This car is sheer beauty. I have been following the Linea since it was first unveiled in Istanbul, Turkey and now I can feast my eyes on it right in our beloved country! Thanks to Fiat for bringing in this car so soon. Surprisingly, this car is now sold in many other countries except for the country of it’s origin - Italy!
Anyway, I’ll get down to reviewing the features. I went for a showroom visit in Bangalore(Prerana Motors near Lalbagh.) The salesman was pretty dull and didn’t seem to have much idea about the car. There were two models on display - both diesel and top end variants(Emotion).
The "minimal grey" looked really stunning compared to the "hip hop black". I later also saw a "flamenco red" which is the one that’s used in their ads and it looks jaw dropping beautiful(added to it is the fact that the Fiat logo also uses the same background color and on the front grill it just sits like a crown jewel!).
The salesman told me that a light blue version(the one that shows up if you search on the Internet) might come to India sometime later around June/July’09. I just peeked all around and sat inside to get a feel. No test drive as yet. Here are my first impressions:
Front driver side doors open wide and the steering unit is unobtrusive while getting in or out. The doors, like the Palio, have a two stop opening mechanism, i.e. it swings out partly and you have to push again to fully open it. I like it as I am kind of used to it though some may hate it. The doors don’t have the same thump as the Palio. In fact they feel lighter and sound ordinary! Door pockets are very shallow to even keep a small cola bottle.
The seat was very comfortable, particularly with the arm rest. No need to worry as the arm rest is neatly designed not to get in the way of even pulling the hand brakes. As for the upholstery, very good material used here. The instrument cluster and the center console is one of the best that I have seen so far.
The white dials with large amber back-lit LCD panels look pleasing and simple. Lots of glowing indicators and few with audio alarms indicate various status. One major design change to me is that the indicator/headlamp stock is on the left and the wash/wipe on the right. May not be a good design when you want to take an immediate bend where you have to put the indicator and immediately change gears as well.
The audio system worked even when the car is turned off and the key removed. A good feature. Sound quality(FM) was more than decent. All four speakers are mounted on the door sides(not sure if they have a combination of twitter and woofer as there are two separate grills on each door.)
Climate control is just as simple and effective though looks pretty sophisticated at first. Nice large buttons and dials are easy to reach and operate. Plastic quality is a shade below par. Otherwise the two tone dash has a matter-of-fact approach to design and layout. A chrome strip adds to the glamour(there’s a chrome strip along the window sill as well - usually a feature of luxury cars.)
The LCD on the dash is multi-function(operated by pressing the end of the wash/wipe stock - which again stuck a little odd as most cars have the manual sprinkler associated to this.) The LCD shows day/date/time, external temperature, distance to empty, service reminder and few more. All very welcome as they add to that techie feel:-)
Co-driver side gets a decent glove box and a second one on top of the dash if you don’t go for Airbags. In case you go for the Option Pack, you’ll get a USB port hidden inside the glove box for plugging in your Mp3 player. The top end variant has a glove box hidden under the driver side arm rest as well. Cup holders on the central console are shallow and not so useful. There’s a cigarette lighter/mobile charger unit and an ashtray cup as well.
On the rear, the seats can accommodate 3 easily but the headroom is inadequate. Someone tall will definitely get a "bad hair day" and is bound to hit their head if you speed over a bump! Knee room is good even with the front seats fully pulled back. The rear A/C vents offer decent air distribution(anyway, none of the other rivals have it!) Front seats have magazine compartments on the rear. There’s a nice pull-back sun-screen for the rear window.
On to the boot and it’s massive with a capital M. 500litres is a lot for two puffed-up suitcases and if you fold the rear seats then you can very much lie down and sleep! The felt inside of the boot has Fiat embossed on it and looks classy. As some others have pointed out, the lip is not wide enough to rest a heavy bag but that’s OK with me. Close the boot and the tail lamps look gorgeous. I loved the simple sweep of the lamps gently wrapping around. Three brake lights and sleek turn indicators(a.k.a Passat) looks really beautiful. The number plate is lower on the bumper.
For the front, there are many a admirers who have professed their love for this "Audi" like grille and stretched clear headlamps with ample chrome sparkle to top it all. Interestingly, the wipers are of a whole new type - only the flexible rubber and no metal holders. This sticks closely to the glass and guess should serve better.
Lastly, the key. Housed in a rectangular plastic casing like a jackknife, it pops open with the press of a button. Behold, it no ordinary key but a system of it’s own(much like the new Godrej locks). There’s a tiny Fiat logo on the body as well. Very neat overall.
As for the engine and ride, unless I take one I can’t comment(and I am waiting for the demo car to show up sooner.) I did a comparative study with Verna, Fiesta, SX4 and City and all of them have higher power/torque rating. While parket, the clutch and gear shift were smooth when pressed. I did turn on the engine for the diesel model and revved it a bit.
There was a fair bit of noise at high RPM but no vibrations filtered in. The salesman says that the torque is really high to even let the car run at about 30km/h on fifth gear and there aren’t any knocking! Can’t believe it as yet. Will fill in more once I have had a ride. Till then no second thoughts that this beauty will prevail(and wishing that the 1.4L Turbo charged petrol with 120 BHP also hits the showroom soon.)