My new Linea! (Black Petrol Emotion Pack)

ahonkan · 13th June 2009, 20:22

Hello all,
My very first post.

I decided on the Linea as soon as I read the specs & saw the pics. Booked (Pandit Auto, Pune) on Jan 19, right after test-driving on the 16th, a day after it was displayed in the showrooms. Decided to 'splurge'
by going for the top-end Emotion Pack in petrol (put barely 10K city-only kms/ year, so diesel not worth it). I missed the chance to take delivery in late delivery and finally got my hands on the shiny new black beauty only in early April, about 2.5 months after booking!
2 months and 2K kms later, here is my initial ownership report:

* For starters, it's definitely a head-turner, esp in black. (Love the pearly white too, but chose black since my Corolla was pearl mica white, an identical shade). Don't believe it? See the photos!
* Spent over Rs 45K in getting Stanley leather seats (factory-provided velour seats are nothing much to write home about), black film on all windows to cut the sun, protective coating for the body, anti-rust
coating for the underside, parking sensors for the back and quality cleaning materials.
* Blu&Me is a breeze to use, very intuitive and (very) loud, with conveniently located mic (near rearview mirror stem). The flash mem slot is inconveniently located in the glove compartment and it is tricky
to choose exactly what you want to hear from the flash mem stick. I love the driver's armrest though there is not enough storage in the front (none on the dash, can't keep 1L water bottles in the door
pockets or in front cup holder slots).
* Good height adjustment of the driver seat, which, coupled with tilt steering enables a comfortable driving position with the soft leather covered steering wheel & wheel-mounted audio & Bluetooth controls.
* Great seating in the back with adequate legroom and a welcome rear AC vent in the center (behind parking brake). Very useful pull-out fabrich mesh glare cutter for the rear windshield. Interesting limp
wiper blades in front that work well. Excellent headlamps, rear lamps & fog lights. Trunk large enough to sleep 3 adults - so large that you may lose your balance trying to reach its far end! Largest trunk I have seen.

Now, the drive. I have been driving a Corolla (1.8E, 122 bhp) & a Corsa Sail (1.4, 90 bhp) for past 5-6 years. The Corolla drive experience is unmatched and so let's not expect that from a Linea. Esp since you
ar lugging a larger body weight than Corolla's (1380 kgs vs 1300?) with an engine comparable to the Sail's (Linea has 1.4L, 90 bhp in petrol)! So the engine does feel underpowered, esp climbing the ghat from Mumbai to Pune. It's noisy too (engine noise is noticeable from inside the cabin). Maybe it's a fault of my driving style, but the acceleration from low speeds (in high gear) is positively lethargic. However, you are not going to feel anything in the stop-stop-lurch-stop-go driving in Pune or Mumbai.

So don't let my warning deter you from going for a Linea.
I am getting excellent mileage (13 for a city-hwy mix) with the AC on all the time. The ride is smooth even over bumps and it's really a pleasure to drive this beautiful car. In fact, I am planning many (very) long drives to enjoy this driver's car.

In summary, I give Linea Two Thumbs Up!

- Ashwin

coolboy007 · 13th June 2009, 20:30

Ahonkan,

Glad that one more Linea owner joins the party

I too own a Linea petrol.
Car is a beauty from outside and even more in black but what i am interested in some interior pics please to see that Stanley leather seats.
Black color with leather interiors

beautiful.

Congrats again.

nkapoor777 · 13th June 2009, 20:41

Oooohhh! Boy this babe makes me go weak on my knees. Black is the color to go for. Congrats ahonkan! Post some interior pics of the Stanley leather.

FastLove · 13th June 2009, 21:13

Congratulations Dude ! You got a winner there ! Welcome to the Linea Club!

and why would you just mention Stanley Leather and not give us a peak into it ? !

Cant wait to see the interior pics ..

geeash · 13th June 2009, 21:19

welcome aboard the linea team-bhp ship. Fisrt congrats on your purchase.

An interesting fact is that i am Dr.ashwin and i own a fiat linea emotion petrol too

a mere coincidence.

pranava999 · 13th June 2009, 21:29

welcome to the Linea club. Congrats.

neotraveller · 13th June 2009, 22:27

welcome to the TBHP Linea club. And congrats on your purchase.

Hmm, seem like there are 20+ Linea owners on TBHP now.

theragingbull · 13th June 2009, 22:33

Congrats Ashwin! You've just bought yourself the most beautiful sedan in the country. Looks even more gorgeous in black. And yeah, welcome to team-bhp!

schitre05 · 13th June 2009, 22:59

congrats on your buy
black beauty looks awesome!

ahonkan · 14th June 2009, 02:04

Hello all,
Thanks for your wishes. I was somehow unable to attach more photos.
But I could add them now. If these are not good, I can take some more
and post them.
Enjoy!

