Jan 17, 2009 07:45 PM
17085 Views
I have been following the Linea for quite long.from its launch in Turkey.This is of course a very hot sedan which have all the potential to upset the C and D segment. The car though is a sedan form of FIAT's highly successful hatch Grade Punto. But it is not like Swift Dezire which has a tinny boot attached to the Swift disrupting the overall design. Linea doesn't share anything in body parts compared to the Punto, whereas if we see the Dezire it is same as that of Swift upto the B pillar. So hat's of to the Italian designers for doing a fabulous job.Moreover Indian customers have never tasted anything like Maserati looks, so the Maserati grill and the wraparound headlamps just look stunning.I myself have seen the Linea for the first time in the Autoexpo2008, and I can tell you it looks more gorgeous than the photos. even for a price of 10L it seems to be a bargain.Many of us maybe obsessed about the CC thing. Like how can a 1248cc engine power a car bigger in size than the corolla. But the variable geometry turbocharger pumps in 86bhp's @4000rpm of power and a torque of 203Nm @2500rpm. This engine of Fiat is a gem.(u can figure it out if u have driven and compared the petrol and the diesel Swift).Fiat opted for different strategy in Turkey and that in India. If we look the price range of Linea in Turkey it is targeted at a lower segment say a C in India, but in India it is at C+ as none of the competitors have anything close to Linea.I feel one maynot expect razer sharp acceleration from Linea but the performance will be more than adequate. Looking into the quality of materials that has been used in Linea, I feel they are better than that of the New Honda City anyday. The layout of the Dash along with the dials looks cool. The interior space in Linea is also great but I wished there could have been more head room space for some airy feeling. Boot space is a generous 500 litres which is more than many of the cars twice as expensive except the Skoda sisters. I wished the loading area to be a little more approachable.Summing up the Fiat Linea looks to be a winner in almost every aspect, only thing is that Indian consumers don't change their brand perception soon.I wish Fiat Linea overcomes all its past and emerge as a New segment leader.
