EQUIPMENT
 

With its array of exclusive equipment, the Fiat Linea is a miniature flagship, featuring a passenger compartment that is enjoyable in any situation or climate. The new model offers equipment worthy of a higher segment because of the level of well-being achieved on board, including automatic climate system and a radio with CD player (including MP3 files). And the Fiat Linea offers the best automatic systems such as Cruise Control, and rain, dusk and parking sensors, to reduce driving stress. And while we are on the subject of innovative technologies, the latest arrival from Fiat can also be equipped with the Blue&Me® system which alters communication, information and entertainment standards in the car. Last but not least, riding in the Fiat Linea is enhanced by the suspension system, which improves the handling and onboard comfort.

The Blue&Me® infotelematic system

The Fiat Linea can be equipped with the innovative ‘Blue&Me®’ system, based on the Windows Mobile technology, developed by Fiat Group Automobiles and Microsoft, which changes the communication, information and entertainment standards in the car, improving comfort and the quality of life on board.

The device is easy to use and Bluetooth® technology allows you to make and receive telephone calls and listen to music simply and safely as you drive, communicating with the outside world from the car via your personal devices such as cell phones and PDAs.
Other, more evolved devices will be available later, giving access to the many novelties that technology will make available in the coming years: from complete multimedia operation to satellite navigation, and a set of services will also be offered to make using the car more convenient, safer and easier.

The Blue&Me® device incorporates a refined hands-free system with voice recognition, which guarantees maximum driving safety in all conditions and with full respect for the law, because the driver can use it without taking his hands off the wheel. The system allows a customer with a Bluetooth® cell phone to use it, without taking it out of his pocket or bag, and it automatically lowers the radio volume (if this is on) and transmits the interlocutor’s voice through the stereo speakers. What is more, the system is fully compatible with cell phones on the market today, and may be upgraded to comply with new standards and future telephones.

The Blue&Me® device is built into the car and the control keys are on the steering wheel, so that you can search for a number in the phonebook by scrolling through the display on the instrument panel, or ‘mute’ the communication for a more confidential conversation. The main features include the fact that a cell phone only has to be registered once on the system, and the whole phonebook can be transferred to the car, being automatically updated every time the system recognises the cell phone.

Privacy is guaranteed because access to the phonebook is only granted when the telephone registered with the system is present. The display shows the number or name of the person calling if this is recognised by the phonebook, and it is possible to formulate a number ‘vocally’ by dictating it digit by digit, or to call a person by saying the name, if it is memorised. And thanks to an advanced voice recognition process, no voice learning process is necessary. The device is able to memorise up to 5 cell phones, thus granting several users of a single car immediate use of the hands-free system; the programming can obviously be modified whenever necessary. And with the hands-free system with voice recognition, it is even possible to reproduce personal telephone call tones through the car radio.

We have described the hands-free system with voice recognition, but there are other features to the innovative Blue&Me® system: it allows you to listen to your favourite music recorded on a cell phone, new smart phone, an MP3 player or a USB pen drive. This is made possible by the presence of a USB port in the glove compartment, which can connect to any digital device with a similar port. This allows musical audio files (MP3, WMA and WAV) to be played through the stereo system. And because all the information is visible on the instrument panel display, the customer can browse the system archive (divided by type, album, artist, etc.) either vocally or using the steering wheel controls, and select a piece using the steering wheel controls.

Climate control

The climate inside the car is one of the main factors of comfort during a journey, and it is also important for preventive safety, because temperature, humidity and ventilation affect the driver’s well-being and therefore his attention level. Nor can we forget that the heating and ventilation system is also responsible for demisting the windscreen and side windows. The new model offers a choice of three climate systems: a conventional heater, a manual climate unit and an automatic climate system.

The latter incorporates a control unit that automatically controls the temperature, air flow, air distribution, and activation of the compressor and the recirculation function. The system also adopts an ‘equivalent temperature’ climate control strategy. A number of sensors measure the indoor and outdoor temperatures, and assess the sensation of thermal well-being perceived by the passenger, i.e. the energy exchange between the human body and the passenger compartment, which is influenced by the humidity, temperature and treated air flow. Another sensor, positioned centrally at the base of the windscreen, measures the solar radiation in the vehicle and the inclination with which the rays hit the passenger compartment. This makes it possible to predict any excessive increase in temperature inside the car caused by the rays of the sun, and to inform the climate unit in time.

And finally, all versions equipped with the climate system offer the option of PTC (Positive Temperature Coefficient). This is an electric heater built into the climate unit which heats the air to a temperature that gives passengers an immediate sensation of warmth, rapidly and without waiting for the engine liquid to heat up. This increases safety in Winter climates because the warm air demists the windows faster.

Cruise Control

Cruise Control is a system that helps the motorist to control the vehicle speed, enhancing travelling comfort. The device acts directly on the engine throttle, automatically maintaining the cruising speed set by the driver. It is only necessary to turn the ring on the special lever positioned to the left of the steering wheel to the ‘ON’ position, adjusting the speed using ‘plus’ (or ‘minus’). When the ring is released the car will continue to travel at the memorised speed without the driver having to touch the accelerator pedal.
 

