The Fiat Linea, which is a sedan bodied Punto with extended wheelbase for developing countries, has received a facelift. The front end of the Linea is now more rounded in appearance, compared to the "single grille divided in two" look of the original Grande Punto, which it's based on.

Lots of chrome for the front end - grille surround, horizontal grille slats, lower bumper U-shaped element - but the Linea manages to not look too tacky. The headlamps and the foglamps are unchanged, as are the tail lamps.

http://youtu.be/1spRsO479bg

At the back, there's a full length chrome strip that matches the chrome side rubbbing strips. The license plate has been shifted to the bootlid, garnished by yes, a chrome bar.

Inside, the "luxury" theme continues with a cabin colour combo of beige and black. The dashboard has been modernised with rounded A/C vents, a new stereo and gloss black trim. Safety kit includes ABS, ASR and ESP. Already in production in Turkey, the Linea is available as a 78 hp 1.4 petrol, 96 hp 1.3 diesel and 107 hp 1.6 diesel.

Looks decent enough compared to other sedans that started life as a B-segment hatch, but nowhere near as stylish as Fiat's latest saloon, the Viaggio.