Fiat Linea [2008-2011] User Reviews

My car is 2.5 mnths old and going for first service this week (3000 Km). Had purchased from Fortune Cars, Navi Mumbai. Sales Executive Yogesh Parmar was extremely professional. No overpromises on delivery timelines, etc. Even got my car washed once again as I was not happy and send staff home to give a Teflon coat. Delivery officer Ramesh also did his job well and explained all features in detail even though it was nearlt 8.00 pm and most staff had left.

Exterior

Much has been said in this area and honestly there is nothing much to add. My car in Flamenco Red is a head turner, most kids in the society have praised the car as the best looking in the society (Our building has 2 more lineas-white and black). The factory fitted alloys are good looking unlike many other alloy wheels provided on other cars. Quality of metal and paint finish is superior.

One small negative is that mud flaps have to be drilled into for either the front or the rear tyres (don't remember which one, will have to have a look) 

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort)

Quality of interiors is fairly good, including buttons for mirror and windows. locking levers are of smart silver and give upmarket feel.

AC: Good and suffcient AC for the cabin size. Automatic climate control is an advantage.

Music System: Fairly good, does its job well. Excellent to hear instrumental. Quality gets distrorted at high volumes but is brilliant at low and regular volume. Have not used the USB yet.

Space: Spacious car with good leg room. 3 can comfortably seat behind, will also be able to accomodate 2 adults and 2 teens in the rear if required, with a slight squeeze. Head room will be limited if you are a 6 feeter. No problems for average Indians like me.

Comfort: Easily the best ride quality in its class. This is the second thing Fiat is known for after its styling in Europe.

Blue & Me: This is terrific. I have used the hands free and dial functions only till date and need to explore more.

Steering controls: Definitely an advantage, buttons are illuminated of good quality and respond well. 

The car has other small well thought of features like illuminated vanity mirrors (both sides) (these are available in BMWs); front facing ignition key; Rear passenger sun-curtain; cup holders for rear armrest; boot release on dasboard to name a few.

One small negative here is that the driver armrest is impossible to use in Bombay traffic, you will find difficulty in slotting the gears if you try with the armrest. Its a boon on expressway though.

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox

The Engine has fairly sufficient power if you don't intend drag racing. Have used it for driving in hilly konkan region and the car has responded decently. The long clutch becomes slightly tiring in the Bombay traffic conditions though (My neighbour told me that Fiat is replacing that in first service, will have to find out).

Gear slotting is decent though not the best, you will find Ford and Suzuki cars better here

Fuel Economy - This is one area where I definitely need help. My baby has returned an average of 8 kmpl and this is definitely 2 kmpl below my expectations. I have been driving for 8 years now and this is not my first car that I may be driving incorrectly or using the clutch wrongly. Even on highways I have not got good mileage (have travelled to Shirdi, Ekvira, Indapur and Janjira)

I have been using regular petrol as Fortune advised me against hybrids, the manual also cautions you against fuel with additives (most premium car manuals advise againsts fuel with additives).

I hope fuel economy improves after the first service, welcome tips to improve the same from othet linea owners

Ride Quality & Handling

This is the best part of the Linea, Superb ride quality. My departmental head also commented positively on the same (he drives a car in the 20 lac segment).

Handling is good, would have like if the turning radius was a tad bit smaller (say by 0.25 mts). The power steering is hydraulic and not electric, but does its job really well.

 

Final Words

Best value for money car in its category. Look no futher if you get the feeling of falling in love at first sight. Though it will have some shortcomings, its a terrific overall package. I did intensive research in this category before buying the Linea. Airbags and pre-tensioners add to the safety standards of the car making it a really safe cabin to drive in.

Areas of improvement  

One alert for other Linea owners. When you open the bonnet the be careful with the lever which holds the bonnet in open position, it becomes very hot. Fiat definitely needs to correct this flaw as some one can get injured.

