With the launch of Fiat Linea Classic, competition in the entry-level sedan segment has got tougher. Major car companies like Honda, Chevrolet, Toyota have already stemmed their presence in the respective segment and since Fiat has aggressively priced its Linea Classic, it is very hard to predict a clear winner among the entry-level sedans. To assess the competition, the car will be pitted against Honda Amaze, Maruti Suzuki Swift DZire, Chevrolet Sail and Toyota Etios. At present, Amaze and Swift DZire models are the segment leaders and it seems quite hard for Fiat's car to outpace the demand of both these models.
Since Linea Classic is touted as an affordable car from the inventory of Fiat, it has undergone numerous changes as compared to the regular version of Linea. In order to price aggressively, the company has compromised on a lot of features like airbags, steering mounted audio controls, rear AC vents. Apart from it, the company has refrained from giving the 15-inch alloy wheels as seen the premium Linea model. Instead it comes with 14-inch steel rims and the buyers will need to shell out an extra amount to avail the optional feature of alloy wheels.
As reported, the recently introduced car of Fiat will provided sans the airbags, steering-mounted controls and chrome accents. Furthermore, the automatic air conditioning system and alloy wheels might be provided exclusively on Classic+ diesel variant. In the newly launched low-cost version of Linea, a black dashboard is provided that seems to be quite identical to the one given in Punto hatchback. As told by the company, Linea Classic is offered in two trims levels namely Classic and Classic+, which will be available in five colour options.
The latest offering of Fiat has been provided with a price tag of Rs. 5.99 lakh for the base variant while for the top-grade one, it goes up till Rs. 7.51 lakh (all prices are ex-showroom Delhi). The car is slotted in between the Punto hatchback and Linea sedan, in order to target the budget oriented sedan lovers. Linea Classic has been offered in both petrol and diesel engine options, having the same 5-speed manual transmission system. The petrol variant of the car is powered by a 1.4-litre engine that generates a peak output of 88 bhp. On the other hand, 1.3-litre diesel motor of Linea Classic is detuned to 74 bhp as opposed to the 91 bhp given on the premium model of Linea sedan. As claimed by Fiat, its entry-level sedan has the longest wheelbase as compared to same segment cars, which seems quite impressive to the industry experts.
