Fiat has introduced the Linea 1.4 petrol which is nearly Rs. 1.26 lakh cheaper than the diesel. But is the petrol motor equally talented? Does the huge saving on the sticker price make sense? AutoCar (March ’09) finds out…

First impressions are pretty good as AutoCar testers (March ’09) work the twin-cam 16-valve engine. Crank the engine and it settles down to a smooth idle. Slot the tall gearlever into first and one can feel the springy clutch, which has a long travel. And as one eases off the clutch pedal and give it some throttle, the Linea noses ahead smartly. The short first gear gives an impression of a willing engine but as one shifts gear – there is a lack of urge from the Linea’s motor…thus one has to use a generous amount of throttle, before one feels any real acceleration.

But what the Linea lacks in low-end grunt, it makes up with an eager engine. This Italian engine loves to be revved and this all-aluminum motor really starts to come on song past 4000rpm. Flat-out acceleration is modest; the result of a small engine in a big car and the 100kph benchmark comes up in a lazy 15.14 seconds.

On the highway, the engine’s strong top-end gives the Linea sufficient overtaking grunt but the short gearing means cruising is not so relaxed. This also has a knock-on effect on fuel consumption – the Linea did no better than 13.4kpl in the highway cycle. In the city; a figure of 9.4kpl puts it on par with the competition.

If the Linea’s engine left the AutoCar testers (March ’09), the rest of the car continued to dazzle the team. The interior is superbly equipped and except for a few cheap-looking plastics bits it’s well finished too. The cabin is not as generous as the Linea’s exterior dimensions suggest but it’s large enough for most.

Like the diesel, AutoCar (March ’09), loves the Linea’s solid build quality. The ride and handling is also outstanding and quite simply in a class of its own.

Priced at Rs. 8.10 lakh, the Linea petrol is outstanding value purely from the amount of car one gets for this price. It’s big, comfortable, has peerless road manners and comes packed with equipment.