 

 

Excllnt Stylng (lks hot in Flmco Red);Best Ride Quality;Silent Cabin; Ergonomically placed controlsNothing Really, fuel economy has been suspect for my car atleast

Ok here it is; my 2 cents on the Petrol Linea. Had been waiting for a while to get my hands on the petrol version and so was quite excited when the dealer here in Delhi called me up to say that I could get a TD of the petrol engined Linea. I must say that before the TD , my mind was biased towards it being a sluggish car based on the Tech specs; 1.2 tons and only 89 bhp to power it? I had my doubts, but then again the old Honda City(not the VTEC) was only 77 bhp and well, nobody said nothing about that being a slowcoach!!!

Start the car, and one would have to listen hard, and I mean really hard,  to hear the engine ticking over in the bonnet. Instantly , one gets the feeling that this car belongs to a segment higher than the one it is in. Slot the gear into 1st, and the car pulls away effortlessly. It's not going to pin you to the back of your seat when you suddenly hit the pedal to the metal, but it surges ahead gently, which will definitely be appreciated by the co-passengers as they wont get to experience that jerkiness  which one would experience with sudden acceleration.
{ At this point, I think I should make one thing clear that I'm not looking to emulate a certain M.Schumacher or even trying to set a new lap record in my Grand Prix to nowhere. No Sir ; This car is being evaluated as a family sedan that will be comfortable, luxurious, and safe for the three of us(me, the mrs. and our 2 year old baby girl).  For all my racing aspirations, I have a 1.6 GTX Palio with a free flow air intake, dual Elevo air intake superchargers and of course the headers with the free flow exhaust.}

OK back to Linea drive. The steering is definitely lighter than in its diesel engined sibling and the FIRE breathing car also feels much lighter and quicker to drive, simply because of the absence of turbo lag. But the thing that really blew me away was this; 4 people in the car, 3rd gear, 20 kmph speed and the car never felt like it was gasping for air; instead, it was crawling along peacefully in the traffic that we encounter in our daily commute. Step on the gas, and the linear acceleration of the Linea pulls you away with a kind of smoothness that is yet to be experienced in a car of this segment. As the speed builds, so does the confidence. Didn't have to think twice or stamp on the brakes, to negotiate the almost 90 degree corner at speeds nearing the 90 kmph mark; instead, the process was very straightforward; just point and shoot and the Linea held its line without any hint of understeer(something that front wheel drive cars are famous for) .


Big smile on my face, scary look of disbelief on the sales executive's face, and we proceeded sedately back to the showroom. Time to calm him down and what better way than to play some soothing music on 6 speaker Blaupunkt system. Luckily I'd carried my cd of "Death Cab for Cutie" and proceeded to fine tune the bass, treble and equalizer settings to my taste. While most people would be happy with the quality of sound, but honestly I feel something is missing; like maybe a 12 inch bass tube and a couple of 4 channel and monobloc amps to really feel the music. The guy said that any modification to the electrical system of the car(read wiring) would deem the warranty null and void . Hmm, I guess then I'll have to have all this done by the dealership itself which didn't seem to be problem with him. I'd also wanted first hand to check out the Trip computer with all its special  functions but these can't be accessed through the buttons on the steering wheel. Instead one has to use the button that is located on the windshield wiper control stalk to the right of the steering. One needs to press it again and again to cycle through the menu on the Trip computer display; not very user friendly, at least for me.

But what about spares and after sales service ? The great thing is that the Linea needs to be serviced at intervals of 15k, which means that you could finish the three free services for a brand new Maruti while there would still be 5k km to go before the Linea is even due for an oil change!!! Spares ? According to the dealer, Fiat cant afford to screw up this time and they've taken steps to ensure no problems in this dept. I want to believe him, I really do, but I wont till i see it for myself. But this is a brand new dealership in Okhla, Delhi. Everything looks clean, polished and i made sure to explore the service area and was quite impressed by the manner in which the cars were being treated.

 Happy, with what I had seen and felt, I now have to finally decide whether to trust Fiat again with my hard earned money. Will they be able to love and care for my car the way I do ? What about the resale value of the car? Such questions come to mind but then.... its settled. The Linea, true to it's catch line, is a very attractive car. It has a kind of magnetic personality, a charisma which just draws one to it. The Italians have always been known to make beautiful things; and who doesn't love beautiful things. I'm a full blooded man and yes, mine will be the Flamenco Red one.

