Fiat Linea [2008-2011] User Reviews

I bought the Linea Emotion Pack Diesel, in the last week of December 2010 with an exchange offer and good sales team support from the Concord motors dealers in Cochin. The car was delivered in 4 days after my decision to buy from ready stock at dealer depot.

I have had a good experience driving the car aroud since it is very easy to drive and gives about 12.5 mileage in city and 15 in outside drive.  

However the service center and customer care of TATA is pathetic. When I went to first service in February they suggested to do Teflon Coating and anti rust coating. When I made the purchase, the sales team told it was already done and not required to do it again! So I ended up payng for the coating. But when I took delivery, I noticed some whitish color change on my car door which is tangerene red color. I asked them and they said it will go when I wash the car! and I didn't look into it for sometime. 

In April I noticed the whitish colour was still there and more visible, and also one of the break disc was rusting since the grip was hardly 30% of the disc surface. 

I went to Concord again to rectify the issues under warranty, and left the car with them. The Teflon coating issue was resolved and to my amazement they had applied sand paper on the break disc to make it look smooth! They claimed the car was not being used as a reason for rust (i had done almost 9000 kms by then in 4 months). I asked them why the other disc was lookign fine and only this one had rust. The service team tried convincing me that the disc was fine and not required to replace.

After a week I called up Fiat customer support and registered a complaint. Then they called me in couple of days from dealership and asked me to deliver the car again. I had to call Tata motors Area manager and Corncorde manager and tell them the case. Still the service team was not convinced on the replacement need! Finally after long discussions, the replacement was done!

Some of the materials used in Linea are of poor quality. the fuel pipe cover at the platform base has already fallen off beacuse the plastic is of very poor quality and in one impact in the potholed roads it broke off. Now it is being tied to the platform since the screws and the cover has fallen off!

I am happy with the car but FIAT should consider their own dealer set up instead of going through TATA dealers, who are always trying to protect inefficiencies of TATA cars  and giving lame excuses to customers.

Exterior Good looking car, definitely grabs a lot of attention. The car is bulit like a Tank.

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort) The Interiors are very spacious. The MID is very useful. But I would have loved a front Armrest for the Dynamic Version as well. Apart from that, you cant really complain about the Interiors, the plastic quality has also improved a lot from the previous batches. All and all value for money car when it comes to Interiors. Very comfortable to ride and the hard suspension setup is very useful for the Indian roads, you can hardly feel the bumps in high or low speeds.

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox The engine lacks power in the 1st and 2nd gear, but when you shift into the 3rd gear that when the Linea is fun to drive. So far I have been getting a decent FE considering that I travel with 100% AC in about 70% of my ride is in the Mumbai Traffice. FE with 100% AC on = 15 in City. And around 18-19 on Highway. The gearbox is slick and I actually find it way better than my previous cars (Santro and Honda).

Ride Quality & Handling This is by far the best car in its segment when it comed to Handling. The ways it handles in Mumbai Traffic as well as on Highways is just too good. The ride quality as I have mentioned before as well is very good for this segment, you hardly feel the bumps on the road and it is a pleasure to ride in. Thumbs up for this.

Final Words Overall I am very impressed with FIAT Linea, its a value for money car. Also I find this the best SEDAN in this segment as of now for DIESEL.

Areas of improvement Plastic quality thought better than the previous batches, still need a little improving. This car definitely needs a more bigger engine.

Exterior Should I say anything about exterior? Looks wise, she is definitely a head turner wherever she goes. I have a Hip hop black and she looks really georgeous.

Most of it are very useful.Seats are comfortable, leg room is good even at the back. Over all interiors and features are very good.

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox I have testdriven other vehicles also before buying Linea. I liked the power of optra, its awsome. In verna, you feel very good in city driving as it is very torquey. Vento is again an ultimate machine. Inspite of all these, the reason I opted for this is, See, we mostly drive in the city atleast 5 days a week. Weekends we go out, so keep around 500 kms. and probably twice or thrice in a year we go for very long trips for around 2500 to 3000 kms one trip. Now, with more powered and torquey vehicles, definitely the driving pleasure is more. But we have to take the hit on the fuel economy daily in city. About highways, Just with power nothing happens,consider whether the body dynamics of the car can handle so much power. For e.g. verna engine has the capacity to push the vehicle to 191 kmph. But the body can't handle more than 140 kmph in a stable way.

