Buying experience was just amazing. I test drove the car multiple times. Both Pinto and Linea. Why multiple times ? Well because fiat was last on my list. I test drove all sedans , Honda City , vento , desire , Verna , sx6, fiat linea. I just test drove it for the heck of completing my analysis. The first you turn I took on a fiat , I was impressed. After my first test drive , I was still considering vento or a skoda. But somehow I couldn't take fiat out of mind. I wasn't able to digest the fact fiat was the best driving experience for me. There was a lot of bias against fiat , sluggish , heavy , ugly , bulky , bad service etc. All that changed the moment I saw it up close . It is an engineering marvel. Yes , it didn't look as posh as others , or as fast as vento , skoda , vento or city. The first time I closed the doors and heard the thud I couldn't believe that it's a bad car. And then finally I drove all the cars in a single day and the only car I wanted to drive was fiat . Bought from fortune motors nerul. Buying experience was awesome. They make more money by selling Tata but they understood what I was looking for and suggested linea only. When I told other car dealers that I am also considering fiat they all said it's a good car .
2. Driving experience , oh man Its been 7 yrs and it still gives me more joy than any other car. I drove Merc GLA to Pune and back. The first thing I did was to drive my linea for a while. I missed it so much. Only other car that came close to giving me same experience was skoda Octavia.
3. Looks are amazing. I find it more classy that any other car even if it's 10 year old design. No surprises there . It is designed by the best car designer in the world. Plastic quality is very poor. Some components are even worse.i have replaced all my winders and some plastic components . Performance wise , there is lag which does not bother me because 3-4th gear is too fun to drive. I use gears to control the car and it's just awesome. Mileage cannot be compared to competition because this car is heavy with a small engine. Well not including t-jet here. T-jet is amazing.
4. Servicing and maintenance are disappointing. I used to get my car serviced at thane. The worst service center. Almost all my car problems were due to them..they way they handled the car. Serving cost is higher than maruti but lower than Honda City. However , Honda City is more reliable so overall fiat will be expensive.
I disagree with bad customer service from fiat. I have been in a rut many times with my car. They are one call away. When I was having issues with service center they finally sent a very senior executive to look into my case. He was amazing . Mgr by post and techie at heart. He got my car fixed properly . Even got my car picked from Pune and fixed it for free and delivered it back because the service center in Mumbai didn't do a good job.
+ Amazing handling
+ Good engine
+ Built like a tank
+ Absorbs all the bumps easily
+ Stiff suspension
+ Decent space
+ Good features ( well not at par with cars of today )
+ Awesome breaks
+ Beautiful and classy looking
- servicing and parts availability is an issue.
- lag might bothersome
- seemingly dodgy gear shifts, doesn't bother me.
- cheap quality plastics
- bad resale.value.
It is surprising how market bias can alter perception of people . I am sure if people drive this car they will love it.
All you need is to find a good mechanic you can trust and this car will not disappoint you.
I have been looking to replace my car but I haven't liked any other that can match fiat. I even tried getting abarth or another linea but none are available. I might go for Octavia or a Jeep finally. This search for a new car forced me to write this review.
Buying experience: Compared with other cars in segment and it to be the best Riding experience: Runs like butter. Very smooth and silent Details about looks, performance etc: The length of the vehicle looks stunning