2007 Fiat Linea

fiat_linea.jpg

Fiat has just unveiled details on it’s new European B-segment sedan contender, the Fiat Linea. The Fiat Linea is built on the Fiat Grande Punto’s platform and even shares similiar design cues at the front end, but the platform has been stretched to provide for a longer wheelbase.

This allows greater rear legroom, and makes a longer rear overhang look less weirder than it will look on a short wheelbase car – this allows for a massive 500 litre boot! Nice sleek side profile. I kind of like the new design language that Fiat is adopting, it makes the cars look like mini Maseratis.

The Fiat Linea will debut at the Istanbul Motor Show, and it will be manufactured in Turkey at a beginning production of 60,000 units a year. The Fiat Linea is expected to go on sale in the second half of 2007 in European countries, though strangely UK sales isn’t in plans for the moment.

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Paul Tan

After dabbling for years in the IT industry, Paul Tan initially began this site as a general blog covering various topics of personal interest. With an increasing number of readers paying rapt attention to the motoring stories, one thing led to another and the rest, as they say, is history.

 

Comments

  • protonGL (Member) on Oct 21, 2006 at 12:31 pm

    can belive its italian, at least the stilo has some crisp line as what the italian always did. crisp italian line on perevious punto very interesting remember. now the essence of italian has gone what left is the name f i a t.

    .loose track a bit. looks VWish

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  • ryan_foong80 (Member) on Oct 21, 2006 at 6:18 pm

    Little bit like toyota axio or fielder….

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  • NeedGoodCar (Member) on Oct 21, 2006 at 6:20 pm

    Can only appreciate from far, design is decent.

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  • MyBoy (Member) on Oct 21, 2006 at 6:28 pm

    Not a bad design at all. But i hate the MPV-style door-mounted wing mirrors.

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  • nuggyn (Member) on Oct 21, 2006 at 6:28 pm

    nice.

    but lack of the daring and unique Fiat design.

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  • aesthari (Member) on Oct 21, 2006 at 6:33 pm

    I like the car's side profile, but I can't help but notice it looks quite similiar to the latest Camry. Design looks Toyota-ish, doesn't really resemble a Fiat. Where's the Italian flair?

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  • Akazamabamaboo (Member) on Oct 21, 2006 at 6:48 pm

    This would look good if you have it in gun-metal grey and ditch the chrome trimmings. :D

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  • pigass20 (Member) on Oct 21, 2006 at 9:34 pm

    The boot does not look as awkward as honda city, VW Jetta n Passat.

    Looks awesome. Curves smooth without sudden breaks.

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  • raybrig85 (Member) on Oct 22, 2006 at 12:10 am

    nice…but grande punto is better in every angle…

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  • protonGL (Member) on Oct 22, 2006 at 2:02 am

    italian dsign should alway be beautiful, exotic at the same time but not blunt. they use to have smooth shapes sometime intruded with sharp with subtle curve, sometime a bit fleshy like the lambo, by gandini, or the pinin always on the beautiful side thats make the ferraris are beautiful sport car, for example. yes you can tell its italian.

    for this fiat, its no enough just to put chrome door handle as a clue classic italian. its look like as if it share platfform for or from others too. mixed blood i suppose.

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  • normal_user (Member) on Oct 22, 2006 at 2:42 am

    I cant understand why u people dont like this car. I think this the design language adopted for future fiat cars. The lines are clean, tyres that fill the wheel arches perfectly, well proportioned side profile & low and neatly arched roofline. That's the hallmark of Italian design.

    MyBoy, the side door-mounted mirrors are a must for a car which got that cab-forward design (eg Civic, Pug 307, MPVs) to give them better aerodynamics and ample front headroom space. A normal wing mirror can't be installed for 'cab-forward designed' cars.

    To other ppl, please stop commenting this 'new car looks like this or that'. Where got originality this days when there are hundreds of new car designs come out every year?

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  • mystvearn (Member) on Oct 22, 2006 at 3:22 am

    500l, is the same as city right? looks like all new fiat are mini mesaratis. Maybe poor man's meserati :D

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  • protonGL (Member) on Oct 22, 2006 at 3:54 am

    agree that cars moves towards modern design. cab foward design and so on,even the RR has a modern car or mini now has the new mini orait with that, but the comment is that the brand should at reflect where it come from, i think mini is successful in doing that although its made in BMW, it still carries on its english mini charateristic, …

    but just look at once a people carrier exactly the same with different FORD, VW and SEAT badge swaped. sad..

    look at the design design of old beetle porshe to audi vw move toward new century, still its clearly looks german,s.

    well..for me italian car deserve to be looked italian.

    it s just in a perspective of design.

    if it a good car who cares about where its originated, whats the brand name is. who cares driving skoda/seat , it a good car, evethough the design is urghhh..

