guess what its the much awaited FIat linea which we all have been anxiously waiting for has been test driven by ACI people and heres the brief detail along with pics!!!
Exteriors
Walk around the car, you can't help but notice how gorgeous this
car looks. True to its Italian roots, this is quite an attractive car
in flesh. If you look at it head-on, it does look a little bug-eyed.
But the overall effect is pretty good and almost everyone will be
pleased with what they see. Personally, the front three-quarters is its
best photographic side. The rear looks pretty good too and the
tail-lamps remind you of the Mitsubishi Lancer EVO, which is definately
a good thing. To put it in a nutshell, the Linea looks a lot more
expensive than its pricetag suggests.
Interiors
Gone are the images of Palio interiors. This is a distinctly
modern design with a bit of retro elements like the instrument cluster.
Plastic quality is generally decent, but some bits like the plastics of
the centre console feel low rent. The steering wheel is meaty and feels
good to grip and houses controls for the music system and other
accessories. You'll love the fact that the Linea comes loaded with
features. The 'Emotion' variant we tested gets climate control, trip
computer, MP3 audio system, power windows, central locking, fog lamps
and bluetooth technology for connecting cellphones known as the 'Blue
& Me'. It is essentially the same feature found on the Fiat 500.
The cabin is finished in a combo of beige and black colours which goes
well with its design.
The seats are generally comfortable and come with a range of
adjustments, but the front seats are forward sloping which robs the
passenger of thigh support. The rear seat is also very comfortable and
has good amounts of legroom and shoulder room. While that curving
roofline looks great, it doesn't do a lot of good for the rear headroom
and taller passengers might have their hairstyles messed up. The Linea
doesn't lack in space, be it passenger or luggage. The boot is deep and
well shaped and has a capacity of 500 litres.
Performance, Ride & Handling
The Linea is powered by the famed 1.3 litre Multijet unit pumping
out 90bhp and 20.4kgm of torque. The higher power output is thanks
largely to a bigger variable vane turbo. Refinement has always been the
multijet's forte. At idle, noise and vibration is well suppressed with
the motor only becoming slightly gruff at higher speeds.
Power delivery is also like the other multijets. There is a
distinct turbo lag up till 1500rpm, once past that mark it starts
picking up. While it doesn't have the pin you to the seat acceleration
like in the Swift, the midrange has decent punch and it doesn't let off
till 4500rpm. The short gearing is good for the city and the Linea
manages to be in higher gears for most of the time. This reflects in
the fuel efficiecny stakes with the car managing 12.9kpl in the city.
But out on the highway, the engine is turning over at a higher speed
than usual because of which the highway figure suffers a bit. The Linea
went 17.5 kilometres to a litre of diesel.
Fiats have always been known for their ride and handling and the
Linea doesn't disappoint. It rid
