[vinay_ss]

Folks, yes after going all over the place with all options open my heart and head finally settled for the Linea Tjet ! I am booking the car today. Simple.

No test drives for me, no color options for me, no comparos with other cars, no petrol vs diesel dilema, no questions about the pricing - no nothing at all. Its like a spoilt child, i want this car and i am getting this car ! Coming to think of it, this ended up being such an easy decision at the end of the day.

So my Fiat story in brief - learnt my initial driving in my uncle's Fiat Uno (Petrol) way back in school. Then bought my first new car - a Fiat Petra 1.6 (My first fiat) which after 3 years ended up in a head on highway collision and died protecting its sole occupant (lucky me) unscathed. Then i bought the second Fiat - a Palio Stile MJD (my first diesel) which i loved for the torque but ultimately after 1 year sold for the unrefined feel of driving compared to the next car i added to my garage - a superb preworshipped Fiat Adventure 1.6 (which incidentally got for an absolute steal ...a 10k run car for Rs 3.5 lacs . I sold the Palio Stile and settled for my dad's 7 year used Opel Corsa for about 8 months - when my Dad bought his umpteenth Fiat - a Linea Emotion Pk (1.4 Fox Trot). I consider this to be the fourth Fiat in my family, though used by my dad. And finally one fine day 2 weeks ago, i met a guy who just liked the Opel Corsa, paid the cash same day and walked away with the car.

For a short while, i wandered and lusted for the Tata Safari. Was kicked enough about the 4WD and the butch looks. But the pricing was too stretched and there was always the underlying thought that its lived its life and is due for a major rehaul (including the engine). I passively waited for the Aria and saw it slip by from a price point that i cant afford.

It might seem ironical and complicated for a petrolhead for me to consider Safari and the Aria. But the amount of travel i do and the love for the outdoors made me stray away from Fiat..atleast in thoughts...

And then...the Tjet was launched...a car that i had been waiting for such a long time ! For me nothing else matters. Its just the driving pleasure and the handling and ride. I dont care as much for the rear seat comfort, rear low roofline etc. With 2 kids in the back seat it doesnt matter. All that mattered is a petrolhead enthusiast's driving car. GTO's review was like the ultimate blessing for my buying decision of this car.

You can see the excitement in my life. Suddenly life seems more fun. i feel more awake. Havent slept well last night, been lusting for the feel of the throttle and adrenalin rush. Havent been concentrating on work since 2 days. And have made some frantic calls to Fiat to try and get a sense of the Bangalore launch. Finally, going to Prerna Motors today - hopefully would be booking the first Tjet in Bangalore and being the first to own one in Bangalore.

One last hurdle to be crossed and the more mundane and unpleasant thing to be completed ..the car loan ..and i hope there are no spoilsports in that.

Would keep all you amazing guys posted of my booking and delivery experience.

PS : I would also soon have a host of questions on the need for upgrading -
a) Stock Tyres - 205/55/16 Goodyear (as i understand) to something more sexier - is it warranted ?

b) An ICE Set up considering the complexity of fitting into the stock HU

c) Headlamp replacements - reading what GTO has to say on the lowbeam

c) Anything more to pump up the adrenalin (i know i am going overboard now!)

cheers
vinay

[basilmabraham]

All the best with the car buying... I wish I could take such a decision and buy a car with this kind of ease. Do keep us updated. I am not sure though whether this kind of 'I booked my car' warrants a new thread. All the best anyway.

[vinay_ss]

Originally Posted by basilmabraham

. I am not sure though whether this kind of 'I booked my car' warrants a new thread. All the best anyway.

On reading this, i realised that the moderators may wish to move this to a more appropriate section. I would of course update this thread with my buying and ownership experience.

The dealer has indicated a delivery period of 8-10 days and i am seeing if i can somehow crash that timeline.

[sanjaymugur]

congrats on deciding to purchase the TJET or is it TJET+ ?

& that's the spirit

Originally Posted by vinay_ss

i want this car and i am getting this car

TURANZA ER-60 or ER-30 will be a nice upgrade for highway rides

Originally Posted by vinay_ss

a) Stock Tyres - 205/55/16 Goodyear (as i understand) to something more sexier - is it warranted ?

[nkrishnap]

Same question here Vinay. Is it Tjet or Tjet+.

Congrats on the booking the car. Expected date of delivery? and which color?

Let me congratulate you, vinay_ss, on your decision to book Fiat Linea 1.4 T-Jet, before this thread gets locked temporarily. BTW, do they have started accepting booking for Linea T-Jet in Bangalore?

[vinay_ss]

Sorry folks, to be more appropriate, its the TJet + in Hiphop black.

The onroad price in Bengaluru is Rs 10.88 lacs with a whopping Rs 1.30 lacs of life time road tax.