Cruise Control can function over the engine’s entire rpm range, but only at speeds above 40 km/h. So it is advisable to activate it in road conditions that will make it possible to maintain the memorised value safely. If the accelerator pedal is pressed (for example to overtake), Cruise Control is momentarily over-ridden, but the system remains active. The car will therefore accelerate as requested, but as soon as the pedal is released, the system will resume the memorised speed. For obvious safety reasons, the device is automatically de-activated if the driver puts his foot on the brake or clutch pedal. In this case, the ‘RESUME’ button on the end of the Cruise Control system control lever must be pressed to recover the pre-set speed. To definitively de-activate Cruise Control and cancel any previous setting, the ring nut must be turned to the ‘OFF’ position and the engine turned off. A telltale on the multifunction display indicates whether the system is operating or de-activated. The ASR system (Anti Slip Regulation) takes priority over the automatic speed control; if ASR has to intervene, the system will then resume the set speed.

Parking sensor

During parking manoeuvres, obstacles behind the car may be outside the driver’s field of vision, or he may simply not know how much space separates his car from the car parked behind. In this situation the parking sensor can help; it is activated every time reverse is engaged when the ignition key is in the MAR position. The system comprises an electronic control unit with an interface for the CAN network, four ultrasonic sensors in the rear bumper and a beeper. The four sensors cover both the rear side areas of the car (from a distance of less than 60 centimetres), and central rear areas (from a distance of less than 150 cm).

We can see how it functions in detail. The four ultrasonic transducers act as intelligent transmitters and receivers of impulses. The latter are emitted every time reverse is engaged; if they meet an obstacle they are reflected and received like an echo by the sensor. At this point the incoming signal is converted into a digital signal and sent to the electronic control unit, which activates the acoustic alarm. The information is then transmitted to the driver by intermittent beeps, which become more insistent until the car reaches a distance of 30 centimetres from the obstacle, when the signal becomes constant. The beeping stops if the lateral sensors detect an approaching obstacle for more than three seconds, so that the system does not continue to beep while parking along a wall parallel to the vehicle axis.

Rain and dusk sensor

Good visibility at all times is an important aspect of preventive safety. Which is why the Fiat Linea offers a rain sensor, to ensure that the windscreen is always clean, even in bad weather. The system is applied in the upper part of the passenger compartment, behind the central rearview mirror, and it automatically activates the windscreen wipers and regulates their frequency depending on the intensity of the rain. It is activated by moving the right-hand column switch to the first position (intermittency), and its operation is based on the principle of the refraction of infrared rays through the glass and the drops of water. The optical element of the sensor (lens) sends an infrared ray to the windscreen, which reflects it and sends it back to the sensor. Because the luminous energy sent to the windscreen is constant, the value measured on the light received decreases as the quantity of water and other impurities on the windscreen increases. The variation in the signal is processed by the electronic element of the sensor, which activates the appropriate wiper stroke frequency.

Since the wet surface disturbs the human eye more at night than during the day, the sensor also regulates the wiper strokes on the basis of the ambient light. And it recognises water streaks caused by worn blades, compensating for the effects of the ageing of the windscreen and electronics. And in particular situations, it activates special stroke cycles: for example, when there are only a few drops of rain, or impurities (saline deposits, dirt, etc.) on the windscreen surface.

The sensitivity of the rain sensor can also be modified by adjusting the two-position ring nut on the right column switch. If the engine is stopped with the system engaged, this is automatically de-activated. When the engine starts again, the system can be re-activated by moving the switch to zero and then back to the first position, or by adjusting the sensitivity of the sensor. To indicate that it has been re-activated, the system will perform one stroke of the wipers, even if the windscreen is dry. After the windscreen washer pump has been used, the sensor is activated automatically for the time necessary to catch the drops dripping down the glass.

Enjoyable to drive and to travel in

One of the goals set by the designers who developed the Fiat Linea was to create a suspension system that would offer performance comparable with that of a higher class of car, adopting devices that guaranteed easy, pinpoint steering, excellent roadholding and the best comfort possible for passengers. The choice went to two systems that had already been used on other Fiat models, suitably modified and updated.

At the front, the Fiat Linea adopts an independent MacPherson layout, in which the shock absorbers and springs act as both damping and elastic elements and as structural and kinematic elements (the front and rear dampers are supplied by Magneti Marelli). The main components of this layout are the twin-shell wishbones made of pressed sheet metal (using the patented ‘butterfly’ system), which means a significant weight reduction, and the adoption of bushings with more rubber to improve comfort (absorbing more roughness) while guaranteeing excellent roadholding and stability on corners. The new model also introduces a number of extremely interesting elements, such as an aluminium front suspension crossbeam with high structural rigidity.

And finally, the rear suspension is a semi-independent system with interconnected wheels and a torsion axle, built around a new anti-roll bar with small con rods anchored to the dampers, for a greater stabilising effect and prompter dynamic response when cornering. The particular shape of the torsion axle made it possible to obtain a stabilising anti-roll effect even without an anti-roll bar. That is not all. The vertical position of the dampers, which are anchored inside the wheelarch, also filters out road roughness, enhancing acoustic comfort inside the car. The rear axle is made up of lateral links pressed in two half shells, welded to a lateral torsion profile with a cylindrical heading to the actual links. And finally, the large rear axle attachment bushes guarantee suspension flexibility even under greater longitudinal loads, while the particular shape of the damping elements ensures prompt dynamic response on bends.