And where can you drive more than 150/160 kmph continuously in india? atleast as of now, So, I was looking for a vehicle which can reach a top speed of around 170 kmph (If need be), which linea does. without compromising much on milage. She is torquey also. And as it is 1.3 cc engine, so better milage also. I love the way she grunts when you increase the throttle. Engine means its gotto be a Fiat engine. I think Fiat is the trend setter and others follow. And next thing was the waiting period. Verna diesel and VW Vento's waiting period was around 6 months. But I wanted a car immediately. That was one of the reasons I started shortlisting only those vehicles where the waiting is almost nil.

Ride Quality & Handling Ride quality is brilliant. Handling is ultimate. (period). You have to drive it to believe it. the way she handles the curves at speeds is very good.

There was some problem with wheel alignment. The vehicle pulls to the left. I went to the showroom, and the service guy said, they don't have the part and it will take around 10 days to come.

Regarding the wheel alignment, he discouraged me saying all vehicles have that problem. And it seems that I have to hold the steering while driving. He is teaching me how to drive. I have been running around the service center for 5 times, still they haven't fixed it.

At the end of trip, my remote locking stopped working. I had to use the key hole to lock and unlock the doors. At the service station, they took the key inside and said there should be some minor loose contact and then made it work and returned the key.

Next day again the same problem. Remote not working. Again they did something and said its working. 2 days later again it stopped working. I asked them to change the battery they said, not required, and fixed it again. 

2nd week, I observed that the beeding on the roof was peeling out. Weekend we went for another long trip, While returning I observed that the chrome beeding on the bumpers are coming out. one front and one back. I observed that the mud flaps are hanging. (It seems they had forgotten to screw it before delivery). When I took it to the showroom, they fixed the beeding, roof as well as the chrome one, with fevifix and said its done. I had not heard of all these problems earlier in my 5 years of driving experience.

I am not sure whether it was a wise decision buying this vehicle by just keeping in mind what goes under the hood. If a small sound comes from the vehicle, first thing my wife does is turn back and see if any part has fallen down.😎 Anyways, I am still living with the broken cover and faulty wheel alignment. Lets see when the part will be available and they will be able to fix it. btw remote is still working.😷

Final conclusion is if you can live with these kind of minor problems and parts falling out of the car etc, don't think too much, buy it. If you want a great handling but delicate darling go for it. If you look for very good engine and drive performance this is the car for you. One thing I will tell you. let alone all these problems, once you sit inside the car and start driving, you will just ignore all these things. Even though I had read about all these things in the reviews, after a test drive, I just booked it. Now, I really feel like a king when I am inside the car. handle it like a baby and she does everything just fine.

Areas of improvement Definitely the fittings. After sales service. Service engineers training. Spares availability. Fiat has come out with a diamond. but with these minor things, they are not getting the deserved respect.

If only these things can be addressed, Fiat really rules.

- Prashanth.

* Review after completing 9000 kms...

I have cloaked 9000 kms with my Linea.

I will tell you, I am very happy with the performance of the car. I have touched 175 kmph with this in my last trip to bangalore from hyd on NH 7. Travelling in 140 feels so cool, that I have to really check the speedo meter to believe I am driving at that speed. You don't feel it at all. 

And the braking is fantastic.. The confidence you ll have when you r driving this beast is so much that, you can rip in 160-170 easily. 

Hey another thing, I had another vehicle hit my car's backside bumper in a signal. It had a big dent and the chrome mould was cut. I got it repaired (the chrome mould was replaced), u know how much I paid? Just about 3000 man.. can you believe it? I am so happy about the work done also. I got it done with concorde motors in sanath nagar. 

Its always a pleasure to drive my car. I cover hyderabad to bangalore in 5 and half hours. with a couple of smoke breaks in between. There are no other problems I have encountered so far later. It has amazing ride quality and handling. At around 90-100 kmph if we can maintain, it gives me a milage of around 21 milage and when I am ripping at 160-175, I am getting around 17 kmpl. good enough.

Best car to buy in that price tag. I am obscessed with Fiat for sure.

- Prashanth

Exterior It is a true Italian three box sedan. I was looking for one for quite some time and decided to go for Linea against Verna Fluidic. Though Fluidic is better performance and zippy.

