Fiat Linea tested by CarWale

I don't fully agree with the first point - it'll go up to 140kph with ease, after which the 90bhp figure really begins to tell.

I don't think there ever was any car that showed a speedo error of 50/70kph at any speed.

Vahan / others, unwarranted for remarks/comments have been edited/deleted without deleting any points/contentions or counter discussions/arguments thereon - may those be factual or fictional (partly/fully) or whatever.  Discussion & counter-discussions on the 2 points referred by you (post #50), also remain undeleted (edited suitably).  Some of the personal & abusive points/aspects that had unnecessarily branched-out have, however, been deleted totally.

Let us please leave the episode behind. Thanks.

Agreed. Did 160 kmph 1st time which later got stretched to 170 kmph. Never wanted to do it as family (with 2 kids were on board) but the superb Ride & Handling did not let any feel of high speed. Had family not been there, could have done even higher as mentioned by others.

Posting a pic when I drove her at 160 kmph for the 1st time.

Done deal. Bingo.

PS: Might be travelling from Mumbai to Saurashtra - at a place near yours - to Junagadh this month-end. Most probably, shall take Linea on this looooong drive

I agree with Vahan Pujari.

The discussion in this thread may mislead people (possibility).  By consolidating and going through all the comments I would conclude...

If some one says Fiat engine is the worst (which is used by SWift, Dzire, Vista, Manza, Punto etc) that is completely false.

If someone says that Linea has very bad ride and handling - that again is completely false. Because the ride quality and steering responsiveness is a benchmark in that segment.

If some one says it has very bad performance - it is again completely false. Because people's experience and the data compiled and given by magazines like Overdrive or Whatcar every month - is the opposite of what is stated.

Edit Remark:  Points reiterated/quoted from earlier discussions weren’t required (please understand).  Those (2 posts) have been deleted/edited/merged suitably.

Thanks Pankaj for putting the place right! I always feel this and other forums are there to discuss things which may be beneficial to other people..share our experiences..... may be help people like me to get more knowledge about cars.

This is an open forum ..any one can read and post there feelings.....it can also change peoples decisions .......my main concern and may be Vahans concern too was to put the facts straight. The posts which i have posted were my own experiences.... which I felt others should know about.

Once again I would reiterate is that the Linea performs its best in the speeds where the power is needed most. 

And of course as always said Speed Thrills but Kills too! Moderate driving and safe driving is very necessary for all.

Fiat is doing an All-India Multijet Drive and I was a part of it. all the Fiat's comfortably clock in excess of 120 with ease.

@Avik

You seem to have a grudge with Fiat cars, let me remind you they manufacture one of the best handling cars in the world inclusive of India.  And it can be seen, your one of the Swift owners who aren't fond of Fiat cars. 

Who on earth said that the ENGINE is bad ?

You just cant plonk a tiny 1.3 L engine on a 1.25 Ton car can you ?

Thats why the car is so frustratingly slow ... You can make do with in a 1 ton car like a swift or a palio but not a linea, now thats stretching it .

For all the people who think the  Linea is fast car, got test drive an SX4 or a City or even a Swift in that case which is a whole segment lower.

No one has contended that Linea is a 'fast car'.  It has decent performance & suits the requirements/preferences of quite a many.  It has great looks, build-quality, stability & handling.

Avik, in general the observation is valid, but we are looking at two different things here, which have got confused and tangled.

By fast and slow, you mean the car acceleration is not good - this depends on the power to weight ratio, and probably you are justified with this argument above, where you say 1.3L and 1250kg do not match.

Now the response that I see above - taking a vehicle to 160 to 170 kmph, to call it fast, is also probably misleading. The final speed is one where the engine power is just sufficient to counter all resistance to the car's movement - it will be from aero drag, road and engine/transmission friction. As long as the engine power is sufficient to provide the power to propel the car at a given speed, the car will reach it, eventually. It is ot required that this speed be attained quickly - a fast car would achieve it quickly. So for most counts this theoretical top speed is meaningless, except that it too is dependent on the total power that the engine is able to muster at the higher end of RPM.

Keeping the engine slightly underpowered encourages use of the engine with nearly a full throttle, which is good for FE - ther vehicle suffers less pumping losses, improving FE. Hero Honda CD100 is efficient for the same reasons - puny 100 cc engine on a regular use bike.

Indians being overly fixated on FE, most Indian manufacturers focus on FE rather than performance, resulting in this situation. Not exactly bad, IMHO.

@Avik: I completely agree with you - the Linea is slow compared to the City and the SX4. But how much of that 100bhp and high revs do you use on your daily commute? You've also mentioned the Swift, but that would be an unfair comparison for a very simple reason: the profile of the consumer for the Swift and the Linea is different.

Again - I will always agree that excess power is better than less power, but the Linea is available with a 120bhp diesel in certain other markets. It has to cater to a particular audience in India, which is why it is slow. However, it isn't so slow as to be frustrating enough to skip it for long drives.