[FINTAIL]

I was cycling along- suddenly, this Linea decided to zip along and overtake. One thing was evident, the engine was doing so- relatively effortlessly.

Maybe this was a placebo effect- But diesel clatter was evident. Felt somewhat different than the usual 1.3 MJD Powered Linea. Perhaps.

This guy decided to stop- and I spent some time with the car. The interiors were the usual 2014/15 Facelifted ones, no changes there. What seemed a tad different was- The placement of the radiator. When I saw the 1.3 MJD equipped facelifted Linea for the first time, I couldn't help notice, that:
A] The 1.3 MJD was a compact & neat fit into the engine bay.
B] The radiator was placed quite inwards- That is there was quite some distance between the radiator and the front bumper/air inlet.

What was so different with this one? The radiator position remained similar, quite inwards, compared to other cars, wherein one can bend the radiator fins using ones own fingers, from the air dam/ inlets (i.e the Radiator Grille) itself.

On the fact that the car did have diesel clatter evident, and it seemed quite similar to the 2014/15 Linea 1.3 MJD-

Why was this one undergoing testing, when the Linea 1.3 MJD is a tried-and-tested product?

Is it the 1.5?










The tyres seem the usual GoodYear NCT5's. Going by the alloy wheels (similar to the 2014/15 Dynamic)-is this the Dynamic 1.5 MJD?

[FINTAIL]

The links to the concerned Linea threads:

The 2014/15 Model Year facelift: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...ve-review.html

The Linea 1.6 MJD speculation thread: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...a-1-6-mjd.html

An ownership review: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...00-kms-up.html

The 1.5 MJD () : http://www.cartoq.com/fiat-india-vol...diesel-engine/

And the most important of them all- and prime reason for speculating whether the car in question above, is the 1.5 MJD or not: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...coming-up.html

The T-Jet is headed into the Punto. Well- Why shouldn't the Linea come with the 1.5 MJD?

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Indian Car Scene. Thanks for sharing!

[SunnyBoi]

I think its one of the old models without any camo removed.

I took these pics in May 2014 at our office campus, seems it came for some form of testing. Weird part is the car was lying unused in the same place till last week when it suddenly disappeared.





The registration number on the pics you spotted seems older than what I have seen on the car in my pics.

Next time try to observe the top left corner of the rear windscreen, they would have printed engine and chassis info

[Gannu_1]

Originally Posted by FINTAIL

The tyres seem the usual GoodYear NCT5's.

Apollo Aceleres:



Those alloys look slick!

[sandeepmohan]

Originally Posted by Gannu_1

Those alloys look slick!

I have yet to come across a boring set of alloy wheels on a Fiat. Even the relic 1.2 Palio Sport had a really nice set of wheels.

I also noticed that the radio antenna is different. Wonder if the car is a full import.

Originally Posted by FINTAIL

Is it the 1.5?

Is there a 1.5l diesel in the power train portfolio? I thought there was only 1.6l diesel. No need for downsizing anymore right?

[neoonwheels]

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan

I have yet to come across a boring set of alloy wheels on a Fiat. Even the relic 1.2 Palio Sport had a really nice set of wheels.

I also noticed that the radio antenna is different. Wonder if the car is a full import.



Is there a 1.5l diesel in the power train portfolio? I thought there was only 1.6l diesel. No need for downsizing anymore right?

Last heard, there was a test going on 1.5 MJD. Our govt forces these companies to introduce new variants of the same engines (1.6 MJD) for excise benefits. Not sure if the excise benefit is still applicable for 1.5 though.

[Roomy]

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan

I have yet to come across a boring set of alloy wheels on a Fiat. Even the relic 1.2 Palio Sport had a really nice set of wheels.

True!! Always sexy wheels for the hot Italian ladies.

Is there a 1.5l diesel in the power train portfolio? I thought there was only 1.6l diesel. No need for downsizing anymore right?

They do not have 1.5L MJD, but it makes utmost sense to downsize the1.6L mill to bring it down to comply with the excise savings for the small car category(Read Punto). I am sure no one is going to complain when we get more torque and power in a Linea without suffering any of the extra excise duty a bigger mill attracts. I hope they bring this to the market soon, the Indian market needs a bigger, better, badass engine to awaken people up from the slumber known as the 1.3MJD.

[rohanjf]

Why is it that we are all assuming it to be 1.5 MJD? What if the test is for the same old 1.3 MJD, but with AMT? Was FINTAIL able to observe that?

