[bnzjon]

Last week, did a week long round trip to Mysore and Wayanad, Kerala

MID details that were noted during the trip:

Total distance covered : ¬ 1500 Kms
Overall average Consumption: 12.3 km/lt
Top speed: 170 km/hr

As usual, felt very confident at top speeds, Brilliant handling and dynamics. I simply loved it.

This car is an extraordinarily attractive combination of a practical family sedan and a sportscar. I love her sportiness, power, performance and comfort.

She maintained absolute calmness and composure at speeds above 140 km/hr. You draw a line, be it straight or curved, she never, not even once, went out of the line.

Few irritants were the absence of bottle holders, wind noise passing through the door and ovrm during high speeds, High beam not adequate for highways.

Though the average mileage shown in the Mid is 12.3 km/ltr, there were times the mileage dropped to 7-8 km/lt whenever the speed crossed 140 km/hr. Speeds between 100 to 140 km/lt gave me between 10 to 12 km/lt.

The Best mileage I got is 18 when the speed is limited to 100 kmph. See the MID below:



Some pictures of Wayanad (captured using my mobile). Will post more pictures later in my travelougue.

[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by bnzjon

Last week, did a week long round trip to Mysore and Wayanad, Kerala

Awesome pictures. Which resort was this? Thanks for sharing the pics.

You had passengers in the rear seat? If so, what was their feedback on the ride comfort?

[bnzjon]

Originally Posted by vb-san

Awesome pictures. Which resort was this? Thanks for sharing the pics.

You had passengers in the rear seat? If so, what was their feedback on the ride comfort?

I had my 65 plus aged parents in the rear seat. My dad repeatedly was asking me why i am going at around 80 kmph whereas i was cruising at 120 kmph. You are totally cut-off from the external world and the suspension setup is too good that you dont feel the uneveness of bad roads.

I am happy that they never complained of any fatigue even after staying inside the car for almost 8 hours. They were also comfortable getting in and out of the car.

The resort in the picture is the Banasura Hill resorts at Vellamunda near Banasura Dam. It's an eco-friendly resort and the entire structure is made of mud. It is India's only earth resort and largest in Asia.

See their website Banasura Resort - Wayanad | Kerala Eco Hotel | Nature Resorts | India

Some pictures of the resort taken with my mobile.

[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by bnzjon

I had my 65 plus aged parents in the rear seat. My dad repeatedly was asking me why i am going at around 80 kmph whereas i was cruising at 120 kmph. You are totally cut-off from the external world and the suspension setup is too good that you dont feel the uneveness of bad roads.

I am happy that they never complained of any fatigue even after staying inside the car for almost 8 hours. They were also comfortable getting in and out of the car.

Thanks for the feedback. I asked this question because; keep hearing of the cramped backseat, lack of space utilization etc. So it’s good to hear the facts from someone who have experienced the car in real-time.

Originally Posted by bnzjon

The resort in the picture is the Banasura Hill resorts at Vellamunda near Banasura Dam. It's an eco-friendly resort and the entire structure is made of mud. It is India's only earth resort and largest in Asia.

Some pictures of the resort taken with my mobile.

Thanks for the link. The resort looks awesome, and photos look much better than mobile camera quality.

[Speed Pujari]

Hey bnzjon, thats an amazing set of pictures you have shared. Seems you got a very nice mobile phone in addition to the car ;-) ..

How was the wind noise at such high speeds of 170 kmph? And how was the steering stiffness? I find it getting a little freeer than expected at high speeds, but again I have not crossed 140 on my T-jet.

[nkrishnap]

Fantastic set of pictures there. The western ghats be it Kerala, Karnataka, Goa or Maharastra, in the monsoons, its pure bliss.

Thanks for the pictures and the resort link.

[ajay_satpute]

Beautiful pics. Loved each of them. This place seems close to heaven, almost. Especially the pic with the cloud cover is just fabulous. I have saved the link in my favorites and will make it a point to visit this place. Thanks for sharing.

BTW, I missed one thing badly. No pic of the Jet . Please do add one if you have any. It would look most stunning with this backdrop.

Really glad to to know that your senior passengers were at a great comfort on the rear seat.

[Soccerfan]

Which is the waterfall in the last pic? BTW good mileage you getting @ 100km/hr

[JishD]

Originally Posted by Soccerfan

Which is the waterfall in the last pic? BTW good mileage you getting @ 100km/hr

The MID is showing 18 kmpl at Neutral , not 100 km/hr.

