New Fiat Linea Review

I was handed over the keys to a Fiat Linea 125-S on a rather quiet Wednesday afternoon. At the time, I never fathomed that a quaint looking sedan could change what seemed to be an extremely long day into an incredibly thrilling one. As I stepped into the sun and looked up in a hope to see clouds, my gaze fell upon her, while she lay baking in the scorching heat. The twist of a key brought her 1.4 litre, turbocharged, 4 cylinder petrol motor to life and only then did I realise what lay in store for the remainder of my day.

The Linea 125-S is not a sports car, but it has the fastest petrol motor amongst all the c-segment sedans in the Indian market. To put things into perspective her 1.4 litre, turbocharged, 4 cylinder motor puts out a neat 123.2bhp at 5000rpm. Thanks to a turbo, the motor is extremely peppy and nothing feels linear about her motion. The engine churns out a healthy 208Nm of torque at 3500rpm but none of these figures can do justice to how aggressive this sedan feels. Once you slot in the first gear and floor the accelerator pedal, the world begins to blur out as you are thrown back into your seat. The Linea 125-S is quick through the first three gears but on highways one can really stretch out her legs and cruise at healthy speeds, over taking literally feels like a breeze.

On the inside as well, the cabin feels spacious and the warm colour tones are quite welcoming. The overall design theme on the inside does feel a tad bit dated but exceptional build quality as well as the use of fine materials can easily compensate. The Linea 125-S also gets plenty of features like bluetooth, AUX and USB connectivity as well as a touch screen infotainment setup with navigation. The Linea also gets electrically adjustable ORVMs but they are not electrically retractable. The steering also has controls for the infotainment system and a lever for cruise control. Rear passenger comfort is also quite good with provisions for a rear AC vent and a centre arm rest as well. In the cabin, passenger comfort is quite good, the seats are quite comfortable and provide adequate support. The vehicles ride and handling dynamics also contribute to a smooth ride. The Linea rides on an independent wheel suspension setup in the front and a torsion beam in the rear. The suspension is on the softer side, it gobbles up bad roads with ease and even while driving at speeds in excess of 130kmph, the vehicle feels planted to the road.

To facilitate confident driving, Fiat has also installed a complete disc brake setup on the Linea 125-S. With all four wheels running discs, the vehicles braking performance is exceptional. The brakes, however, lack feel. That being said, one must understand that this does not in any way affect the vehicles braking performance. In panic braking situations the vehicle can come to a halt in a matter of seconds, which is rather good, when compared to some segment leaders. The Linea 125-S gets a ground clearance of 190mm which is extremely useful, especially considering the bad roads on faces in our country. The vehicle can easily clear undulations and is rather good when tackling poorly designed speed breakers. The steering on the Linea 125-S weighs up well, even at high speeds the mildest of inputs are accurate and one gets a very confident driving experience. The steering also provides just the right amount of feedback from the wheels and is a real pleasure to drive.

The Linea 125-S delivers a fuel efficiency of 13-14kmpl in the city, which is quite decent and gets a fuel tank of 45 litres giving the sedan a range of over 600kms. The Linea does come with right bells and whistles one desires in a vehicle of its category. But then it does feel dated in terms of interior design and styling. But when it comes to drivability the Linea 125-S is unmatched by all its petrol rivals and that makes it one of the strongest contenders in the category. While the Linea 125-S is a tad bit pricey and will set you back by Rs. 11.78 lakh (on-road Delhi), it does appeal to a petrol head who craves undiluted performance and power.