" I'm a war, of head versus heart,
And it's always this way.
My head is weak, my heart always speaks,
Before I know what it will say."



Update 17/06/09 :. The Red got very common and I wanted mine to be special, one in a Billion! Went for the vocal white instead!Yes, I have my very own Emotion Petrol to add to my Palio GTX.  So, she's in the workshop now getting transformed. Hope to get her back by the weekend in her new avtar. Will write about the detailed "Transformation" .

Hello Friends, before I start my review, let me tell you, this is purely my opinion on the cars, and I do not remain responsible for any choices you make post reading this article.

I have owned Maruti 800, Santro, Fiat Adventure and presently own Honda City (2008).
Looks are one of the best in any car on the road as on today. External finish of the car is superb. The door trims, crome handles, side moulding, bumper guards are very elgantly placed and worth the looks. Linea takes your breath away at its looks, there no doubt and no one will disagree on this. Even the ardent FIAT haters will vouch for the looks of the car. The side indicators cover the entire bi-parabala headlamp area and give a classy look to the front of the car. The car has a follow me head lamp feature, which will remain on even after you are out of the car and will switch off after few seconds, depending on how you program it. This is for your convenience, when you are parking in the dark. The rear boot has a hydraulic release. The rear boot cover is well protected with carpet matt, with Fiat written on it. The boot space is 500 litres. The Italians have given and spare wheel cover holder, so that, when you are getting the spare wheel out, you don't have to hold the spare wheel top cover with your hand. (Very good, I saw this in Volkswagen Jetta. Interior could have been done better in terms of quality of plastic. This is only when, you compare this car to Honda City, Corolla Altis and Skoda. All others in that segment, such as Fiesta, SX4, Verna etc. are either similar in interior quality of inferior to Linea. I have compared the interior quality of the car with that of 100% imported Fiat 500, and found that, the quality of almost same. Interior space is generous. The dash board, door trims are very well done. Fiat has taken care to give chrome plated internal door handles as well. All 4 power windows are one touch down. Only the driver’s window is one touch up as well. A very significant feature such as impulse down is missing in Linea (This means, the window of the driver seat will go down automatically if there is any obstacle between the window and glass. There is a rear sun shade. The rear A/C vent is a great feature. Of course, we all know about the Blue&Me and Advanced My Car options anyways. The driver side arm rest is well placed and usable. (Unlike Honda City, where its of no use). Rear arm rest is not of very good quality, but solves the purpose. The music system is adequate, but not as good as the one in Honda City. The seating is OK, could have been better. The seat height adjustment lever and the sear back rest lever are of poor plastic quality. But they solve the purpose.

Now Let's come to the Heart , first the DIESEL : Well, the diesel engine is remarkably smooth and produces lesser noise that usual diesel. The cabin noise is also insignificant (At least in the car which I drive, that had done 10000 plus kms and very poorly maintinaed, as it was a test drive car). The diesel engine responds well, but responds like a horse after 1500 RPM. It pulls the car to a great extend. You tend to forget, you are drving the 86HP car which is close to 1300kgs. The handling is marvellous. The car's suspention is just like any other Fiat. Ride of the car is superb. It rides beyond 120kmph with ease. All those who need more power than this, must look elsewhere, because they must not be driving in city. I was convinced that, this car is more than adequate in city and will give decent power on the highway. The car's steering feels excellent but little heavy as its a hydraulic power steering. The car returns more than 13kmpl in city and close to 20kmpl on the highway. I strated the petrol engine as well as  the diesel engine to check the differential noise levels. But, remarkably the diesel, obvoiusly noisier than the petrol was much less noisier than usual diesel. I was quite impressed with the refinement of this engine.

