Indian Autos blog

The 2012 Linea may no competition when it comes to looks and has successfully managed to impress with its elegantly design interiors. But the Chico Italiano has some insane competition in the driving department.

After all, it has to take on the Ford Fiesta, Honda City and the Skoda Rapid for the title of the ‘Driver’s Car’. But has the raised ground clearance affected the handling of the Linea?

Let’s find out:

Sure the Linea looks great from the outside. But you wouldn’t be looking at it when you are driving, would you? The Linea needs to be as gorgeous from the inside as it is from the outside. A lot of sedans in the segment lack an eye-pleasing interior. Early Fiats like the Palio, Sienna and Petra did not have very good interiors. So what does Fiat have to offer in the Linea.

Step into the 2012 Fiat Linea and at a first glance you will notice that it has a very well designed interiors. Unlike Fiat’s previous models and many other rivals, the Linea’s interior’s does feel like someone has taken the effort to make sure the owner of the car feels good when he is sitting in the car.

Back when this year started, all manufacturers their 2012 Auto Expo presence was grander than the competition. However, Fiat India, suffering from massive decline in sales in the year 2011, was thinking otherwise.

Fiat India did not choose to participate in the Auto Expo but decided to update its existing lineup Linea and Punto with some very interesting features.

While the updates to the Linea are something one can count on your fingertips, we have never reviewed the Linea before. So we decided to do a comprehensive review of the Fiat Linea from grounds up. Interestingly, first up is the biggest USP of the Linea – exterior design review.

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The Nissan Sunny diesel has helped Nissan double its volumes in India. This is now turning out to be the best alternative to the Volkswagen Vento or Hyundai Verna which are predominantly bought in diesel.

The diesel Caaaaar is stretching from the segment that comprises of the Manza and Etios till the Ford Fiesta and Honda City. This has ensured its constant featuring in discussion people have when they want to move up from their entry level sedans or B+segment hatchbacks.

We have concentrated on the car’s exterior through our first look and petrol variant review, so we’re going to focus on the car’s driving habits and analyze its features closely.

This is the true litmus test of any car. The Premier Rio+ may be aesthetically pleasing and has simple and basic interior. But it needs good drivability within city and on the highway for customers to adopt it. Although the demands may sound simple, it is actually the tallest order for any car.

Has the Rio cracked it? Let’s find out:

What powers the Rio?

The biggest problem (that even management of Premier Auto admits) that the old Rio faced was a lack of BSIV complaint engine. The old Rio only met BSIII norms due to which it could not be sold in major cities which is the actual target market of the Rio.

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The Premier Rio+ now looks chic and stylish from the outside. But is it the same story on the inside? Is the build quality right for the Indian conditions? How good is the quality of plastics? Is it spacious enough to accommodate an average family with luggage?

Let’s find out:

The number of changes made to the interior of the refreshed Premier Rio are certainly less than those made to the exterior. The 2 main changes are – beige interiors and a new steering wheel and that’s about it.

Over the years, the Indian automotive market has matured from small hatchbacks to entry sedans to C+ sedans. This year, the focus of the manufacturers will be on two key segments –Compact Sedans and Compact SUVs.

Maruti Suzuki recently launched their contender for the CS market – Swift Dzire and rest of the manufacturers such as Tata and Mahindra are expected to follow suit.

Coming to the Compact SUV market; now this is going to be extremely interesting. Ford, Renault and Mahindra are honing their challengers as we speak. But little known rival is already present in the market from a long forgotten company called ‘Premier Auto’. Does it ring a bell?

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Last week IndianAutosBlog.com got a chance to test drive the new Swift Dzire that is going to be launched today. New? How new is it? Maruti Suzuki claims to have put in 150 new features. The Swift Dzire is already the leader of its segment with a 39% market share i.e. about 3.3 lakh units sold in the domestic market. The company and its vendors have confidently invested over 120 crore rupees towards this full model range.

Is the car as good or better as the old one? Let’s find out!

We’ll answer the most important question first – Isn’t this just a Swift with a bigger boot?