Fiat Linea Classic vs premium hatchbacks: Is it really more car for similar price?
Fiat recently launched a stripped-down cheaper version of its mid-size sedan, calling it the Fiat Linea Classic and pitting it directly not just against entry-level compact sedans such as the Maruti Dzire and the Honda Amaze, but also trying to attract buyers of popular premium hatchbacks such as the Maruti Swift, Hyundai i20, Volkswagen Polo and perhaps also getting some of Fiat’s own Punto customers to consider the larger car. Fiat’s own advertising is targetting buyers of premium hatchbacks, and hence this comparison.
Priced at Rs. 5.99 lakh ex-showroom for the petrol Linea and Rs. 6.95 lakh and Rs. 7.51 for the two diesel variants, the Fiat Linea Classic does seem like a tempting choice, and has been attracting a lot of queries. Is it really a much better value-for-money car compared to premium hatchbacks? Here’s a quick head-to-head with four premium hatchbacks.
Fiat Linea Classic’s overall length: 4560 mm. Maruti Swift’s overall length: 3850 mm. That’s nearly 70 centimetres more car for Rs. 22,000 more. The Maruti Swift ZXI petrol is priced at Rs. 5.77 lakh ex-showroom Delhi, while the Fiat Linea Classic petrol is priced at Rs. 5.99 lakh. The Maruti Swift has a 1.2 litre petrol engine that puts out 86 bhp of power and 114 Nm of torque, with a kerb weight of 1010 Kg, giving it a fairly good power to weight ratio of just under 86 bhp per ton. The Swift also features automatic climate control, electric mirrors, two airbags and ABS – all features that the Fiat Linea Classic does not have. But what the Fiat Linea Classic has plenty of is space – more than enough for five adults and small touches like AC vents for the rear passengers, make it comfortable. The 1.4 litre petrol engine puts out 88 bhp of power and 115 Nm of torque, but with a fairly heavy kerb weight of 1180 Kg, it is at a disadvantage.
The diesel Fiat Linea Classic too compares well price-wise with the Swift diesel. The Swift ZDI is priced at Rs. 6.88 lakh, just about Rs. 7000 lower than the Linea Classic. Both have equal power from the same engine – the 1.3 multijet sourced from Fiat, putting out 74 bhp of power. While this is adequate for the Swift, it’s slightly underpowered for the Linea.
Therefore, if you are a person who loves driving and needs features, especially safety features, the Swift would still be a better choice. Of course, the Linea is better if you want space – and also that feeling of security that comes with a larger, solidly-built car. It also has a huge 500 litre boot compared to just 210 litres for the Swift.
Now the Hyundai i20 is known for its plethora of features. Without even getting into the nitty gritty its suffice to say the Hyundai i20 mid-variant and top-end models have more features than the Fiat Linea Classic. But the thing is the Hyundai i20 Asta petrol is nearly Rs. 42,00o more expensive than the Fiat Linea Classic, and the mid-variant Sportz is priced almost similar at 5.95 lakh. The Fiat Linea Classic again plays its trump card of space – where it has significantly more than the i20 and build, where it feels more solidly built than the i20.
However, it lacks features – no ABS, no airbags, only manual AC, and manually adjustable mirrors, no front fog lamps or defogger. All these features are there in the i20 top-end, including full keyless entry, reverse camera, sensors and push-button ignition. But if you want a bigger car, which just looks like it’s much more expensive, the Fiat Linea Classic still makes sense. One could also opt for the Classic Plus diesel at Rs. 7.51 lakh and get things like alloy wheels added to the package – and it would still be cheaper than the i20, which is priced at Rs. 7.64 lakh ex-showroom for the top-end diesel.
The Volkswagen Polo is a pretty premium offering, now with the two new variants – the Polo GT TSI and the Polo GT TDI also joining the line up, taking the price of the Polo above Rs. 8 lakh ex-showroom for both these models. Both cars – the Fiat Linea Classic and the Volkswagen Polo look good. But it boils down to the choice of how much space a buyer needs. The Fiat Linea Classic has plenty more space to offer, and is relatively cheaper as well. The regular Volkswagen Polo petrol Highline is priced at Rs. 5.97 lakh ex-showroom, but the GT TSI is at Rs. 7.99 lakh – of course, you get an automatic transmission and a powerful turbo-petrol engine putting out 105 bhp of power for Rs. 2 lakh extra! And if you look at the diesels, the Fiat Linea Classic and regular Polo Highline diesel are evenly matched on power, but the Linea is heavier.