...and Petrol : Frankly, I was not expecting much out of this engine. This car also had done about 9500 on the ODO. I drove the car. To my surprise, the car was responding decently. From 0 rpm level, the engine was taking few seconds to respond, but with a slightly heavy clutch, the 1st, 2nd gear was responding, quite well. 3rd gear onwards, the car was in control. Very good engine for adequte city drive. If you love drag race on the highway and get a kick leaving other cars behind from the moment you are on 1st gear, then this is not the car for you. But if you are practical, and think that, reaching 0-100kmph faster than anyone else in the world is not much of your life's priority, then this is a fairly placed engine. All those, who have written about this engine to be poor, have forgotten the 77BHP Honda City engine which was sluggish but pulled through by thousands in the country. Ditto for Skoda Octavia diesel, which produced 90BHP for a 1270kg car and many bought it and still buy without complaining about the engine. To conclulde, its VFM buy with loads of luxury

Looks, Features, VFMT-Jet 120BHP is not available for India so far

• This sedan has so many features that u ll go gaga............trust me u wont find any such feat in any other car of the same segment.
• I hv taken the test drive of linea and it was awesome, from braking to pik up,comfortable and smooth driving experience.
• Beautiful italian design,beige dual tone interiors,rear foldable seats long n spacious enough for people to sleep with there legs stretched.
• Climate control,air bags,blaupunkt music system that has crystal clear sound ipod connect n 4 day speakers.
• BLUE AND ME-unique to this car designed with the help of microsoft it offers its users to interact with the car itself.Recognises voice commands,you can dial n recieve cals,it can read ur msgs to u......handy feat for a car of this budget.
• Rear AC vent rear armrest with sunglasses and cup holder.
• Diesel car has 1248 cc and petrol has 1368 cc delivering 86 and 90 ps at 4000 and 6000 rpm resp
• Has advanced multijet engine that has got international engine of the year award.
• Great mileage of 18 to 20 in both city and highway.
• For people who think that driver seat low and uncomfortable during driving, my ans would be that it has hydraulic controlled seat adjusters and it is for safety purpose as u cn see in honda civic.
• It is in collabration with TATA motors so don't worry about after sales service and spare parts.
• Linea has cheapest spare parts in comparison to SX4,Verna,Fiesta n other competitor cars.So its cheaper on the pocket.
• Overall complete value for money , neatly designed , economicaly powered car.

Value for money,luxurious interiors,great italian styling exteriors,smooth on road,great mileageFlawless Sedan

Before i test drived the multijet i thought better get ready for some compromise as per the reviews which i read of car being underpowered and of being a little noisy.
However, when i sat in the cabin started the car i have to really listen hard to hear some noise. what i am talking about is usual driving condition with closed windows with aircon. (all diesels make noise- fiesta,octavia, innova, even merc when heard from outside). It is inside cabin noise which matters. there were no vibrations on the gearing knob or steering wheel at idle(some can be felt in palio mjd although very very low). i found the pick up quite decent with linear accelaration. I dont think i require more from a car at least in India especially if i get more fuel efficiency by sacrificing some horsepower. The car is very silent, vibration free. The steering is absolute pleasure to handle. I didnt feel i am driving a big car and i was at ease in just 3 mins time. I was on 2nd gear at the speed around 20-30 kph. then the sales ex. asked me to put 5th gear. I just looked at him. He said please do it and I did. To my utter surprie the car just kept going without any knocking. I left the cluth, brake,accelator alone and the car just kept going as if on cruise control. This is what just floored me and removed any doubts about the car.
Later in a week had a test drive of petrol version. more quiter, more refined, no doubts whatsoever.
Above this-blue & me is like pampering yourself, features list is too long to keep track off.
I think one cannot ask more, you have to hand it to fiat this time with the price that it is offering. i booked a linea petrol today. I am sure this car is going to turn heads. Lookwise the car is unbeatable
excellent looks, unbeatable features, build quailty, suspensionrear head room

