 Thanked: 4,673 Times	Nice review. I hope the mileage sorts out ASAP. @lambo - P
	() Thanks

18th April 2009, 08:14	#4
SkyWalker Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,528 Thanked: 136 Times	@neo: congrats on your purchase. I have lost count of Lineas in the forum by now. 1) did you reset the trip/mileage display meter after you got the delivery? if not please do it as it could be a reason for low mileage. Hope it sorts out better. 2) don't read too much into that initial 6 km odo, i believe they can reset the odo once (check Opendro's thread). 3) you car is a petrol and it is not a turbo - i don't understand low response till 2000 rpm. Yes it can happen - but i thought it would be much better compared to the VGT one?
	() Thanks

18th April 2009, 08:15	#5
joy_swift BHPian Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Kolkata Posts: 345 Thanked: 97 Times	Neo - Now one thing atleast I most cherish is the exp when I go for the delivery of the car.In my case,the sales guy sat with me for over 1.5 hrs(showing me how to operate remote locking,stereo controls etc) and all Maruti checklists(told me takes a long time but he had to go thru it,its compulsory as per Maruti).It felt quite special.And the sales guys should treat everyone like this. But,you have bought a fantastic car.And a great color The mileage seems to be low and the drive I think will get better. Please post some snaps when you find time
	() Thanks

18th April 2009, 08:49	#6
neotraveller BHPian Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 739 Thanked: 0 Times	Time for pics Thanks guys. I am posting few pics for now. I will wash the car today and take nicer ones and post later in the day. PS: Thats my dad by the way Attached Thumbnails
	() Thanks

18th April 2009, 09:00	#7
bharanidharang BHPian Join Date: May 2004 Location: Chennai Posts: 410 Thanked: 262 Times	congrats neo... just one question... how do you get into the car on the drivers side without hitting the wall is it not better to park it face forward.
	() Thanks

18th April 2009, 09:00	#8
TOR BHPian Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Trivandrum Posts: 263 Thanked: 22 Times	Congrats on the buy! Drive safe. That surely is a close park-getting out would be easier if you drive in rather than reverse in i guess. Was the bumper rubbing strips given free? or is it OE? Mud flaps? So guess your next buy would be a mobile phone! LOL.
	() Thanks

18th April 2009, 14:27	#10
pranava999 BHPian Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: BANGALORE Posts: 845 Thanked: 23 Times View My Garage	congrats on the Linea buddy. Nice colour. A little surprised you find it sluggish on the 2nd gear! Mine is a petrol and feels decent. May improve once you run it a lot more The mileage calculations generally happen every 100kms so don't really go by the dash reading. Try and do a full tank to full tank measure. About the grinding noise..I have not noticed any such noise in my car.
	() Thanks

18th April 2009, 15:18	#11
shantyrocks BHPian Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: thane Posts: 741 Thanked: 6 Times	nice looking car dude! congratz! the f.e figures you mention are real less.are you riding the clutch?
	() Thanks

18th April 2009, 16:03	#12
neotraveller BHPian Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 739 Thanked: 0 Times	@pranava, shanty So far its been peak bumper to bumper traffic. So lots of clutch usage. Also the max speed I reached so far is 50-60kmph, that too only briefly. I don't know, why it feels underpowered in 1-2 gears. I only press the accelerator till 2000rpm and change gears. Maybe I am under-utilizing the gears? What's the max rpm for each gear in the Petrol Linea? Also, the manual recommends 91 Octane unleaded fuel. I filled BP Speed petrol don't know its octane rating. Anybody knows what the right fuel type is for Petrol Linea?
	() Thanks

18th April 2009, 16:57	#13
veishal Newbie Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: ahmedabad Posts: 14 Thanked: Once	congrats, Buddy. The petrol edition is for sure a better choice. Get a K&N installed and you slow speed woes would vanish. The over usage of the clutch would also disappear once the vehicles breathes better when in slow motion. Happy and safe driving to you, Sir!!!
	() Thanks

18th April 2009, 19:24	#14
finneyp Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Bangalore Posts: 2,762 Thanked: 400 Times View My Garage	Congrats Neo! Enjoy the Italian beauty!
	() Thanks

18th April 2009, 20:09	#15
d3mon BHPian Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Bangalore Posts: 980 Thanked: 4,880 Times	The colour of your Linea is absolutely FANTASTIC. Looks lovely, especially in the first pic. Well, I don't think you will be able to use GPS functionality with the Blue and me, as the linea doesn't have any display to show the map/directions. 2000 rpm is a very conservative limit. You can take her up to 3000 rpm during run in without any issues. It's important to vary the engine speed (rpm) and not keep it constant for a long time. It allows the engine components to bed in better. Cheers !
	() Thanks