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  • MyBoy (Member) on Oct 22, 2006 at 4:09 am

    "normal_user said,

    MyBoy, the side door-mounted mirrors are a must for a car which got that cab-forward design (eg Civic, Pug 307, MPVs) to give them better aerodynamics and ample front headroom space. A normal wing mirror can’t be installed for ‘cab-forward designed’ cars."

    _______________________________________________________________

    Its a must for cab-forward design? You are dead wrong!

    With all due respect, please check your facts before you say something like: "side door-mounted mirrors are a must for a car which got that cab-forward design".

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  • armandd (Member) on Oct 22, 2006 at 6:42 am

    nice looking small sedan, much better looking compared to jap cars like the ugly city and vios.

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  • 4G63T DSM (Member) on Oct 22, 2006 at 6:47 am

    "Cab forward" was pioneered by Chrysler way back in the mid 90s. You want cab forward, go take a look at them.

    The design language of the car is sound. I like how the car looks. Fiat doesn;t always have a very prominent "fiatness" to it. Being italian doesn;t mean they have to be as sexy as every Alfa or exotic like a Merserati and Ferrari (and yes, all 3 mentioned are in the FIAT Group). If you look through the history of Fiat cars, you dont really see them stand out perticularly italian. Fiat is the everyday italian man's, italian car.

    Would one lump Japanese cars that are trying to look 'German' any less than what amazing engineering they are? Probably not.

    There are only so many ways you can design a headlamp or wheelarches, or design the roof and window lines. Eventually it will look like it came off another car. Some people's comments seem to show that all cars look alike because it has 4 wheels.

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  • 4G63T DSM (Member) on Oct 22, 2006 at 6:51 am

    oh yes, forgot one thing.

    Normal user is right. More or less.

    Though not a requirement, most of these Cab forward designs need to have door mirrors on the doors, since they can't mount them on the A pillar as the door cutout is after the A pillar. You cannot mount the mirror there as when the door opens, it will hit the mirror.

    The VW New Beetle is a prime example. Its not impossible but its just a hell lot easier to just mount it on the door instead.

    Hope you guys dont persecute Normal user for not explaining properly what he was trying to say.

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  • protonGL (Member) on Oct 22, 2006 at 7:50 am

    i do agree with every body here, good comment..

    just a little tought, pull out the badges, show to the one who never see this fiat before, let him guess what car is it.

    cheers

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  • MyBoy (Member) on Oct 22, 2006 at 8:24 am

    "4G63T DSM said,

    October 21, 2006 @ 10:51 pm

    oh yes, forgot one thing.

    Normal user is right. More or less.

    Though not a requirement, most of these Cab forward designs need to have door mirrors on the doors, since they can’t mount them on the A pillar as the door cutout is after the A pillar. You cannot mount the mirror there as when the door opens, it will hit the mirror.

    The VW New Beetle is a prime example. Its not impossible but its just a hell lot easier to just mount it on the door instead.

    Hope you guys dont persecute Normal user for not explaining properly what he was trying to say."

    ________________________________________________________

    As for mounting side mirrors on A pillar, no car (and no body in his right mind) in recent memory have done that. Instead they mount it at the end of the window frame, near the A pillar. Even some of the MPV has done that. Some of the latest examples are Ford S-Max and Ford Galaxy. Have yourself a look at those Ford so the you can better understand what i meant and then comeback here and drop me a line. ;)

    Anyway, thanks 4G63T DSM, for your explaination.

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  • MyBoy (Member) on Oct 22, 2006 at 8:32 am

    4G63T DSM,

    have you seen Daihatsu Sonica? Its one of the latest example on how to avoid the MPV-style door-mounted wing mirrors on your car. On the contrary, Daihatsu Move opt for the MPV-style door-mounted wing mirrors, but i dont mind since Daihatsu Move can be considered as an MPV.

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  • MyBoy (Member) on Oct 22, 2006 at 9:06 am

    "4G63T DSM said,

    Normal user is right. More or less.

    Though not a requirement, most of these Cab forward designs need to have door mirrors on the doors, since they can’t mount them on the A pillar as the door cutout is after the A pillar. You cannot mount the mirror there as when the door opens, it will hit the mirror."

    _____________________________________________________

    You said: "You cannot mount the mirror there as when the door opens, it will hit the mirror."

    I dont want to lough at you, but no sane people would have done that. Please do some research before condone (or condemn) statements by others. I bet you only familiar with conventional (old) car design.

    Forgive me if this post sounds a bit harsh. I just cant believe you assume that i dont know about the "You cannot mount the mirror there as when the door opens, it will hit the mirror" thing.

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  • 4G63T DSM (Member) on Oct 22, 2006 at 3:53 pm

    Please read my post carefully.

    I didn;t say it was impossible. I said that it can be done but its more trouble than it needs to be.

    Not sure if you notice that on these "cab forward" designs, the side doors also has a small windows on the edge of the A frame. The points of these windowrettes are to give better visibility and slapping on a side mirror there defeats the purpose.