I have now used FIAT Linea 1.4 Petrol emotion pack for 3 months+3000 km. Purchased through Concorde motors Bangalore. I have read lot of adverse feedback about Fiat service. My experience has been pleasant. Concorde Motors go out the way to please. The experience has so far been as good as that of Maruthi. Being predominantly city driver, I do not find any lack of power. I drive through worst roads in Bangalore with highest traffic density with AC on 90 % of the time. The car returns 10.5 KM in Bangalore which I find is acceptable for a car of this size. I had a long drive to Chennai. Maximum speed at which I drove was about 110 KMPH, with AC on most of the time. (Touching 140 KMPH for brief 30 seconds). Car feels very stable and very much in control at all speeds. Highway milage is 15 KM/Liter My criteria for selection of car was 1. Saftey 2. Comfort 3.Fuel economy and the performance. It meets all criteria admirably. I am happy with purchase and would recommend to any body over SX4 , Ford Fiesta, Cheverlet Aveo and may be even Honda City. Of course quality of plastics leaves much to be desired. USB port is kept in glove box. It needs a torch and bending over double to access. This is a really difficult part for a 47 year old person. For a car of such excellent design, the place of USB port is plainly stupid. R.PrabhuAcceptable fuel economyDoors to be shut with extra force to close

I booked Linea Emotion PK (Champagne perla) at Marudhar Motors, JODHPUR By paying a cheque of Rs . 2,00,000/- on 28/03/09 at promised delivary of vehicle before or on 01/04/09.

I deposited balance amount DD on 31/03/09 and a bill was generated mentioning Engine no. and Chasis no. with promise of car to be delivered on 01/04/09.

Since than, The dealar has stopped ansewering my telephone and car has not been delivered to me till today.

I have heard of very poor service of FIAT after sale, but they have lived to their bad reputation before sale as wel.

What would happen after sale, only god can tell.

My Linea's Blue & me is not working for two months and they haven't replaced it even after reporting to CEO Mr. Kapoor Earlier Leaking fuel tank has been replaced after two visit of dealer AC also faulted twice in MayGreat style Good lookingBad service and very bad dealer performance

I have flirting with  linea since quite a long time to be precise for more than 10 months, the car is undoutatedly a well build stunner.Finaly on 30th August i took her home.I have been constantly following the reviews written and after driving the italian beauty i thought it would be just to put in my experiance.

The car uses a 1.4 lt 16 V engine which is a advanced starjet engine developed in the year 2003.(check the details from Wikepedia and other sites).The engine uses advanced technology to divert a part of car exhaust(which all know has unburnt fuel) to the combustion chamber and through other technical features improves the efficiency of the car and gives it an excellant milage without compropising with power.The engine has also less moving parts and for the technology used by Fiat requires servicing after 15000Km in comparision to Honda City which goes to garage after 5000km.

Coming to the features of linea one cannot ask for more.The emotion Pack version has ABS,EBD,Airbags,CD-Player,and all other features which gurantee entertainment and safety to passengers.The feature Blue and Me which alows receiving calls and calling numbers and reading texts from mobile is a very thoughtful system in the car developed by Fiat in collaboration with Microsoft.The said system is not only convinient it also adds to the safety by allowing the driver not to take his/her eyes of the road.I must tell you the said system as per my information is not available in any car including the Honda City in India.

Now coming to the nuances of driving her,she is agile,takes the ups and downs of the path with ease and never lets you down.The car is certainly not underpower as has been suggested by many reviews.The 0-100 for the 1.4 lt 8v petrol as per wikepadia site on Fiat linea gives a figure of 14.6 which would be less by atleast 1to 1.5 sec for the 16v starjet engine in the petrol linea,which comes to a 0-100 in 13 sec,which by no means is slow even in comparision to the new City.Of course if you are a F1 driver the car would be slow.

Now coming to the price, the top model of linea comes for Rs 8.5lac on road which is more than 1 lac higher than the new City.

Like most purchaser of cars i had also visited Honda to look at the City and drove it.The engine of the car is undoutedly good, but the build quality,suspension,features,price and the looks according to me certainly not comparible to the Linea.

