The buying experience or rather, the process of finalizing which car to buy was a little prolonged. I am entitled purchase of the car through the CSD and it was only in May 2009 that the Linea became available through the CSD. However, only two models were to be sold through the CSD: the Linea diesel Emotion and the petrol Emotion Pack.
Since I wanted only the top-end model, the option of buying the diesel Linea went out of the window. However, this led to the beginning of a war between the Linea petrol 1.4 Emotion Pack and the ANHC 1.5 SMT in my head (the VMT was not available then). Nearly everybody advised me to go for the ANHC. Ditto for nearly all the auto magazines and automotive websites.
I took a number of test drives of both the cars (at Lalli motors and Joshi autozone). Apart from the higher engine noise in the Linea's cabin, the slightly heavier steering of the Linea at low speeds and the slightly bumpier ride of the ANHC on bad roads, I found no appreciable difference in the two cars. Most importantly, there was almost NO difference in the pick up/ acceleration of the two cars. I might, however, be wrong since almost every auto magazine says the ANHC is quicker and has a higher top speed. The car salesmen at both the dealerships did not allow me to drive fast and the traffic police in Chandigarh are overactive, so there was no way I could test the high-speed behaviour or handling prowess of the two cars.
The point, however, is that I was simply not convinced of the superiority of the ANHC's engine (my younger sister drives a CRV and I love that machine, there was no question of my being prejudiced) as compared to the Linea's 1368 cc FIRE petrol.
What further helped me make the decision was the equipment the Linea top spec came with. The following were present in the Linea and conspicuously absent in the ANHC:
1. Climate control
2. Bluetooth telephony
3. Voice Recognition System with steering-mounted voice telephony controls
4. CD Player
5. Engine temperature guage
6. Foldable key
7. Electric and remote boot release
8. My Car controls with programable speed beep/ warning settings
9. Auto door-closing when travelling (e.g. at 20 kmph)
10. Programable 'follow-me-home' headlamps from 30 to 210 seconds
11. Front and rear fog lamps
12. Alloy wheels
13. Vanity mirror lights
14. Rear AC vents
15. Rear sun-blind
16. Multi-functional display with audio-visual warnings/ on-board diagnostics, also displays which door is open (or if the boot is open) with audio beep
17. Programable passenger airbag on/off, instrument panel light settings, buzzer/ button volume, external audio volume, language/ unit selectors, speed-sensitive audio system settings, graphic equalizer settings, service schedule reminder
18. Double-crank prevention system, Fire prevention system
On top of that, the Linea was longer and wider, had fatter tyres and was priced significantly less than the ANHC. However, I liked the fit and finish of the ANHC more.
Still, the phrases 'after-sales service and spares, lower resale value, probable lesser fuel efficiency' kept resonating in my head. Finally, the beautiful styling, many features that would make one feel special and the reassuring door-shuts made me overcome my demons and I booked the Linea 1.4 Petrol Emotion-Pack in flamenco-red with Joshi Autozone, Chandigarh on the 15 Jun 2009 and I was told to take delivery of the car on the 26th of June 2009.
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