[FINTAIL]

Originally Posted by GTO

[b]Thread moved Assembly Line to the Indian Car Scene.

Thanks!

Originally Posted by SunnyBoi

I think its one of the old models without any camo removed.

Our candidate didn't have this. Quite certainly.

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan

ed that the radio antenna is different. Wonder if the car is a full import.

Reply given below.

Originally Posted by rohanjf

Why is it that we are all assuming it to be 1.5 MJD? What if the test is for the same old 1.3 MJD, but with AMT? Was FINTAIL able to observe that?

Again- open to speculation. Either of these changes- and I'm pitching for them.

Our candidate did have a stick for shifting- But I was unable to notice whether it was AT or MT. You see- I was looking at the instrument cluster to gauge the revv limit. Since it was a bit low- It was a diesel. Rest all was mostly similar.

What is utterly clear is- The Linea is undergoing further testing. Since the MJD is a tried & tested version, we cannot be very certain so as to why additional testing was being carried out.

We can speculate- 1.5/1.6 MT/AT. Whatever. But the fact that the interior isn't camoflaged points to something. The changes (for which the car is being tested) are elsewhere. And since this one just felt a bit different- I'll assume that it is the 1.5.

The AMT Manufacturer of Celerio, Zest et cetera, Magneti Marelli (which is again, a FIAT subsidary, BTW ) has their HQ in Pune. Perhaps it was the AMT. Testing is on for a change, and most likely changes are:
A] AMT
B]1.5 MJD.

Ah- lets see!

The mystery of the antenna: Sandeep's observations are quite correct. They're different. The antenna's. But not so different as well.

An oxymoron? Read on- The 2009-10 Linea's used to come with the same antenna's as shown in the camo'd car (2014/15 Dynamic) clicked by me. Interesting to note that the earliest Linea's used to have an impressive imported parts content-I don't recall how much- Perhaps around 75% ?

The earliest Linea's assembled in Pune- Were mostly CKD from Turkey. Let's thus, observe the antenna of such a Linea (with all the imported parts!) Ladies and gentlemen, say hi to MH12FK 8384 (nice number, na?) Seems it's owned by an Armyman!

The antenna- Look below:



Now- going by the registration- MH12ET was 2008. EX would've been first quarter of 2009- approx. The immediate next series- FK (this one!) was I guess started sometime in May 2009. Approx. The oldest Linea I know is MH12FK 1381- I guess. Golden in colour, 1.4 FIRE.

Okay- compare the older antenna to the newer one- October 2010 T-Jet. Pic from T-BHP review:


You see- The difference is evident. All the 2014 + Linea's come with the antenna depicted above.

SO-: What is a test Linea in 2015 doing with an antenna design that was phased out in the previous decade itself? I guess the Turkish Linea's come with the longer design?

A look at FIAT Turkey's version of the Linea (pic from IAB):

The Turkish facelift version has the SAME antenna as the Indian spec 2009 one! Ahhhh--- Ladies and gentlemen, the car (test mule!) is imported from Turkey!

So (conclusion) - A Turkish built (quite likely!) Linea is doing the rounds in Pune as a test mule. What fun!

[CliffHanger]

Oh dear Fiat! The Linea is long dead and had its enough share of face-lifts.

Please move on and try bringing in new products!

[neoonwheels]

Why would FIAT test Turkish Linea here ? They have the local assembly line here and I dont think the Turkish market has 1.5 mjd. So if its 1.5, it can very well be locally assembled Linea.

[sandeepmohan]

With Fiat being slow with just about everything, I guess they forgot to remove the masking tapes and this is just an old test mule. Or this could be a 90hp tune of the same 1.3l block under test for timing chain issues.

I thought the deletion of excise benefits for engines over a 1.5l capacity was removed last month or was it for something else?

The masking tape over the badge on the side should reveal the motor under this car. I will be happy if it reads Multijet II or Multiair.

[PCIHD]

Impressive. To me all Lineas look beautiful. If they are planning to upgrade the engine to a 1.5 then it is a really good idea.Because the 1.3 does work efficiently and does not show any signs of strain in the Punto . If we consider the case of linea it feels under powered due to the additional massive boot space added in the rear.
So if they are considering an upgrade then its great . It will give Linea the edge required. This will add more plus points to the vehicle when compared to the pinto.

[AMP]

I have noticed a similar camouflaged Linea in my building twice. It seems the driver of that car lives in my society. I spoke to security guard and find out that this car get parked there once in a week. Next time(whenever i see it) will try to find out some more details.