I have personally nothing againt the City but having read through some of the reviews and after copairing linea-vis a vis city i think it is prudent and just to compare the two cars based on what they offer rather than being swayed by the brand of Honda in India and brand of Fiat in India.As a matter of fact i must tell here that globally Fiat has equal or more reputation in the world as a car maker than the Honda.In fact just yesterday i read a news report of recall of 4,00,000 honda cars in USA, for record fiat till date does not have a car recall as per my knowledge.

Now finally coming to the after sale services.Fiat is desperate and is tring its best to improve services in India on which hinges its sucess in India.The service i think requres improvement and is a bit lacklusture in comparision to Honda or maruti.However all spareparts are readily available and Tata gets the job done.

Thats all i need to say.

beautiful looking car,excellant features,superb build,great handling and safetyfeaturesservicing by tata Fiat needs to improve a

Dear Readers.

 

I picked up my Fiat LINEA Emotion Pack 1.4 Petrol on 23 Oct 09 from Metro Motors Ambala. I have visited Mata Vaishnodevi post the purchase. The drive to and fro offered me a good chance of having a feel of the vehicle.

 

Firstly, the maximum concern everyone has, the mileage. Trip meter was extensively used on various sections of the road and I got a mileage of 13.2km/litre on stretch Dasua-Jammu-Katra-Jammu-Dasua (a two lane highway) at an average speed of 52kmph (one couldn’t achieve more than that due to traffic) and a mileage of 14.8km/litre on four lane highway from Dasua-Jalandhar-Ambala-Delhi-Mathura at an average speed of 84kmph (the passage through Delhi was omitted). AC fully functional at all times. I am impressed.

 

Now the handling. I own a Santro Xing XO. I am used to zip start and a feeling of available extra power at all times during drive. I did not find much difference. When slowed down beyond a limit in third gear the vehicle had to be shifted to first as second was unable to react. The performance in second /third gear at slow moving traffic in city is tremendous. It instills lot of confidence in city driving. When traveling at high speeds in top gear you do feel that there could have been an additional overdrive gear. The front design makes handling of the car through city traffic comparatively easy. Judgment of extreme corners of the car is surprisingly easy compared to SX4 or Honda City. Max speed I touched on four lane highway was 160 kmph while overtaking a Verna. The car was superbly stable and found the grip on road even better. The suspension is superb and potholes go unnoticed. My son who is 6 feet did not face overhead room problem in rear seats. On a bumpy road the situation may however change.

 

I would recommend parking sensors as accessory for everyone for sensible reverse gear movements. I installed Autocop Parkpro from fiat dealership in Ludhiana.

 

There can be no complaints on the interiors. The luxurious feeling is par excellence comparable with Honda Accord.

 

Features not so much advertised are intelligently done up such as ‘auto cabin lights on’ on removal of key and ‘auto off’ of cabin lights on locking the car, ‘Follow me headlights’ function is extremely useful  while parking in dark places, ‘Blue and Me’ is amazingly relaxing facility to connect to the world without loss in driving efficiency, ‘Remote opening of boot lid’ via remote key is impressive, ‘Auto locking of all doors’ on crossing 20kmph, ‘Seat belt warning’ and ‘auto unlocking of all doors’ during accident, ‘Auto stoppage of fuel to engine’ during accident, Dual SRS Airbags, ABS with EBD all inclusive make the car a completely done up package, needless to mention here that Alloy wheels and tubeless tyres come as additional benefits. Fiat would have done better to provide alloy wheel on spare wheel as well.

 

I would fail in my review if I do not mention a word about the dealerships I came across. Metro Motors at Ambala where I picked up my car were extremely courteous and helpful. The receptionist came out of her desk and escorted me to the concerned desk of Fiat in the showroom. The balance procedures were as if well rehearsed and worked out to the need of the customer. Tata Fiat have done well to treat customers in a privileged manner. On the way when I visited Garyson Motors Ludhiana, I was treated as if I was there customer who had purchased the car from them. I had 3 staff attending to me and ensured my full satisfaction. If this continues I am sure Fiat is set to give its parallels a tough fight to survive.

My email psj12765@rediffmail.com

It wins everybody's heart. Excellent looks, Posh interiors, Fully LoadedYou will have tough time to find one