See the RPM level for confirmation - 700 rpm

[Klub Class]

Originally Posted by JishD

The MID is showing 18 kmpl at Neutral , not 100 km/hr

You might have got it wrong there, JishD. My guess is that bnzjon clicked the image while the car was stationary.

The image shows AcB (Average Consumption B) and NOT IcB (Instantaneous Consumption B). For record, Fiat Linea and Fiat Punto have two trip meters, represented by letters A & B.

[bnzjon]

Originally Posted by vb-san

Thanks for the link. The resort looks awesome, and photos look much better than mobile camera quality.

Thanks to Nokia N8 with 12MP camera.

Originally Posted by vb-san

Thanks for the feedback. I asked this question because; keep hearing of the cramped backseat, lack of space utilization etc. So it’s good to hear the facts from someone who have experienced the car in real-time.

IMHO, the rear seats are comfortable for 3 average sized adults under 6 feet height. To be frank i have never had 3 adults seated in the rear seat so far but i am sure it shouldn't be a problem.

Originally Posted by Speed Pujari

How was the wind noise at such high speeds of 170 kmph? And how was the steering stiffness? I find it getting a little freeer than expected at high speeds, but again I have not crossed 140 on my T-jet.

I should say the wind noise passing through the OVRM and the door at speeds above 140 is little irritating.

I have heard from FIAT that the design of the ORVM is responsible for this wind noise. I am not sure if they are doing anything about it.

Originally Posted by nkrishnap

Fantastic set of pictures there. The western ghats be it Kerala, Karnataka, Goa or Maharastra, in the monsoons, its pure bliss.

You said it friend. Most of my holidays are planned during monsoon and believe me, kerala is at her Best during monsoons.

Originally Posted by Soccerfan

Which is the waterfall in the last pic? BTW good mileage you getting @ 100km/hr

The waterfall is near the resort at Vellamunda and is a 30 min trek uphill.

Originally Posted by JishD

The MID is showing 18 kmpl at Neutral , not 100 km/hr.

See the RPM level for confirmation - 700 rpm

Took the picture of the MID while the car is stationary and i din't want to take the picture while driving. I purposely stopped the car to take this picture as i was so excited with the mileage and wanted to show it to all you guys.

The mileage shown is the Average Consumption of trip meter B (shown as 'ACB' in MID).
At neutral, the Instant Consumption (shown as IC in MID) will be blank and it works only when the car is in motion.

See the comment from Klub Class below. He has explained it well.

Originally Posted by Klub Class

You might have got it wrong there, JishD. My guess is that bnzjon clicked the image while the car was stationary.

The image shows AcB (Average Consumption B) and NOT IcB (Instantaneous Consumption B). For record, Fiat Linea and Fiat Punto have two trip meters, represented by letters A & B.

Thank you !

[JishD]

My mistake guys - took it as instantaneous consumption. Thats great mileage - my guess is, at that speed, the turbo must have just spooled leading to this result. Good power at sensible costs ! (quite unlike the old 1.6 engine in my Palio Stile)

[bnzjon]

Got a call from Concorde-Chennai in the morning. The lady at the other end informed that Fiat is recalling Linea's for Rear Axle replacement as a safety measure.

She was clueless and dint knew any further. Trying to reach the SA to know more on this. Has anyone received similar calls from Tass ?

[avira_tk]

I have a Punto Emotion BNW and there was a rear axle replacement under warranty, that was sometime in October before Diwali. The replacement takes about 2 days, being TASS it took 3 days and I had to call them to find out the status. Good to know you are going places with you TJet, I guess you can't avoid it, I've done 2k a month average on my car, 17k in 9 months

PS: rear axle replacement is what the call center described it as, I have to look up the bill to know the actual part name.

[bnzjon]

Originally Posted by bnzjon

Got a call from Concorde-Chennai in the morning. The lady at the other end informed that Fiat is recalling Linea's for Rear Axle replacement as a safety measure.

She was clueless and dint knew any further. Trying to reach the SA to know more on this. Has anyone received similar calls from Tass ?

This is what the SA clarified on the recall :
1. There were complaints of unsual and unnatural wear in the rear tyes due to faulty rear torsion beam.
2. Linea's manufactured after Nov 2010 (VIN ending with LNZ) are selected for replacement.

I am taking my car next week for the replacement.