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Linea-ge matters

Istanbul, Turkey. Where Europe meets the bulk of Asia across the narrow Bosphorus straight. A land of diverging cultures, where modern society and ancient practices blend seamlessly in a cultural melting pot. But we’re not here for a socio-cultural tour, or to have the strong coffee, sip the sweet apple tea or soak in the myriad sights. No, nothing as frivolous as that. There’s serious excitement at hand. We’re here to sample Fiat’s new-generation saloon, one that actually will attempt a cross-cultural leap of its own. Any car that wows you this much at first glance has a massive shot at success. Roll your eyeballs over the smooth flowing lines, take in the proportions, digest the crisply- styled details, and the last thing you can think of is an ‘econobox’. Far from it, this is a piece of automotive eye candy! Even more stunning in the flesh, you’re stopped in your tracks by the large two-part grille and those high-mounted, streaked-back, wraparound headlights. The design is aggressive — a bulky bottom-heavy nose, twin circular elements inside the headlight bowls and machine gun port foglamps in the chin. It has a real Maserati vibe about it. I walk around the side. The lines of the car sweep over in one motion from the high bonnet, over the steeply raked windscreens and onto the boot. There are some Audi-like Teutonic character lines as well. Prominent wheel arches, quarter-glasses front and rear and that high waistline. The rear isn’t as attractive. Overhang, over the rear wheels, is considerable, and apart from the tail-lights the rear is near-featureless. The four-and-a-half-metre-long Linea is the length of a Toyota Corolla and has a longer wheelbase. This means there is plenty of cabin and luggage space. I open the boot to place my bag in and am amazed at the 500 litres of space. Wide and deep, this is exactly what you need for bulky luggage. It looks inviting on the inside too. Cabin space is very generous, the design of the dash delivers an upmarket big-car feel and the seats are big and comfortable. The three-spoke steering wheel fits perfectly in your hand, the big red Fiat logo looks great and there are control buttons on the steering wheel too. A Bluetooth-based Microsoft system allows you to use a built-in hands-free system via the car’s speakers. Known as Blue and Me, this system allows you to download your phone book, use voice commands, and your messages are read out over the speakers too! You can also access the MP3 music from your phone and even use the USB port to install your iPod. It may cost a bit, but this feature is sure to go down well with tech and gadget-loving Indian drivers. The design of the dash though is pretty traditional. The pod-like centre console and the general layout have been carried over from the Grande Punto, the Linea’s sister car, but Fiat has used textures and colours to brighten it up. The dials and central console are finished in what looks like satin-finished aluminium and the dials have the look and feel of vintage chronometers. With all that space between the wheels, the Linea has plenty of room for passengers. The seats in the airy cabin feel larger than those on cars in this class and the width at the rear is almost as much as on the Honda Civic — which actually is a class above. And legroom for the rear seat passengers is comparable too. The rear bench is placed at a good height, the seat supports a large portion of your thigh and the backrest is very supportive. Overall comfort levels are also enhanced by the presence of an air con vent at the rear. And if Fiat chooses to do so, it could be well equipped for the Indian market. ABS, six airbags, and even ESP are all available on these cars. Comfort levels are high on the move as well. The Linea’s suspension has been designed to deal with poor roads, like we have here in India, and the ride is as absorbent as a sponge. The stiff modern chassis, tall springs and soft shocks deliver a velvet-footed ride that is unlikely to be matched by any of the competition and this makes sitting in the rear of the Linea a real treat. It simply sailed over some really bad patches of road in Turkey, with almost no deflection felt in the cabin. And progress was silent too, with only sharp-edged potholes causing the suspension to deliver a thunk-thunk. The Linea, however, displayed a tendency to pitch or rock back and forth over broken sections. Up front, in the driver’s seat, comfort is similarly impressive. The steering wheel is adjustable for reach and rake, the seats can be adjusted every which way and the driver gets electrical lumbar or lower back support too. With the suspension tuned specifically for a comfortable ride, it’s no wonder that the Linea isn’t one of the sharpest-handling cars. Straightline stability is good and the Linea tracks dead straight, even at high speeds, never feeling loose. It’s not ideally suited to being cornered hard however and you start to loose confidence the harder you drive the car. Turn is strong and the steering ratio quick, but it feels soggy and feedback to your palms isn’t great. Couple that with a tendency of the non-independent rear suspension to roll and a similarly spongy brake pedal and baulky, rubbery gearlever and you have a car that prefers a more relaxed pace. The grip at the front wheels is pretty impressive, however, but this is wasted. This car drives more like an Opel than a Fiat and that’s probably because it is built on GM’s Gamma platform, shared with the new Opel Corsa. A throwback to when GM owned part of Fiat. Most cars sold in India will come powered by Fiat’s omnipresent 1.3 Mutijet second-generation common- rail diesel. As widespread as Intel now, with Maruti, Tata and even Chevrolet to use the motor, this engine is similar to the one that powers the Swift Diesel. The big difference, however, is the presence of a Variable Geometry Turbo that responds well to low and high engine loads. This allows Fiat to use a lot more turbo boost with less penalty in the throttle lag department. Power now is an impressive Skoda Octavia-matching 90bhp and torque a huge 20kgm too, incredible for a 1248cc motor. In reality, however, there is some turbo lag. The turbo takes a while to produce boost below 2000rpm, and this means you need to be in a lower gear to avoid being bogged down in the ebb and flow of everyday traffic. It is possible to amble along comfortably, but passing other cars at this engine speed is difficult. However, once the boost comes in above 2000rpm, the Linea feels like a different car altogether. The midrange is strong and the car feels lightfooted and ready to go. The short powerband needs regular gearshifts, but passing power is good and the torque from the diesel makes easy work of the Linea’s 1.2-tonne kerb weight. Flat-out acceleration is adequate too and the car feels well balanced. It’s not a quick diesel, but the inherent refinement, smoothness and driveability of the motor mean it is well suited for Indian conditions. Fiat has a choice of two petrol motors for the Linea — a 77bhp 1.4 and an exciting 120bhp turbocharged version of the same. The power output of the normally aspirated motor may not impress, but it is reputed to be very driveable and torquey. This is likely to be the version launched here. The 120bhp T-Jet motor we got to sample is much more exciting. Performance is very strong as you can imagine, and the car feels as fast as the Civic and the Corolla in a straight line. And, it’s not just the power, but that extra bit of torque delivered by the turbocharged motor that makes a difference. The midrange is very strong and responsive, with the Linea feeling very rapid in the midrange of the powerband. While there is a bit of lag at low speeds, keeping this petrol motor on the ball is less of a chore than the diesel. This motor, however, does tend to get coarse and feels very strained above 5000rpm, and even sounds like it is doing itself some damage. When it comes to the crunch, big-match temperament makes all the difference. That important bit of extra energy, the ability to dig deep and, of course, the mental strength to keep your head while edifices all around you crumble like apple pie. And big-match temperament is exactly what Fiat designers and engineers have shown recently. The cars they have built under pressure seem to have that touch of Latin genius about them and this is true of the Linea, built in collaboration with their Turkish partners, too. Comfortable to ride and sit in, very attractive to look at and pleasant to drive, the Linea offers a lot. It’s not perfect, but its strengths match the requirement of Indian customers almost to a T. And the best part is that this car will be terrific value. Fiat is serious about making a comeback in the Indian market and the Linea with an expected price of Rs 7-8 lakh, depending on the model, will give it the right opportunity. Once almost in the clutches of receivership internationally, Fiat today has recovered and is making a profit. An incredible comeback; and there’s no reason why it can’t do the same here. The company has the requisite artillery for sure.

 

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