Fiat Linea Fire Active

Linea Fire Active Review

Fiat Motors is one of the illustrious car makers across global markets. Their Linea sedan in India is one of the most prominent model series, which is being sold in quite a few variants. Among them, Fiat Linea Fire Active is the entry level petrol variant. Its outer appearance is simply outstanding and comes equipped with a number of striking aspects. Its frontage has a well designed radiator grille, body colored bumper with a wide air intake section and a couple of fog lamps. At the same time, this sedan has a spacious internal cabin, which can easily accommodate five passengers. Apart from these, it also has a number of safety aspects that enhances the security of its passengers as well as the vehicle. Some of these include immobilizer with rolling code, fire prevention system and driver seat belt warning light. In terms of technical specifications, this variant has a 1.4-litre FIRE petrol engine, which has the ability of producing 88.8bhp in combination with a torque of 115Nm. This sedan is competing against the likes of Ford Classic, Tata Zest, Chevrolet Sail, Toyota Etios, Mahindra Verito, Maruti Ciaz and others in this segment. It is being sold with a standard warranty period for three years or 100000 Kilometers (whichever is earlier). In addition to this, it is also available with 24x7 roadside emergency assistance for a period of 50 months, which is rather good.


Exteriors:

This sedan has an aerodynamic body structure, which is fitted with a number of striking aspects. To start with the front fascia, it has a well designed headlight cluster that is integrated with powerful halogen headlamps. The radiator grille has an aggressive look and a thick chrome surround. Just below this is a body colored bumper that is expressively designed and houses a wide air intake section for cooling the engine quickly. The large windscreen is made of tinted glass and integrated with a set of intermittent wipers. Its side profile is very elegantly designed with a few visible character lines and body colored door handles. The external rear view mirrors are also painted in body color and are electrically adjustable. The flared up wheel arches are fitted with a set of 15-inch steel wheels that have full wheel covers. These are covered with tubeless tyres of size 195/60 R15. Coming to the rear end, it comes with a body colored bumper that has a couple of reflectors along with a courtesy lamp. The boot lid is garnished with a thick strip and variant badging as well. It is designed with an overall length of 4596mm along with a total width of 1730mm, which includes both external rear view mirrors. The decent height is 1487mm and has a minimum ground clearance of 185mm.


Interiors:

The insides have been done up very stylishly with extremely smooth surfaces. The cabin is made with high quality plastic material and is complimented by ambient lighting. Its seating arrangement is very comfortable with well cushioned seats that are covered with good quality premium upholstery. However, the company has used cloth based upholstery for covering the seats. The smooth dashboard is equipped with various features that gives the cabin an elegant look. It is equipped with chrome accentuated AC vents, a large glove box, a three spoke steering with multifunctional switches and a driver information system. The illuminated instrument cluster is equipped with various functions for keeping the driver updated. The list of functions are a digital clock, external temperature display, real-time mileage indicator, programmed service reminder, trip calculator, programmable follow me home lamp and so on. It has a 12V power socket in center console for charging mobiles and other electronic devices. The company has given a number of utility based aspects, which are cup and bottle holders on the rear armrest, two glove boxes, power windows, map pockets in front doors, electric trunk opener, sun visors with vanity mirrors and many other such aspects.


Engine and Performance:

Under the bonnet, this variant is fitted with a 1.4-litre FIRE petrol engine, which comes with a displacement capacity of 1368cc. This engine comprises of 4-cylinders and sixteen valves using double overhead camshaft based valve configuration. It has the ability to produce a maximum power of 88.8bhp at 6000rpm and yields a peak torque output of 115Nm at 4500rpm that is rather good for Indian road conditions. This motor is skillfully coupled with a five speed manual transmission gearbox that allows torque distribution to its front wheels and improves the engine's performance. With the help of a sequential fuel injection supply system, this vehicle can deliver a decent fuel economy.


Braking and Handling:

The company has used ventilated disc brakes for front wheels and drum brakes for rear ones. For maintaining the vehicle's stability on any road, the company has used an independent wheel to its front axle, while the rear one gets a torsion beam type of mechanism. Both these axles are further loaded with helical coil springs along with double acting telescopic dampers and stabilizer bars that enables it to deal with all the jerks caused on roads. It is incorporated with a highly responsive power steering system that offers smooth and precise steering feel. This tilt and telescopic adjustable steering wheel supports a minimum turning radius of 5.4 meters.


Comfort Features:

For giving a pleasurable driving experience to the passengers sitting inside, the company has bestowed this elegant sedan with a lot of sophisticated features. It is equipped with a manual HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) unit along with AC vents for the rear seat as well. Its all four power windows come with delay and auto down function that adds to the convenience level. It has sun visors with illuminated vanity mirrors for both driver and co-passenger. The driver seat has a height adjustment facility and it comes with proper lumbar support as well. Apart from these, it is incorporated with cup and bottle holders, a desmodronic foldable key, internal roof light with dimming effect, rear defogger with timer, rear roof light, remote keyless entry and tailgate opener, tilt adjustable steering and many other such aspects.


Safety Features:

This variant is incorporated with numerous protective aspects that ensure protection of its passengers as well as the vehicle. The list includes double crank prevention system, exact door open indicators and Fire Prevention System that automatically cuts-off the fuel-flow in case of impact. The company has given it an advanced engine immobilizer with rolling code that prevents the vehicle from any unauthorized access. The 3-point ELR (emergency locking retracting) seat belts are given for all passengers along with pretensioner and load limiter, which maximizes the safety of the occupants sitting inside. This sedan has a rigid body structure featuring crumple zones and impact beams for reducing the shock of collision.

Pros:

1. Braking and suspension mechanism is quite efficient.
2. Sleek and lustrous body design makes it look attractive.

Cons:

1. Still scope to improve its internal section.
4. Lack of music system is a big minus point.