My wish for diesel motor is based on the assumption that, for me the petrol & diesel variant constitute two ENTIRELY different cars & not as two variants of same model. I am not into Linea T-Jet because of the turbo lag & confined space on rear bench. I know it’s a very good package perhaps if 1.6 MJD would have been for sales; the pick would have been super difficult indeed. I wish to wait as I am expecting an up gradation on the German twins.
I know your heart is pretty much set on the Germans. But let me try one more time
Have you taken a test drive of the Linea TJet at length ?? (not 1 km around the street block). There is absolutely no problem with the so-called turbo lag. All these technicalities look good for car experts from the magazines. At a practical level, once you are in the 3rd or 4th gear in the city, there is no issue whatsoever.
And when you stop by to overcome that monster hump , you need to switch to 1st or 2nd gear in ANY car. At that point, the Linea's GC will help more than the Vento, btw.
Now, on the highway, past 80kph, the Linea T-Jet is an absolute blast. So is the Vento/Rapid TDI, but then- both are perfectly equal as long as you want to overtake trucks , semi trailers and jeeps laden with straw..
On the straight highway, if you want to take the T Jet vs Vento, yes, the Vento has slightly more torque, but to what use ? Past 150kph, the Linea has a distinct advantage over the Vento in terms of stability. And on the corners/ steering dynamics, it is simply class above. Having said all that, I doubt you will ever get a chance to consistently drive above 140kph on any Indian highway (Y-Eway included) Doing so is dangerous . And even then, if you want to try, the Tjet has the better wheel specs (16in 205 rubber) to do the job.
Maintenance is cheaper as well. Why do I say all this ?? Because I was in the same boat 3 years ago (Vento vs Linea). But I eventually decided on the TJet. And I dont regret it one bit.
On the Linea, the rear seat has very good under thigh support, albeit lesser legroom and headroom than the Vento. And BOTH cars will not seat 3- adults abreast at the rear very comfortably. For that, you may want to look one segment higher.