Is this new base variant of Fiat Linea?

Shockingly, the facelifted 2014 Fiat Linea has been spotted testing mildly camouflaged. But wait isn't it launched just couple of months ago? It looks like the sudden invasion in the C-segment is making the Italian manufacturer to launch a more accessible variant of the 2014 Fiat Linea. Furthermore, 2014 Ford Fiesta was introduced recently and surprisingly the car that was way to costly when it entered the market in 2011, is now the least expensive diesel mid-size sedan in the lot. Moreover, refurbished Linea entered in March 2014 and despite of the facelift the sales are not up to the mark.

Externally, though the test mule is camouflaged expect the chrome detailing to get minimalistic compared to the top end. The ORVMs are body colored, so it seems like Fiat is at-least not skimping on the detailing aspect. The car is likely to ride on 15-inch radial on steel rims.

Speaking of the changes inside, the vehicle will be slightly stripped down to get an aggressive base pricing. The spy shots reveals that this variant is devoid of the audio system which is standard across all the variants of the facelifted Linea currently. Indeed, the steering wheel misses on the audio controls too. It also features manual air conditioning. Expect a different set of upholstery too. Apart from this, everything inside-out will remain similar to the facelifted 2014 Linea launched in March.

Do not expect any mechanical alteration, if launched, this entry level variant of Linea will be the powered by the naturally aspirated 1.4 liter petrol producing 89bhp at 6000rpm and belts out 115Nm of ma torque at 4500rpm. The diesel trim in this variant will probably get the Multi-Jet 1.3 with the 93bhp form as the Linea Classic already comes 75bhp version. Both the engines are mated to a 5-speed manual transmission.

The facelifted 2014 Fiat Linea starts at INR 6.99 lakh for the base petrol while the base diesel 1.3 MJD Active starts at INR 8.15 lakh (all Ex-showroom New Delhi). Expect a lower price tag compared to both diesel and petrol. The newest competitor in the mid-size sedan segment, 2014 Ford Fiesta's base is priced at INR 7.69 lakh. Even though it's a base variant, it is decently loaded featuring driver airbag, ABS+EBD, etc. Lets see what Fiat has to offer in this package.   

Image Source: Motoroids 

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