- Ashwin

VahanPujari · 14th June 2009, 03:31

Welcome aboard
Yehi hai right choice baby
How was your buying experience?
any service station visit experience?

ahonkan · 14th June 2009, 10:13

My experience with Pandit Auto was top-notch. They kept me updated on the
(lack of) progress on delivery and offered to give delivery in a different colour
since the deliveries of black (& gold) were taking too long a time. No service
station visits yet, thankfully! Will be taking the car for 3-month service soon.

I checked with the other dealer in Pune, BU Bhandari, to see if I could get the
delivery faster from there. Despite knowing that I had booked with Pandit Auto,
they were very helpful and showed me all the colours they had (Pandit Auto
did not have the black).

So I have nothing to complain about. Except for the registration. Even after
70 days, I still haven't got the registration certificate or copy of the insurance
policy. But then, these are problems with the RTO Pune & Reliance Insu &
not the dealer.

- Ashwin

coolboy007 · 14th June 2009, 11:57

Ahonkan,

Beautiful choice, inside out car looks extremely good. You have a good taste.

So hows the car doing? How many kms have you done? Are you facing any plastic part issues or rattling sounds? Some members are facing it, even am not facing it so thought of asking you.

So black and Golden have big waiting lists, i thought it was only for black.

FastLove · 14th June 2009, 12:12

Nice Interiors dude. Are they Napa Leather ?? and please post pictures of the rear armrest . how did stanley manage that ?

vasoo · 14th June 2009, 14:08

Excellent colour for Linea. Though I am not particularly impressed with the current number plate. The letter and number spacing looks out of sync. It would look much better with an HSRP.

13th June 2009, 20:22	#1
ahonkan Newbie Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Pune Posts: 4 Thanked: 0 Times	My new Linea! (Black Petrol Emotion Pack) Hello all, My very first post. I decided on the Linea as soon as I read the specs & saw the pics. Booked (Pandit Auto, Pune) on Jan 19, right after test-driving on the 16th, a day after it was displayed in the showrooms. Decided to 'splurge' by going for the top-end Emotion Pack in petrol (put barely 10K city-only kms/ year, so diesel not worth it). I missed the chance to take delivery in late delivery and finally got my hands on the shiny new black beauty only in early April, about 2.5 months after booking! 2 months and 2K kms later, here is my initial ownership report: * For starters, it's definitely a head-turner, esp in black. (Love the pearly white too, but chose black since my Corolla was pearl mica white, an identical shade). Don't believe it? See the photos! * Spent over Rs 45K in getting Stanley leather seats (factory-provided velour seats are nothing much to write home about), black film on all windows to cut the sun, protective coating for the body, anti-rust coating for the underside, parking sensors for the back and quality cleaning materials. * Blu&Me is a breeze to use, very intuitive and (very) loud, with conveniently located mic (near rearview mirror stem). The flash mem slot is inconveniently located in the glove compartment and it is tricky to choose exactly what you want to hear from the flash mem stick. I love the driver's armrest though there is not enough storage in the front (none on the dash, can't keep 1L water bottles in the door pockets or in front cup holder slots). * Good height adjustment of the driver seat, which, coupled with tilt steering enables a comfortable driving position with the soft leather covered steering wheel & wheel-mounted audio & Bluetooth controls. * Great seating in the back with adequate legroom and a welcome rear AC vent in the center (behind parking brake). Very useful pull-out fabrich mesh glare cutter for the rear windshield. Interesting limp wiper blades in front that work well. Excellent headlamps, rear lamps & fog lights. Trunk large enough to sleep 3 adults - so large that you may lose your balance trying to reach its far end! Largest trunk I have seen. Now, the drive. I have been driving a Corolla (1.8E, 122 bhp) & a Corsa Sail (1.4, 90 bhp) for past 5-6 years. The Corolla drive experience is unmatched and so let's not expect that from a Linea. Esp since you ar lugging a larger body weight than Corolla's (1380 kgs vs 1300?) with an engine comparable to the Sail's (Linea has 1.4L, 90 bhp in petrol)! So the engine does feel underpowered, esp climbing the ghat from Mumbai to Pune. It's noisy too (engine noise is noticeable from inside the cabin). Maybe it's a fault of my driving style, but the acceleration from low speeds (in high gear) is positively lethargic. However, you are not going to feel anything in the stop-stop-lurch-stop-go driving in Pune or Mumbai. So don't let my warning deter you from going for a Linea. I am getting excellent mileage (13 for a city-hwy mix) with the AC on all the time. The ride is smooth even over bumps and it's really a pleasure to drive this beautiful car. In fact, I am planning many (very) long drives to enjoy this driver's car. In summary, I give Linea Two Thumbs Up! - Ashwin Attached Thumbnails Last edited by khan_sultan : 13th June 2009 at 21:21. Reason: formatting
	() Thanks

