Fighter Jet

Fiat began its second Indian innings with the launch of the Linea in January 2009. The Fiat Linea was initially launched in our country with a 1.3-litre multijet diesel engine (86bhp) and a 1.4-litre petrol engine (89bhp). The diesel, of course was the one to have in full-spec Emotion Pack trim and there’s no hiding the fact that it has always been on our favourite’s list. The Linea, apart from winning numerous awards, also walked away with the CarWale Car of the Year Award – Editor’s Choice for 2010. In spite of the Linea being an excellent product, Fiat had disappointed some of its fans, since most die-hard Fiat enthusiasts had expected a Fiat which will have outright performance. Those fans can now rejoice since Fiat will launch now the Linea with a 1.4-litre T-Jet (Turbo-Jet) petrol engine which should be the Italian manufacturer’s new Fighter Jet to storm the segment.

On the outside, the Linea T-Jet has undergone a few subtle changes which include bigger wheels and tyres. The very pretty 16” multi-spoke alloy wheel wears meaty 205/55 R16 rubber which really looks like it can handle some serious speed. This new wheel and tyre package has also helped by increasing the ground clearance to 170mm from 161mm on the other Linea’s. The other visual differentiators apart from the rather obvious T-Jet badging, are the new sporty roof antenna and the rectangular-chrome exhaust tip. The T-Jet will also be available in a new gold hue which they call Sunbeam Beige. We think the Linea looks a million bucks in any colour, but this new Gold shade really does look rather special. Fiat will also be offering a subtle bootlid spoiler which is an accessory, as are customized T-Jet floor mats and scuff-plates. We also thankfully hear that a decent set of mud-flaps will also be on offer – and those who’ve seen lovely Fiat’s with horrendous looking mud-flaps, will know exactly how such a small detail can ruin a car’s looks.

The interiors feel better to the touch. Fit & finish, not to mention materials, do feel a notch above than previous Linea's.

The interiors of the Linea have been upgraded as well and have a much better ‘quality’ feeling to them. Part of the reason could be that since the T-Jet is the flagship Linea, it gets high-quality imported leather upholstery, which really does give the cabin a far more opulent ambience. There’s a splash of chrome on the dash and soft touch bits on the dashboard. The fit of the plastic seems far better too and Fiat has been working hard as sorting out several fit-finish issues that consumers have been talking about in the past. In addition to the along the steering-mounted audio controls, the T-Jet gets a remote control which the passengers can use to work the audio system. Fiat has also worked on feedback they received to upgrade the air-con system to deal with higher ambient temperatures. The T-Jet gets a new rotary air-con compressor, reworked fan speeds and the results are obvious. There’s a significantly colder blast of air throughout the blower speeds and this improved air-con is also needed to cool the leather-lined interior more effectively.

The T-Jet powerplant is the main, and rather important, change under the bonnet. Wish the ‘T-Jet’ was painted red on the engine cover though!

Coming to the heart of the matter, the Fiat Linea T-Jet gets a 16-valve, 1368cc, turbo-charged petrol engine (Euro 5 compliant by the way!) which churns out 113bhp@5000rpm and a maximum torque of 207Nm@2200rpm. The torque produced by the Linea T-Jet is best-in-class with the closest petrol competitor in this segment producing close to 150Nm. The Fiat’s original 1.4-litre petrol engine has the same 1368cc engine block, however, there are several changes to the engine since it now boasts of a turbocharger which is running at 2.2bar. The T-Jet gets a new compact aluminum cylinder head and reworked valve train. This powerplant gets racing-ready spark plugs and pistons and for lesser vibration, this engine gets a double mass flywheel and low weight drive train. All this leads to the engine being far more responsive and reliable even when flogged – as we suspect most enthusiast drivers will do, since Fiat fans are a passionate lot! Incidentally this is the first turbo-petrol car in this segment, and Fiat has once again done a segment-first with the T-Jet.

Fighter Jet (contd...)

