As the new 2014 FIAT Linea makes its way towards a showroom near you, we take a closer look at the T-Jet Emotion variant to see what sets it apart from its predecessors and competitors alike.
Story: Harket Suchde
Photography: Sanjay Raikar
FIAT have a rich history of affordable sedans in India. After all, you can still see the Premier Padmini (derived from the FIAT 1100 Delight) being driven on the roads even today, over half-a-decade after they were first sold here. Now the Italian marque has launched the latest version of their current sedan offering in the country, the Linea. The 2014 Linea is more of an evolution rather than a revolution, and the spine and heart of this car are retained from the older version. It isn’t all old-hat, though, because the Linea looks better than ever before. This is thanks to a variety of visual upgrades, both outside and inside. Beauty is only skin-deep, though, and FIAT have made sure the new Linea is smarter too, as the technology that goes into the car has also been put through the wringer.
While the basic shape of the car hasn’t changed, the sudden abundance of chrome that can be found adorning everything from the grille to the a-c vents of the new Linea definitely brings the bling. Not that I’m complaining, mind you, because the design staff has found the all-important balance between glitz and kitsch, and the chrome really sets off the new front and rear bumpers, and highlights the refurbished centre console and air-con vents. This, along with the bigger alloy wheels (15-inch are standard on the bottom two variants, with the 16s standard for the Emotion we’ve driven here), has transformed the car from understated to eye-catching in one fell swoop. Rounding up the exterior changes is the addition of indicators to the wing mirrors.
