The Fiat Linea gets reloaded with a turbocharger and is now ready to breathe fire into the face of competition. Grrrowl!
Story Sarmad Kadiri
Photography Sanjay Raikar
Although the new Fiat models have
been getting positive reviews for their oomph factor and tantalising design, they haven’t yet been able to elicit similar applause for their performance. Surprisingly, the same engine, when used by other manufacturers like Tata Motors, feels better to drive. Engine tuning was not entirely to blame, for Fiat hadn’t given the cars the right gear ratio keeping Indian driving habits in mind.
Finally, the car-maker has offered a smashing new engine that does justice to the Italian piece of art. The Linea now comes armed with the all-new 1.4-litre T-Jet, making it the first car in the premium ‘C’ segment that boasts of a turbo-charged petrol engine. This new and imported powertrain uses a 2.2-bar turbo to churn out a massive 207 Nm of torque, which kicks in at just 2,200 rpm and carries on all the way to 6,000 rpm. That’s about 50 Nm more torque than the VW Vento. However, the Linea’s peak power of 114 PS is still a bit less than the City’s, which produces 118 PS. These figures show a vast improvement over the Linea’s current petrol engine, which will also be available for the faint-hearted.
The 1,368-cc engine block from the current petrol motor still does duty on the T-Jet, but there are several new technologies incorporated to enhance performance and efficiency. The engine now has a light-weight aluminium cylinder head and improved valve train. The T-Jet is based on the direct-injected technology which is fast becoming the new mantra among auto engineers all over the world. Unlike naturally aspirated motors the T-Jet injects the fuel directly into the combustion chamber and, in doing so, enhances the performance capabilities of small displacement engines. This technology helps produce oodles of torque, increases fuel economy by burning the fuel more efficiently and, in turn, makes the vehicle more environment-friendly on account of low emission.
Step on the gas and you’re greeted by the familiar sweet whirl of the turbo and the performance figures also do not fail to impress. The in-gear performance of the sedan is also appreciable, even though the turbo kicks in about 2,000 rpm. However, the engine might feel slightly hesitant if you do not pay attention to the demand of the gearbox. The T-Jet outperforms the older mill by about 2.5 seconds by reaching 100 km/h from standstill in just 11.28 seconds and is now at par with the competition. It’s also more fuel-efficient and delivers 16 km/l on the highway and 10.5 km/l within the city.
Not that Fiat pulled this more powerful motor out from their Italian chapeau and squeezed it under the Linea’s bonnet. The ‘T-Jet Plus’ has several other features that complement the turbocharged mill’s performance ability. The ride and handling of T-Jet Plus is strengthened thanks to the sweet 16” alloy wheels that run on large 205/55 R16 Goodyear Eagle NCT5 tyres. The new rubber makes the car look even more alluring and also raises its ground clearance to 170 mm. However, this also causes it to under-steer a little and the large turning radius can be a nightmare while driving around narrow lanes and by-lanes. Fiat have also tweaked the suspension and now it feels more compliant even on bad patches. The steering feedback is good, though the handling is not as precise as the Vento’s.
The Linea is also the first car in this segment to sport all four disc brakes and they bite deep and they bite well. There are other frills such as a sporty roof antenna, a chrome exhaust tip, a new Sunbeam Beige colour and the all-important T-Jet tag on the boot. The interior gets fine imported leather upholstery, the dashboard has a nice soft touch rubber and the overall finish of the car seems better than the previous Linea. The engineers have upgraded the air-conditioning system with a new rotary compressor.
Fiat will initially focus on two of the ‘most important’ markets (according to their press release), Mumbai/Pune and New Delhi/NCR, as they constitute 60 per cent sales volume in the C-plus segment. Other metros will also be offered the Linea T-Jet, but a little later. At Rs 10.03 lakh (OTR, Pune), the ‘T-jet Plus’ is about Rs 80,000 more expensive than the Vento 1.6 Highline, Rs 20,000 cheaper than the City 1.5 V and about Rs 1.5 lakh more than the older Linea with a Fire engine. The base version of the T-Jet, which does not have leather seats nor chrome trims and runs on smaller 195/60 R15 wheels, is almost 50 kg heavier and Rs 50,000 cheaper than the ‘T-Jet Plus’.
Wish Fiat had launched the Linea with this commendable motor right from the beginning. Now we just wish them luck.