Once you’ve cranked the engine and slot the transmission into first, the difference is quite apparent immediately. The T-Jet is highly responsive and driving in the city will be far more stress free as compared to the older Linea petrol, since there’s plenty of power now available at the tap of your right foot. Overtaking has become much easier and you may not have to necessarily downshift for overtaking in most situations. The regular 1.4-litre Linea did 0-100kph in 15.3 seconds in our performance run and the T-Jet galloped to 100kph in 11.9seconds. This run wasn’t done in ideal test conditions, but it’s not too far off from Fiat’s claim of 11.14seconds to 100kph timing. The top speed of the Linea T-Jet is 186kph and is possibly restricted in the interests of safety. The gear knob on the Linea T-Jet remains the same as the other Linea’s, and quick shifts are still a joy. The in-gear runs will tell the truth on how much better the T-Jet is, but with the car being far more sprightly off its feet, we do think the T-Jet will throw figures to reckon with. Not only is the T-Jet quicker but it’s greener too. ARAI figures indicate an economy of 14.6kpl for the Linea T-Jet but we’ll wait to get our hands on it for a longer duration and find out how much it’ll actually deliver in real world conditions.

The new Sunbeam Beige colour that will be available exclusively only on the T-Jet and will be the launch colour for this car.

The Linea, like most modern Fiat’s, always had excellent ride and handling attributes and was one strong reason why it won our Car of the Year – Editors Choice Award. Not only did the Linea boast of great drivability along with these ride and handling characteristics, but also packed in several segment firsts like Blue&Me and MyCar. The underpinnings on the T-Jet remain the same with independent helical coil springs and stabiliser bar at its front and torsion beam at its rear along with the double telescopic dampers. But the T-Jet’s meaty 205/55R16 tyres go further to improve the handling since their bigger footprint really does help plenty! Our press demonstrator came with Goodyear Eagle NCT5 which is a level above the Goodyear GT3’s which are usually available on the other Linea variants that wear 195/65 R15 rubber. As the T-Jet produces more power than the regular 1.4-litre FIRE powerplant, and will be driven quickly, Fiat has replaced the rear drums with disc brakes for fade-free braking. Couple this with a bigger footprint, thanks to the larger tyres, and the T-Jet should have excellent braking performance in all conditions. And yes, ABS and EBD are standard!

Watch out for this T-Jet badge - for clearly this will be a passioniate owner who'll know their car! Don't mess with them.

In the initial stages of its launch, the Linea T-Jet will available only in Delhi, Mumbai and Pune. Fiat wants to concentrate on better customer service and overall presentation at all their touchpoints, since the Linea T-jet is a rather niche product and Fiat customers need a different level of service than they are currently used to in India. Showrooms will be renovated to offer a premium brand experience, and the customers will be received by a well-trained executive – a hostess – who will walk them through the product features apart from offering them Italian Coffee – for a truly Italian experience! The customer will also get a test drive of approximately 5kms which will include an open stretch of 1km, so that they can experience the power and torque of the T-Jet engine. Fiat India will also make its customers feel special post the purchase of their T-Jet, by sending them a special bottle of wine delivered to their home in a special Fiat Wine case! With a renewed focus on the customer and brand experience, Fiat India is now raising the game with the T-Jet. We reckon that Fiat will price the Linea T-Jet at just a shade over Rs 9 lakhs (ex-showroom, Mumbai) considering competition’s current pricing and will ensure that the Linea T-Jet is a lot more bang for the buck! The Fiat Linea T-Jet has great styling, thrilling performance, class-leading driving dynamics and has several premium features that really do make it stand apart. Then there’s the classy and ‘looks a million bucks’ styling. However some people still feel that Fiat service at dealerships needs to improve, which at the end of the day will jeopardize a truly great brand and an excellent product. Fiat India has aims of becoming a segment leader with the Linea T-Jet and although we certainly think that the T-Jet has what it takes, the question now is whether this Fighter Jet is capable of bombarding the competition?