Delivery promised is 8-10 days which means not before Diwali. I would keep you updated of the new buying experience as promised by the Fiat folks at the launch and whether i experience the same or not !

cheers

[Ferrari1976]

Vinay: Heartiest Contragulations...

I guess T-Jet deserves a new thread...It's special!

I would suggest you to upgrade to Michelin Primacy LC and Osram Nightbreakers to solve a) and c).

[jkdas]

Stay with same profile but get a better brand. Avoid too much tinkering on engine side as you may void the warranty.

Have read about same engine doing better bhp with a bigger turbo. Search

[raj.barcode]

Congrats on your decision please go and get yourself a Michelin ps3 or neovas they are worth the extra cash for the grip they offer

[vinay_ss]

After a long haitus, i managed to finally get back into this thread to post my ownership experience after i got the post re-opened. As a quick update:

1. Car History

• Total mileage done - 9300 kms in 4 months since i bought.
• Highway Drives - Blr - Hyderabad -Blr, Blr- Belgaum - Blr, Blr-Goa-Blr (2 trips) and some other short drives around bangalore
• Highway Average - Worst - 9.5 km/litre and Best - 13.5 km /litre
• Local Drives - approximately 40 kms per day in city traffic with airconditioning
• Local Average - Worst 9.5 km /litre and Best 10.7 km /litre
• Problems faced - rear number plate fused twice :( but replaced FOC by the Prerna Motors both times, with no issues
• Services Done - 3000km free check up and 5000 km 1st service, excellent service support, well treated, zero lead time for service booking and car delivered in half day
• Other details - got the silenia sythetic oil changed at 5k service, although this is not mandated.

2. Performance

The car has been extremely satisfactory and meets my requirement like a glove fit.

What i love -

1. The looks with the new alloy and the tjet logo (Feel extremely proud of this

2. High ground clearance has ensured that not a single time has the car scraped in city driving and rarely on highway drives

3. Acceleration specially 3rd to 4th gear is stunning and the pull is phenomenal. Its lovely to feel this on highways. In city traffic, the car can drive around by itself (without the feet on the clutch or accelerator) and this is pretty useful

4. Airconditioning is really powerful and quick

5. Leather upholstery is lovely and easy to maintain

6. The steering response, agility and maneouverability of the cars - specially in the ghat sections that i have driven makes you to really push. The stock goodyear nct5 actually is quite good (good grip, no sound) and i havent heard any squeaky sounds even at high speed turns around the ghats

7. I have people come upto the car and ask me things of the car, the alloys, the price, diesel ya petrol


What i dont like -

1. I hate to keep the car idling before switching off to ensure that the turbo spools well and is oiled well before engine goes off. This can get quite a pain on a daily basis

2. Have had some experiences where below an rpm of 1500 with gears not properly chosen, the car can be painful. It struggles in such situations.

3. Not been able to figure out if i could get amplifiers and subwoofer fitted onto the stock HU. Need to figure out the same, although i am not complaining on the quality of speakers - quite ok for now and not really a let down as i thought they would be.

4. Cant seem to get the ipod controls as neatly throug the blue n me. It doesnt enable me to "Scroll" or move to albums as seemlessly. Its complicated for me to figure out all of the folders alphabet wise etc.

Nothing else really !

i would do a more detailed write up and also post a couple of pics. I have taken a lot of pictures, but need to resize them before uploading.

In summary -

The car is what i have dreamt of in all possible ways. The petrol turbo engine, the looks, the alloys, the blue n me, the acceleration of a petrol and the torquey pull of a diesel, the excellent handling, a driver's car to boot and finally a FIAT, without which i dont think i would have picked it up so blindly and then relish in the after effects of the purchase.

Its a poor thing that a fully loaded Fiat with excellent support and pricetag does not sell as well as a Hyundai Accent or a SX4 or a Honda City for that matter - all of which sells only on the name, rather than the qualities. So much for a mindset and brand - which Fiat is i suppose learning the hard way. It seriously is unbelivable that a car as good as this is selling so low numbers.

Cheers
Vinay Sambaragimath

[DRIV3R]

Congrats, Vinay. Glad that the Linea T Jet is serving you well.

It's a crime not to post pics of your Italian beauty! And I don't recollect any other hip hop black T Jet on t-bhp. So, what are you waiting for?

[sanjaymugur]

vinay, thats a great running report of your TJET+ & you seem to be more than 100% satisfied with your car.

try castrol edge synthetic oil, it is specifically made keeping in mind the turbo petrol engine, a lot better engine oil than all the other synthetic oils in market.

[dsr_rpm]

There are quiet a few punto and linea owners who have upgared the ICE with out chanign the head unit. here is one for example.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...o-90-hp-2.html

you can work your own combination that suits you.

Have a great time with the beauty.

[EARTHed]

Congrats Vinay! Finally you updated the thread. How about some pics of your Jet along with Adventure.

BTW, please join us for the Meet on 27th this month. Will give you rest of the details later.