Admiration Guaranteed !!!

Admiration Guaranteed

It was a boring day at office. I tried all tricks to entertain myself but to no avail. Then suddenly an idea crossed my mind. I quickly wrapped up my desk and left the office with another “idle” colleague of mine. We headed straight towards TATA-FIAT dealer in Baner, Pune. At the entrance of the showroom a beautiful Maroon colored 'Linea' welcomed us. Man, I was bowled over by her looks! I immediately took hold of the steering wheel and in minutes I was lost in admiring this Italian beauty. I have always strongly felt that if there is anything that the Italians can do better other than making Pizzas then its designing cars.

After playing around with the goodies that this car offers, we started looking for a sales person who could take us for a test ride, and within 10 mins we succeeded. As expected, he started off by explaining us the features that this car offers. But I kept thinking that these guys should improve on their knowledge base because many times his response to my queries was 'I dont know sir'. Soon I realized that I knew more about the features of this car than that sales executive. Yet another job profile to fall back on, in these so called recession days!

Anyway, finally the best part came and I got to lay my hands on this beauty. It was a Petrol version which is powered by 1.4 FIRE (Fully Integrated Robotized Engine) 90 BHP engine. FIAT is having this range of petrol engines since Uno days. The car, even while standing still is leagues ahead than its competitors (Read Verna, Fiesta, SX4 and City). Finally I put the car in 1st and without much hesitation the engine started pulling this 1200 Kg car. I kept the AC on to see if the engine looks stressed but to my surprise I did not feel any kind of stress on the engine. I took the car on the Baner stretch to see how it handles speed above 100 but never got a chance to experience the nirvana. Though the throw in 1st was quite good, I felt that the 2nd gear is pretty short and useless. 3rd and above gears provide good driveability. The gear box is butter smooth as its always been for FIAT cars.

Having said all this coming your way is a more elaborate review of this beautiful babe so that you can get a better picture.

Car tested: Linea 1.4 FIRE Petrol (90 BHP, 16v DOHC)



Exteriors:
I doubt if anybody will stand up and cry about the exteriors. It is one of the best looking sedans available in its category. She has got massive road presence. Linea is even longer and wider than Corolla. It has got refreshing lines all across the car. Linea seems to have got cues from Maserati and so looks aggressive from front. It has got that Maserati nose which sports chrome grill in top end model. The stance of the car is awesome and the best part is its side profile. Rear of the car is certainly not my taste but manages well to gel with the car. FIAT has put 195 profile tires on this beauty and alloys are available on top of the line version. Rear view mirrors are well placed and folds completely unlike Palio. Ground clearance of the car is around 165 mm. Overall the car looks very fresh and has ‘I wanna buy this beauty’ effect.

Interiors:
Its after 2002, that first time I saw state of the art FIAT interiors. Though very ergonomic, I am kind of fed up of my Palio’s interiors. Seeing Linea’s interiors is a big relief for me at least. Even being a couple of years old interior design (Same is available in G Punto across all European countries) it looks classy and built to last. Top of the line model comes with integrated audio player with 4 speakers and 2 tweeters. Few other good things are:
1. Auto climate control
2. Integrated audio player
3. Blue and Me – an awesome feature – voice commands
4. Heated electric rear view mirrors
5. Electronic sun blinder at rear glass
6. My car – trip computer – Shows mileage, service reminder, speed limiter etc



Ride and Handling:
It handles and rides like a car from upper segment. I did not get a chance to measure the handling above 100 but knowing FIAT, I am sure it will be safe to go north in case of speed while on highway. My Palio also feels planted even at 145 kmph so can certainly vouch for that. Ride is outstanding and can put upper segment cars to shame. It really swallows potholes and never let you feel you are out on a bumpy ride. It truly takes all kind of road abuse in its stride. It never let you down even at high speed cornering.

Braking:
Yet another winning stroke by Linea. Brakes are awesome unlike Palio. Palio brakes require getting used to. Linea comes with ABS with EBD and you can really see all these latin words work in your favor. It certainly boosts the confidence of the driver. I just loved the braking.

Safety:
Linea is equipped with ABS (with EBD) and dual front airbags. Of course safety comes at price. Only the option pack models sport these safety features. At a price difference of 40-50K you can get these safety features. I seriously feel Indian Govt should make ABS and airbags compulsory across all cars.

Pricing:
According to the salesman, the top of the line petrol Linea will cost 7.81L on the road, Pune. Looking at the features it offers, I feel Linea is a real Value for money package. Diesel top end model will go up to 8.9L Pune. I guess, I should seriously start saving money now .

Overall I just loved the car. It has got good road presence (Read status symbol), nice futuristic features (Blue n Me), safety measures and most importantly VFM factor. I wish FIAT brings out the 120 Bhp TJet petrol engine to make the car even more exciting to drive.



PS : The above mentioned things are purely based on my test drive.