13th June 2009, 20:30	#2
coolboy007 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: New Delhi Posts: 1,852 Thanked: 2,137 Times	Ahonkan, Glad that one more Linea owner joins the party I too own a Linea petrol. Car is a beauty from outside and even more in black but what i am interested in some interior pics please to see that Stanley leather seats. Black color with leather interiors beautiful. Congrats again.
	() Thanks

13th June 2009, 20:41	#3
nkapoor777 BHPian Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: New Delhi Posts: 608 Thanked: 143 Times	Oooohhh! Boy this babe makes me go weak on my knees. Black is the color to go for. Congrats ahonkan! Post some interior pics of the Stanley leather. Last edited by nkapoor777 : 13th June 2009 at 20:43.
	() Thanks

13th June 2009, 21:13	#4
FastLove BHPian Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: MUMBAI Posts: 416 Thanked: 99 Times	Congratulations Dude ! You got a winner there ! Welcome to the Linea Club! and why would you just mention Stanley Leather and not give us a peak into it ? ! Cant wait to see the interior pics ..
	() Thanks

13th June 2009, 21:19	#5
geeash Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Chennai Posts: 1,513 Thanked: 145 Times	welcome aboard the linea team-bhp ship. Fisrt congrats on your purchase. An interesting fact is that i am Dr.ashwin and i own a fiat linea emotion petrol too a mere coincidence.
	() Thanks

13th June 2009, 21:29	#6
pranava999 BHPian Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: BANGALORE Posts: 845 Thanked: 23 Times View My Garage	welcome to the Linea club. Congrats.
	() Thanks

13th June 2009, 22:27	#7
neotraveller BHPian Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 739 Thanked: 0 Times	welcome to the TBHP Linea club. And congrats on your purchase. Hmm, seem like there are 20+ Linea owners on TBHP now.
	() Thanks

13th June 2009, 22:33	#8
theragingbull Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 2,601 Thanked: 646 Times View My Garage	Congrats Ashwin! You've just bought yourself the most beautiful sedan in the country. Looks even more gorgeous in black. And yeah, welcome to team-bhp!
	() Thanks

13th June 2009, 22:59	#9
schitre05 BHPian Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Mumbai Posts: 457 Thanked: 176 Times View My Garage	congrats on your buy black beauty looks awesome!
	() Thanks

14th June 2009, 02:04	#10
ahonkan Newbie Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Pune Posts: 4 Thanked: 0 Times	S'more pics of the Black Beauty! Hello all, Thanks for your wishes. I was somehow unable to attach more photos. But I could add them now. If these are not good, I can take some more and post them. Enjoy! - Ashwin Attached Thumbnails
	() Thanks

14th June 2009, 03:31	#11
VahanPujari BANNED Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Mumbai Posts: 1,308 Thanked: 8 Times	Welcome aboard Yehi hai right choice baby How was your buying experience? any service station visit experience?
	() Thanks

14th June 2009, 10:13	#12
ahonkan Newbie Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Pune Posts: 4 Thanked: 0 Times	Buying experience My experience with Pandit Auto was top-notch. They kept me updated on the (lack of) progress on delivery and offered to give delivery in a different colour since the deliveries of black (& gold) were taking too long a time. No service station visits yet, thankfully! Will be taking the car for 3-month service soon. I checked with the other dealer in Pune, BU Bhandari, to see if I could get the delivery faster from there. Despite knowing that I had booked with Pandit Auto, they were very helpful and showed me all the colours they had (Pandit Auto did not have the black). So I have nothing to complain about. Except for the registration. Even after 70 days, I still haven't got the registration certificate or copy of the insurance policy. But then, these are problems with the RTO Pune & Reliance Insu & not the dealer. - Ashwin
	() Thanks

14th June 2009, 11:57	#13
coolboy007 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: New Delhi Posts: 1,852 Thanked: 2,137 Times	Ahonkan, Beautiful choice, inside out car looks extremely good. You have a good taste. So hows the car doing? How many kms have you done? Are you facing any plastic part issues or rattling sounds? Some members are facing it, even am not facing it so thought of asking you. So black and Golden have big waiting lists, i thought it was only for black.
	() Thanks

14th June 2009, 12:12	#14
FastLove BHPian Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: MUMBAI Posts: 416 Thanked: 99 Times	Nice Interiors dude. Are they Napa Leather ?? and please post pictures of the rear armrest . how did stanley manage that ?
	() Thanks

14th June 2009, 14:08	#15
vasoo Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Memphis TN Posts: 1,039 Thanked: 246 Times View My Garage	Excellent colour for Linea. Though I am not particularly impressed with the current number plate. The letter and number spacing looks out of sync. It would look much better with an HSRP.
	() Thanks