Fiat unveiled the Linea facelift in the Indian market at the 2014 Auto Expo. The vehicle becomes all the more desirable with the changes it has received. The 2014 Fiat Linea gets a massively altered interior with new parts used extensively. Along with the new dashboard, the Linea has also got a new instrument cluster (we liked the old one more as it looked really classy). The exterior changes make the Fiat Linea look fresh which will help it fight it out against new competitors like the next generation Honda City, Ford Fiesta facelift and updated Nissan Sunny.
Fiat has now opened bookings for the new Linea facelift in India. The vehicle will be launched on the 5th of March but display cars will arrive at showrooms by the end of the month. Sources inform us that the company will start showcasing the facelifted Linea at Fiat Caffes starting from the 26th of this month. The facelifted Linea replaces the regular Linea in the Indian market while the Linea Classic will continue to be sold, competing with entry level sedans.
We have already briefed you about the features on the updated Linea as we got our hands on the brochure of the car. Besides the features found on the old car, the facelift also comes with a cruise control system. Equipment from the old Linea will be carried over which includes Blue&Me Bluetooth system, automatic headlights and wipers, 16-inch alloy wheels, leather upholstery, rear AC vents, rear parking sensors, ABS, front airbags, etc.
Fiat had themselves confirmed plans of bringing the 1.6-litre Multijet diesel engine in the updated Linea. The company has been testing the facelifted model extensively on Indian roads since more than 8 months now but disappointingly enough, the Linea facelift being launched next month won’t be equipped with a 1.6-litre diesel engine. Fiat will instead power the car with the same set of engines, 1.3-litre Multijet diesel and 1.4-litre T-Jet petrol. With Maruti planning to launch the SX4 S-Cross with the 1.6-litre diesel engine sourced from Fiat, we expect Fiat to bring the more powerful diesel engine to India later this year.