Priced at Rs. 5.99 lakh ex-showroom for the petrol Linea and Rs. 6.95 lakh and Rs. 7.51 for the two diesel variants, the Fiat Linea Classic does seem like a tempting choice, and has been attracting a lot of queries. Is it really a much better value-for-money car compared to premium hatchbacks? Here’s a quick head-to-head with four premium hatchbacks.
Fiat Linea Classic vs Maruti Swift
Fiat Linea Classic’s overall length: 4560 mm. Maruti Swift’s overall length: 3850 mm. That’s nearly 70 centimetres more car for Rs. 22,000 more. The Maruti Swift ZXI petrol is priced at Rs. 5.77 lakh ex-showroom Delhi, while the Fiat Linea Classic petrol is priced at Rs. 5.99 lakh. The Maruti Swift has a 1.2 litre petrol engine that puts out 86 bhp of power and 114 Nm of torque, with a kerb weight of 1010 Kg, giving it a fairly good power to weight ratio of just under 86 bhp per ton. The Swift also features automatic climate control, electric mirrors, two airbags and ABS – all features that the Fiat Linea Classic does not have. But what the Fiat Linea Classic has plenty of is space – more than enough for five adults and small touches like AC vents for the rear passengers, make it comfortable. The 1.4 litre petrol engine puts out 88 bhp of power and 115 Nm of torque, but with a fairly heavy kerb weight of 1180 Kg, it is at a disadvantage.
The diesel Fiat Linea Classic too compares well price-wise with the Swift diesel. The Swift ZDI is priced at Rs. 6.88 lakh, just about Rs. 7000 lower than the Linea Classic. Both have equal power from the same engine – the 1.3 multijet sourced from Fiat, putting out 74 bhp of power. While this is adequate for the Swift, it’s slightly underpowered for the Linea.
Therefore, if you are a person who loves driving and needs features, especially safety features, the Swift would still be a better choice. Of course, the Linea is better if you want space – and also that feeling of security that comes with a larger, solidly-built car. It also has a huge 500 litre boot compared to just 210 litres for the Swift.
Fiat Linea Classic vs Hyundai i20
Now the Hyundai i20 is known for its plethora of features. Without even getting into the nitty gritty its suffice to say the Hyundai i20 mid-variant and top-end models have more features than the Fiat Linea Classic. But the thing is the Hyundai i20 Asta petrol is nearly Rs. 42,00o more expensive than the Fiat Linea Classic, and the mid-variant Sportz is priced almost similar at 5.95 lakh. The Fiat Linea Classic again plays its trump card of space – where it has significantly more than the i20 and build, where it feels more solidly built than the i20.
However, it lacks features – no ABS, no airbags, only manual AC, and manually adjustable mirrors, no front fog lamps or defogger. All these features are there in the i20 top-end, including full keyless entry, reverse camera, sensors and push-button ignition. But if you want a bigger car, which just looks like it’s much more expensive, the Fiat Linea Classic still makes sense. One could also opt for the Classic Plus diesel at Rs. 7.51 lakh and get things like alloy wheels added to the package – and it would still be cheaper than the i20, which is priced at Rs. 7.64 lakh ex-showroom for the top-end diesel.
Fiat Linea Classic vs Volkswagen Polo
The Volkswagen Polo is a pretty premium offering, now with the two new variants – the Polo GT TSI and the Polo GT TDI also joining the line up, taking the price of the Polo above Rs. 8 lakh ex-showroom for both these models. Both cars – the Fiat Linea Classic and the Volkswagen Polo look good. But it boils down to the choice of how much space a buyer needs. The Fiat Linea Classic has plenty more space to offer, and is relatively cheaper as well. The regular Volkswagen Polo petrol Highline is priced at Rs. 5.97 lakh ex-showroom, but the GT TSI is at Rs. 7.99 lakh – of course, you get an automatic transmission and a powerful turbo-petrol engine putting out 105 bhp of power for Rs. 2 lakh extra! And if you look at the diesels, the Fiat Linea Classic and regular Polo Highline diesel are evenly matched on power, but the Linea is heavier.
