Fiat Linea review / road test : from Pune to Delhi
Fiat Linea review / road test : from Pune to Delhi Reviews | admin | February 7, 2010 at 2:17 pm
We told you all about the 2010 Auto Expo and brought you ultimate coverage of the event in real time, like none other that you have seen ever before. But we never told you about our epic road trip to the Expo, did we? Here’s the ‘behind the scenes’ story of how Motoroids can never really get enough of cars or of driving them.
Words: Mihir Gadre
Photography: Eshan Shetty
About the trip…
You might call us wackos, but when we planned our trip to the Expo, driving from Pune to Delhi never seemed like a crazy idea to us. Going to Delhi by car was always our first and completely natural choice. The guys at Fiat were gracious enough to lend us a car and that was it, we were good and ready. But being pressed for time, we had to make both our Pune-Delhi as well as the return run in under a day each. That meant driving non-stop throughout the night. Of course, we did make stops to eat and pee, but other than that we did go 1600 kms non stop either way.
Going at full blast on the arrow straight highways is fun for a while, but after a few hours into the journey the endless tarmac does start getting onto your nerves. We drove through four different states and through night and day. We started with the best bit of road in the country the Pune-Mumbai expressway. It is surprising that even in the pitch dark, you can tell which state you are in just by the quality of the roads underneath. Gujarat has by far the best roads. It feels like the state is some 5 years ahead of any other Indian state in terms of development. Rajasthan is not bad either. But it really gets worse and worse until you reach right into the heart of Delhi.
Driving 24 hours at a stretch is not a joke. Even after having four drivers in the car and taking turns at the wheel, by the time we reached our destination we were at our wit’s end. But it was an experience that will remain with me for a long, long time. And for the 2012 Expo, we won’t think twice before doing the same thing again, albeit at a more leisurely pace and with some overnight stops.
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Related posts:
- SCOOP! New colour and engine for FIAT Linea
- Scoop! New FIAT Linea
- Road Test & Review – TVS Wego
- TVS Jive first ride review and road test
- Aviator 110 first ride review / road test
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Nicely put guys. Driving the Linea fast and chucking it around twisties is a thoroughly enjoyable activity. The mid-range of the 1.4 Litre FIRE engine is particularly punchy and it is doing 150 kmph in no time at all; shorter gearing means driving in the city is an easy affair as well. However, it also takes a toll on the fuel efficiency; whereas I get only about 9-9.5 kmpl in the city, the Linea easily manages 14-15 on the highway. Also, the engine gets vocal and strained after 150-160 kmph. I have done a speedo- indicated 180 kmph though at least twice in the past 2 months. Not more often coz either there are kids in the car or you don’t get enough road clear of traffic. My experience with the TATA dealers has been pleasant as well, so, yes, while the T-Jet is great news, the existing 1.4 petrol Linea is a piece of kickass equipment as well. By the way, the diesel 1.3 MJD linea is a second faster than the ANHC in 20-80 kmph in 3rd gear (11.86 vs 12.86 sec) and a whopping 3 seconds faster in the 40-100 kmph acceleration in 4th gear (Linea 13.64, ANHC 16.71 sec)- source Autocar India new buyers guide- any issue from Mar 2009 to Nov 2010. Howzatt?
Hello guys! I throughly enjoyed your article. I’m from Spain, and I own a 1.3 MJD Linea, same dark red colour as the article, and I have 17” rims and darkened windows in the back. It’s a beauty!
Its interesting to read about a car almost identical to mine doing a long road trip in India! I’ve done long distance travelling, all accross Spain and also to Italy, and I agree with you that it isn’t as confortable for long distance driving, and the space inside is crampier than expected. The engine performance diminishes drastically with three or four adults riding inside. But I use my car most of the time for commuting to work and shorter drives, so mostly I’m very satisfied with it.
Adiós!