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort) Exceptiona; in its segment and awesome. It is here where it beats all other competitors.  Grips on the steering at 10 and 2 are very nice as the correct driver always grips the steering at this position. I don't know abt the others.  However, migrating from Maruti and TATA cars had problems initially to operate the indicators and wiper (they are oppositly placed as from the Indian makes).

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox I have completed about 700 km and driven in the peak traffic of Delhi and also on the Highways. Speeds varied from a meagre 15 kmph in the traffic with number of halts and red lights to 130 kmph on the highways with AC on all the time. My beauty has returned a mileage of 16.8 km pl. The Instant consumption does make you drive optimally.

Ride Quality & Handling Excellent ride quality however the low ground clearance is a bit of problem with MCD and MES making speed breakers as good as CAR Breakers. It becomes difficult  with fully loaded (05 adults) you have to be careful while negotiating these breakers. The car is very stable at high speeds and does not even give a chance of being unsecured or uncomfortable. Negotiating curves at high speed was exceptional as comapred to esteem or IKON which i have driven earlier.

Final Words I have been reviewing cars and test driving them for last 20 months. though initial plan was to buy when I was suppose to move out of delhi but then decided against it. Shortlisted Linea, Verna, Manza ELAN, City, SX4 diesel. Finally ruled out City  coz of fuel expenditure and interiors. Verna diesel for its high speed handling and cost (Rs 1.5 Lc costlier as compared between the top two variants), SX4 bcoz every Govt office is buying the same and preferred Linea looks over SX4. Finally was left with MANZA ELAN and Linea Emotion PK Diesel. Me and my wife did like ELAN and the cost suited us but the Kids didn't like ELAN and were floored by th eLINEA and hence LINEA. Had to dish out that addtitional Rs 1 LC but is worth spending. I am not the one who keeps changing vehicles. We treat it as our family memeber so a car should be one which u r going to keep life long.

MY ADVICE TO ALL THOSE WHO ARE LOOKING FOR A DECENT FAMILY SEDAN. GO FOR LINEA IF U LUV UR DEAR ONES.

Areas of improvement Few suggestions, Replace the 15" wheels with a 16" to improve the ground clearance. More colors, Placement of power window switches, Integrated Parking sensors with reverse camera.

For the performance , I am satisfied as this car does not seem lagging.. but if you are looking for a SPORTY and ZIPPY car then this is not for you. This is a car for the PERSON WHIO LOVES HIS FAMILY and NEAR and DEAR ONES and drives like a GENTLEMEN. GO For It.

Exterior The best looking car in its segment with amazing curves. Still mesmerizes depite having owned it for 2 years.

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort) Interior is good though fit and finish could have been better especially around the steering column but i can overlook that. interior has decent space though headroom at rear is tight for anybody above 5ft 9". M 5 11" and my hair always touches the roof.

Also the door pockets aren't huge. front cupholders are useless. it could really do with more usable storage spaces.

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox Engine is low on power and gets noisy beyond 4000rpm but the best part is that it never vibrates even when doing 45-50kmph in 5th gear.

Gearbox is smooth. throw is short and precise. i get abt 10.5-11 kmpl in d city with ac mostly on which is par. on the highways it goes upto 14-15.

Ride Quality & Handling This is the best part of the car. the car is a driver's dream. gr8 grip from tyres around corners, feelsome steering that is gr8 to hold and phenomenal stability. i've touched 150 and the car showed not even a single sign of nervousness. Ride is extremely pliant too.

Final Words A fantastic car that could do so well in the indian market but fiat reputation not helping its cause.

Though i'd like to mention that the car has been very reliable till now with 15000kms done. Add to that 3 free services with gaps of 1 year or 15000km. till date i've spent less than 5000 bucks on its servicing though with free services over the bill will increase but nothing too exorbitant.

Areas of improvement Should really have more power. this car deserves it. wish the T-jet had arrived a little sooner.

Exterior

Italin design. Overall the car really looks Good. 

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort)

Auto AC is really good, Back seat is comfortable with good thigh support.

Hats off to Blue & ME, Auto Headlamps, auto rain sensing wipers, follow me home.

Boot space is best. Could be a nice touch if anti pinch windows & electric foldable rear view mirrors are present.

Plastic qualtiy, rubber quality,  fit & finish should be improved a lot.

Dashboard design feels outdated. Bottle holder is missing.

