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
Fiat should for once make up their mind about the 1.4 T-Jet engines and get it here as soon as possible, until then the Honda City will continue to make mince meat of it’s competition. The buyer’s priorities in this segment have certainly changed. If he is buying a petrol car he expects it to out-drag the hordes of diesel saloons at the traffic light GPs. No wonder then that the new Honda City is selling much better than its predecessor inspite of being nowhere near as fuel efficient as the old one and the Fiesta variant which got the boot was infact the one with the smaller petrol engine.
The Linea has one of the best underpinnings of any mid-size sedan. It is not just marketing babble when Fiat says that Linea’s underpinnings have been developed according to the needs of developing nations. The ride is quiet and pliant. It’s composure on rough roads at high speeds is a revelation. You would never dare to tackle the unfinished sections of the quadrilateral in say a Honda City, the way you can in the Linea. It feels like it can weather such conditions for thousands of kilometers. The handling too is equally impressive. It has bags of grip and fights understeer with a steadfast determination. It has definitely set a new benchmark for dynamics in its class. But its hatchback underpinnings become apparent after a limit. The comparatively short wheelbase for such a long car causes excessive body movement at high speeds, and takes its toll on back muscles.
Inspite of Rash and Amit giving it a thorough thrashing on the highways, the Linea consistently returned around 13 kpl. However, being on a petrol diet meant that we spent a lot of money on fuel bills. But then the top of the Line Emotion variant replete with the much publicized Blue and Me (which didn’t play the songs on our USB dongle, by the way) retails for under 8.5 lakh(On-Road), a good one lakh rupees cheaper than the base City.
Overall, the Linea 1.4 petrol can be an enjoyable experience for short weekend getaways on twisty roads, or it can be your daily commuter with unmatched style and that too at a very reasonable price. But if you are thinking about doing some insane cross-country expedition like ours, we suggest you shell out for a bigger, beefier beast.
Page 3 of 3
Related posts:
- Scoop! New FIAT Linea
- SCOOP! New colour and engine for FIAT Linea
- Road Test & Review – TVS Wego
- TVS Jive first ride review and road test
- Aviator 110 first ride review / road test
CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE AND KNOW ABOUT THE LATEST CARS/BIKES BEFORE ANYONE ELSE (RSS FEED)
OR
CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR FORUMS AND BECOME A TRUE-BLUE MOTOROID!!
Related posts:
- Scoop! New FIAT Linea
- SCOOP! New colour and engine for FIAT Linea
- Road Test & Review – TVS Wego
- TVS Jive first ride review and road test
- Aviator 110 first ride review / road test
Tweet This
Share on Facebook
Digg This
Save to delicious
Stumble it
Type motoroids.com in your cellphone browser to read all the latest news from Motoroids for free!
Motoroids welcome you with open arms to join their passionate community. With more than 30 Motoreps and thousands of Motoroids across India, you’ll never be away from Motoroids in the real world. Come, join our community and share your knowledge and passion - 
Got a great scoop? Did a fantastic adventure story? Know someone who deserves to be featured? Write to us the details and we will publish your story on the homepage of Motoroids with due credits to you. Get noticed. Get famous. Show everyone what you got! - feedback@motoroids.com
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!