After almost a year of speculation and spy shots, Maruti Suzuki revealed the Jimny to Indian customers in January. The uber-popular automaker has dominated the economy hatchback and SUV markets. But Indians haven’t seen the Gypsy or the Jimny at the dealers in a while. During its absence, Mahindra Thar and Land Rover Range Rover have established themselves as market leaders in their respective price ranges.
But that’s about to change, at least for the lower price segment, because the upcoming Jimny got its first 9,000 customers within the first eight days of its unveiling. Established in 1970, Jimny has gone through a drastic evolution over the years. And now, in its fourth global generation, the Jimny is back to conquer the wild.
What’s Running the Jimny?
Off-road vehicles may not be super fast in a straight line, but they offer serious power and torque to overcome steep inclines and obstacles. Suzuki engines, especially their K-series engines, have an excellent track record of being efficient and reliable, and hopefully, the Jimny will be no different.
The upcoming off-roading SUV will have a K-Series 1.5-liter 4-cylinder engine. It will churn out around 104 horsepower at 6000 rpm and 96 lb-ft of torque at just 4000 revs. While that’s plenty of oomph to overcome rocks and stuff, that’s not all an off-roader needs to be good. The Jimny will come with the usual bells and whistles, like an all-wheel drivetrain (Suzuki calls it ALLGRIP PRO), low-range transfer gear mode, and a rigid ladder frame.
The Maruti Suzuki Jimny also has a 3-link rigid axle suspension with coil springs. In layperson’s terms, during off-roading, if something pushes one wheel upward, the axle will push the opposite wheel down to ensure maximum grip.
While we don’t know some details yet, we know that the Jimny used to compete in the Indian automotive market with some of the best, like the Land Rover Defender. Therefore, we are confident that the SUV will offer impressive performance and off-road capabilities.
Familiar Yet Distinct Jimny Look
Like most off-roaders, the distinct boxy silhouette is one of Jimny’s most prominent features. It’s difficult to tell a Defender, a Thar, and a Gurkha apart if we see them from a distance. But they all have tells that present themselves as we come closer.
The Jimny is the next contender for the above-mentioned segment. Suzuki went for the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” approach and incorporated many design elements from the Jimny’s predecessors. If you liked the appearance of past iterations of the Jimny, you’d like the new Jimny too.
At the front, the new Jimny retains the iconic round headlamps from the first-gen model with independent indicators beside them. Suzuki has also included washers for LED headlamps as standard equipment. The front grille with vertical openings and the clamshell bonnet will remind you of the second, and third-generation front looks. The front grille gets chrome treatment in some trims as well.
When you look at the SUV’s side profile, the horizontal slits on the fenders and the squared window remind you of the second-generation Jimny. The rear lights, all packed into one opening on the bumper, take inspiration from the second-gen model. But the Jimny also gets some modern stuff, like a practical drip rail roof and optimized edges of the black cladding on the front and rear bumpers for a better clearance angle.
Simple, Minimalistic Black Interior
The most recent Grand Vitara and Baleno have shown us that the folks at Suzuki have upped their game in the design and style of their car’s interior and cabin. The Jimny’s cabin looks practical and subtle. An all-black theme also makes it look minimalistic, but all the buttons and functions seem well laid out and easy to access. It makes sense since the Jimny’s main purpose is to take on the wild with little distraction.
Serious off-roaders have little time to meddle with a big screen in the middle of the dashboard or touch-sensitive controls for basic things. What’s way more important is the interior room and storage space. The Jimny has sufficient space almost all over the cabin to tuck in your items.
The rear seats are spacious, but the legroom could’ve been more accommodating for adults. But the rear seats fold down to the level of the tiny boot, increasing its space to 11.72 cubic feet. Also, the Jimny has a wide rear opening for easier ingress and egress. It also has an optional accessible tool and luggage box to store most things necessary for an adventure into the unknown. Finally, the outside view from the windshield is pretty wide thanks to the clever positioning and the size of the A-pillars.
Stay Safe in the Wilderness and the City
Build quality and excellent safety ratings weren’t always the strong suits of the Maruti Suzuki brand in the Indian subcontinent. But, in recent years, even the folks at Maruti Suzuki are turning it up a notch, as their Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza achieved a 4-star Global NCAP rating. Furthermore, off-roaders have to be even sturdier because of the potential ragged usage they have to endure. That makes safety a paramount requirement for the Jimny.
The Jimny’s body sits on Suzuki’s Total Effective Control Technology (TECT) platform, which makes it effective for the absorption and dispersion of crash energy. The Jimny also comes with what you’d expect from an off-roader, like Hill Hold Assist, Hill Descent Control, Brake LSD (Limited Slip Differential), and six airbags.
While we still have to wait for NCAP rating details on the body roll, high-speed stability, and driving feel, the information available is promising. The off-roading capabilities of the original Jimny were nothing short of world-class, and the new Jimny’s high approach angles and ground clearance have evoked confidence in potential owners and adventure enthusiasts.
The Jimny boasts a 36° approach angle, a 24° ramp break-over angle, a 50° departure angle, and 210 mm ground clearance. These figures suggest Jimny can venture through rough terrain without significant issues.
Maruti Suzuki to Eat Out the Market Share From Mahindra and Thar
The sub-$25k off-road vehicle market has two chief competitors: the ever-popular Mahindra Thar and the returning Force Gurkha. The Jimny fits right in between the two in terms of ground clearance, seating capacity, and appearance. Both the Thar and Gurkha claim better approach and departure angles than the Jimny, but so does their price.
Jimny’s speculated ex-showroom price lies somewhere between $12,000 and $15,500, whereas the 4WD Thar and Gurkha sell for $18,000 and above. While bookings are already open, we expect Suzuki to launch the Jimny in May 2023. According to reports, Suzuki will produce about 1,000 units per month, so the large number of bookings already made will almost certainly necessitate a lengthy wait for latecomers.