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox

1.3 mutlijet - Decent and reliable engine. Max speed - 165 KMPH, Comfortable speed - 120 KMPH

Fuel economy - AVG 15 to 16 KMPL. You get even 18 when you maintain 100 KMPH.   City - 10 to 12 KMPL.

Gearbox - Smooth. Clutch - Smooth but the pedal is placed too high. you have to lift your leg too high to operate, feels uncomfortable in city because of the clutch pedal.

Ride Quality & Handling

Steering: Handling is excellent in Smooth road . But steering pulls suddenly to one side  on rough roads. Have to be very cautious during driving. Rear Suspension is very bumpy on speed brakers and pot holes.     

Wind noise is more audible after 120 KMPH.  poor road visibilty because of massive A pillar and rear view mirror. 

Final Words

Good Car. Value for money. We expect a much bigger car with 1.6 MT & AT.

Areas of improvement  

Could be a winner in its class if the following are rectified

Fit & finish, Interior dashboard, Service, uncomfortable for Tall drivers.  

Fiat strongly needs to review their Dealer network. As their sales sucks. I have serious doubts about post sales support.

Pros and cons.

 Pros .

Stunning looks

Superb interiors (however finish could have been a little better)

Good music system and keys are superb and easily reachable.

Blue & Me. (amazing feature)

Gear ratios are good for city drive. (Thanks for its torque)

Amazing boot space.

Cons

The car yells at you when you push the accelerator.

Suspension is like riding a go cart. It is superb hard.

Drive is not something you would enjoy. Drive is not smooth how ever you would not feel the Turbo lag. The engine is sluggish and I think power to weight ratio is pretty bad.

Vehicle showed some positive signs in 4th and 5th gear.

Space. - Very bad head room and visibility for a person of my height.

Telescopic steering along with tilt would be welcome to get rid of awkward seating position.

Car had fuel average of 9.2 KM on display. We can presume it would deliver around 10-11 Km in Bangalore traffic with better driving conditions.

Rear arm rest is too short to comfortable rest you arm.

 I would rate 5 out of ten for this car and 9 out of 10 for Honda city and 6 for SX4

Car is nothing great and it only scores strong in external looks.

I test-drove the Linea Emotion and boy, whatta car!

Now for objective facts. Top-class interiors, sturdy build (vintage FIAT) and excellent noise cushioning despite the diesel, make you feel safe inside. Driver's seat being height adjustible, takes a while to get used to. Winscreen seems too far. ABS makes the brake too sharp - that's what the sales guy told me. Steering wheel is world's best, I dare say! Pick up is good. I did not find it underpowered in any of the 1-3 gears I drove. I've driven the Uno - so expected something similar and thankfully it is. Boot is mega - load in as much as you can! A/C is powerful, but not too much (guess due to climate control). Overall, a great package.

My recommendation: don't take the top-end. Extra features really not needed. If your running is within 800-1000kn a month, go for Petrol to save money. Yes! Diesel cars cost a lakh more. Why spend a lakh more now? Save it and spend more on petrol as and when you need it! Overall, most likely my next car.

I am a fan of diesal cars- own a Accent CRDi - just love it. Too bad the company discontinued it. Thought Linea was God's answer to my prayers for a diesal value of money sedan with comfort and looks , not mentioning the list of technology features.

Went to the showroom and saw the Linea - my dream car. Looked majestc from outside, nice curves make a statement. Prayed for inside to match it.

And lost it there. Let me talk of my disadvantage here - my height is 6 ft 2 inches. The moment I got into the car - i felt claustrophobic. THIS CAR LACKS SPACE. There is lots of space wasted in the bonnet which hide the small 1.3 engine (big success in Swift) and the huge boot with a small opening.

The insides are crammed. No way near the ample inside feel of the City. Infact the older City ZX is better than a newer one on the inside plush feel. Coming back to Linea, the rear seat is worse on space and headroom. Any person above 6ft on the rear seat of Linea is not going to like it much.

But if you are not tall,  this car is great. It offers the best vale of rmoney deal if you are looking for a economy diesal sedan.

Great features like Blue and me, rear AC ducts , on board computer are first in this segment and a very good feel to have.

I am off it - but it is a great buy if inside space is not a prime concern.I wait for a modifed city where they have worked on the interiors or a new  hyundai elantra in diesal.

GOD - where is my car!!!!!!!!!!!