Fiat Linea Classic vs Fiat Punto
Now is Fiat shooting itself in the foot with the Fiat Linea Classic? The Fiat Punto Emotion 1.3 diesel is available for Rs. 7 lakh ex-showroom, about the same price as the Fiat Linea Classic. The Fiat Punto 1.4 Emotion petrol is priced at Rs. 6.81 lakh – way more than the Fiat Linea Classic petrol 1.4. Why would anyone want the Punto petrol now? It’s not selling that well anyway. Unless, of course, you really want the Bluetooth infotainment system, airbags, alloys, ABS and other gizmos. The Linea Classic diesel is available at about the same price as the Fiat Punto diesel, but obviously offers far more space – a bigger boot and more interior space. Of course, it’s a choice of space vs safety and convenience features – ABS, airbags, electric mirrors, climate control and Bluetooth infotainment are all features present in the Punto Emotion, while the Linea Classic only offers more real estate with basically the same engine choices.
Ford EcoSport makes Renault Duster bite dust, Scorpio picks up pace
The Ford EcoSport onslaught is working as predicted. Sales of the Renault Duster have taken a hit for the second month in a row and the only plausible explanation for this is that buyers have been considering the more inexpensive and value-for-money Ford EcoSport instead. This trend doesn’t bode well for the upcoming Nissan Terrano, which is likely to be priced at a premium to the Renault Duster.
While, this is the most interesting sales battle in the compact SUV space, it’s interesting to note that SUVs in general have been showing growth, with total sales in India in August at 9% of the market, while hatchbacks continue to be the largest segment at 53%, sedans at 21% and multi-utility vehicles at 17%. Also see: Renault Duster vs Ford EcoSport video comparison
Ford EcoSport grows, Renault Duster sales drop
Sales of the Renault Duster have dropped ever since the launch of the Ford EcoSport in June. In July Renault sold 3,089 units of the Duster, down from 4,523 vehicles the previous month, when the EcoSport was launched. In August, the EcoSport seems to have eaten into the Duster’s sales even more heavily. Sales of the Renault Duster are down to 2,967 vehicles, forcing Renault to being advertising the vehicle on television again, while the Ford EcoSport sold 5,372 vehicles in August, its highest ever since its launch, with 4,715 in July and 4,002 in June.
Even though the Ford EcoSport is a much smaller vehicle compared to the Renault Duster, the equipment levels and engine choices it offers is a better mix compared to the Duster. And, of course, the biggest reason is the price. The Ford EcoSport is priced between Rs. 5.7 lakh and Rs. 9 lakh, while the Renault Duster’s starting price is Rs. 8 lakh going up to Rs. 12.3 lakh for the top-end variant, which doesn’t even have as many features as the Ford EcoSport.
There’s a clear Rs. 3 lakh price difference on the top-end variants, with the EcoSport beating the Duster hands down on features such as six airbags, automatic climate control, SYNC etc! It’s easy to see why buyers are gravitating towards the EcoSport. However, what may steady the boat is the production crunch that Ford is facing. It has stopped taking bookings for the top-end diesel, the EcoBoost petrol variants, and the automatic petrol variant due to huge demand, with waiting periods of over 270 days or nine months.
Meanwhile, this battle doesn’t seem to be having much of an effect on the Mahindra Scorpio whose sales continue to stay in the comfort zone. The Scorpio sold 3,356 units last month, better than the previous month. Its main rival, the Tata Safari Storme, has failed to attract buyers, with only 601 units being sold. At the top-end of the budget SUV segment, the Mahindra XUV500 too has seen sales improve to 2,225 units, from 2,045 the previous month.
The question is, with the Nissan Terrano scheduled for launch next month, and the Maruti XA Alpha, Hyundai compact SUV and Honda compact SUV all coming early next year, will the Renault Duster be able to ride out the rough times?
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