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  • MyBoy (Member) on Oct 22, 2006 at 4:47 pm

    "4G63T DSM said,

    I didn;t say it was impossible. I said that it can be done but its more trouble than it needs to be.

    Not sure if you notice that on these “cab forward” designs, the side doors also has a small windows on the edge of the A frame. The points of these windowrettes are to give better visibility and slapping on a side mirror there defeats the purpose."

    ________________________________________________________

    You take a look at some of the models i have told yet? None of them mount the side mirror at the place of "a small windows on the edge of the A frame", so no purpose has been defeated. The way they mount the mirrors is quite simple too, not like you said: "more trouble than it needs to be"

    Please take a good look at some of the models.

    ____

    Happy Deepavali and Selamat Hari Raya to you and all paultan.org visitors. ;)

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  • normal_user (Member) on Oct 22, 2006 at 8:41 pm

    MyBoy, I understand that you don't like cars with door-mounted mirrors, but please accept & respect other ppls opinion. 4G63T & I have nothing againts your comments, please dont turn it into a heated argument. Its a matter of personal preference, and I have to admit that your taste (placement of wing mirror) is different from mine.

    I think Fiat has its own reasons on why it mounted its wing mirrors on doors instead of the A-frame. You can see clearly that the Fiat Linea has a low front roofline, and the designers thought that it will be sportier if the mirrors are mounted on the doors instead of the A-pillar frame.

    Other Italian sports cars also adopted the same design although its not a problem for them to place the mirrors on the A-frame. Take for example: Lambo Gallardo & Alfa Romeo Brera. Its just their preference.

    Cheers.. Selamat Hari Raya to all readers.

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  • MyBoy (Member) on Oct 22, 2006 at 9:23 pm

    "normal_user said,

    MyBoy, I understand that you don’t like cars with door-mounted mirrors, but please accept & respect other ppls opinion. 4G63T & I have nothing againts your comments, please dont turn it into a heated argument. Its a matter of personal preference, and I have to admit that your taste (placement of wing mirror) is different from mine.

    I think Fiat has its own reasons on why it mounted its wing mirrors on doors instead of the A-frame. You can see clearly that the Fiat Linea has a low front roofline, and the designers thought that it will be sportier if the mirrors are mounted on the doors instead of the A-pillar frame.

    Other Italian sports cars also adopted the same design although its not a problem for them to place the mirrors on the A-frame. Take for example: Lambo Gallardo & Alfa Romeo Brera. Its just their preference.

    Cheers.. Selamat Hari Raya to all readers."

    __________________________________________________

    Forgive me again if my posting sounds harsh, i do respect both your and 4G63T DSM comments.

    I do notice that many supercar opt for that way of mounting wing mirror, but most of normal sporty road car still opt for 'conventional' way. I can accept that its a matter of design preference. But what i cant easily accept (unless some facts is given) is the notion like:

    1) "the side door-mounted mirrors are a MUST for a car which got that cab-forward design"

    2) “You cannot mount the mirror there as when the door opens, it will hit the mirror." (as if people dont know)

    3) "I said that it can be done but its MORE TROUBLE than it needs to be."

    Anyway, i do respect both you and 4G63T DSM….. Dot get me wrong… Peace ;)

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  • protonGL (Member) on Oct 22, 2006 at 10:24 pm

    i think designers and engineers can put anywhere (side mirror) as long as it functions (new civic for example). it just that linea placed that on the door,

    some people like it, some people dont,

    for me, a huge thing sticking out from the door is simply out of propotion for this almost a compact car.

    if u look at 288gto well the car is handsome with that.

    looks like it depend on circumstances and how your eyes perceive aesthetically, and preference is very personal.

    happy eid ,and slamat hari raya,

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  • mitlanevo (Member) on Oct 23, 2006 at 2:11 am

    I like this car, it has a very acceptable design. Well, no car is perfect, so don't argue about things that couldn't make any sense right here. Compare Linea with Mazda 6 and Volvo S40……

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  • ingolstadt (Member) on Oct 23, 2006 at 6:13 am

    It'll look exceptionally well if it were any Jappy.

    FIAT ?!?! Utter dissapointment. Italians hold on to their legacies better than Germans all this while…. but seems Fiat is loosing some tempo here. Bad attempt. Grande's good thou, but wrong timing, there's GOLF.

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  • jtshin (Member) on Oct 24, 2006 at 3:25 am

    something like vios……

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  • BobMarley (Member) on Oct 24, 2006 at 4:45 am

    at first glance i thought it was a newer VW jetta or somthing. But now i think it looks more like an audi volvo mix…

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  • szw (Member) on Oct 24, 2006 at 5:51 am

    i like it, especially wif da punto's face.

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  • ilmondo (Member) on Oct 27, 2006 at 7:07 am

    looks good 2 me… very good.. check out d new fiat bravo. dis is like punto's front, audi's side, 407's rear(side view)…. but janji chun lar..

    forza italia!

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