[jackofsome]

Originally Posted by fiat_tarun

By what definition is this a 'Quality vehicle' compared to the other Maruti Suzuki's on road ? It has got the same engine (actually the older K15B and not the latest K15C), inferior 4 speed AT gearbox compared to the other Suzuki's, interior quality is at best the same as the other Maruti's (can be argued against actually) and is less feature loaded as well.

The only difference is the 4x4 hardware and of course the body which I hope is atleast as good as the Brezza platform.

I can answer those questions.
The vehicle fit and finish (perceived as quality) is better than for example the Thar, or the general cars from Maruti. The heft of the doors and the way its generally put together, the panel gaps, are much better than the Grand Vitara that was standing next to it (again perceived as quality).

It has got much more features than 'the other' 4X4 and trust me the complete set that you would regularly use are all there. I don't know if someone needs a 360 degree cam in a Jimny for example, he/she should not be driving this vehicle at all.

The K15B even though older, is refined and actually has better poke than the K15C. The upside? Stellar reliability.

In order to appreciate this car, you have to dig a bit deep. I have said this before that the Jimny is a one in a lifetime car. At least for me. I stick by it, even though the price is a bit offensive.

So its all in the head. I am slowly warming myself up for the test drive.

[dileep]

I'm still sitting on the fence (booked a Zeta AT on 18th January), not because of the pricing so much, but more so because of the ride and handling quality of the Jimny in my drive situations -

1. City of Dehradun with it's narrow streets which require a small car with a small turning radius.

2. I also live in a village about 5 hrs drive from here up in the Himalayas - the road is pretty good but the high GC and visibility and added 4x4 (if needed in emergencies during the monsoon) will give me more confidence than my current sedan

3. We also tour a fair bit - mostly in the mountains again but this could involve highway drives in the plains for several hours. Also runs to Delhi, Chandigarh, Jaipur, etc. - so the Jimny ought to behave decently on this front too.

I am hoping to replace the 2 cars I have - Etios petrol and Alto K10 - both doing very well - with one Jimny. Don't know if it is possible.

Waiting for the Jimny to be available for test drives.

[himalyan_ice]

Oh the pleasure of going through this thread!

On one hand are people who are laying it on Maruti because they (in my view rightly) believe that the vehicle is seriously overpriced.
And on the other hand are apologists that are defending the brand with vigour.

While the brand is nowhere to be seen. In offense or defence. Typical case of one sided communication that we expect from large entities in our country used to unquestioned masterstrokes.

What is especially hilarious is the picture of all non-city folks living around middle of nowhere trails where either its mules, or now, the Jimny.

Let me break it to you guys.

One, there is a very small fraction of people who live in the middle of nowhere. And you know what they prefer to drive? Altos for personal use and Boleros (or equivalent) for commercial.

A 4x4 for daily use is rare enough, that selling the vehicle purely on that ability is yield triple digits every years maybe. 4x4s sell enough to make money because they are style statements. It's the harsh truth, but that's what it is.

And what is this talk about “people don’t buy good vehicles when they are introduced”? People buy what they see value in. Simple as that.

No auto manufacturer is doing us a favour by bringing us a “performance” vehicle. Like I have mentioned in an earlier post, brands don’t make money on flagship products. They make them on mass products.

If Dior stopped doing Haute Couture then they wouldn’t be able to build an aspirational brand. And if they don’t build an aspirational brand, their perfumes and lipsticks won’t sell. Guess where the revenues and profits come from?

Facts are:

• The car cannot do high double and low triple digits comfortably. Which is critical to reach anywhere if you are in the plains. Our country is mostly plains. At least the population centres (hence sales centres).
• The gearbox is decades old and only four speed. I’m sure there’s love for hand cranked engines somewhere in the community. But the majority audience wants new tech. Simply because new tech is better.
• The interiors are 1990’s spec. There’s not even space to hold water bottles. Sure there are accessories, but that is over and above the sticker price. If it were lower, it’d have made sense not only from the value for your money perspective, but also from the perspective of gathering loose change to add creature comforts. I don’t know how many of you like to stay hydrated and have your left arm supported while on a long(ish) haul (given it takes three hours from gurgaon to delhi railway station and back). But I do. If they had to price the vehicle like this, at least the basics should have been in place.
• As for build quality. Did any of you notice the door plastics flexing when you roll up the windows? The manual IRVM. And those god-forsaken sun visors that most undergarments have more structural integrity than?

Listen, the gypsy was a rock star when there was nothing else competing with it.

Not the case anymore. Other manufacturers are quick on their feet. And competing products are plentiful.

And MOST importantly. Jimny doesn’t do what is absolutely NEEDED by most people, that other cars can’t do already. (And in comfort.)

I’m sure the glamour of delivering medicines to a monastery in the high passes while doing donuts in the desert and washing your face in glacial lakes is all very alluring. But it won’t appeal to anything except infantile dreams.

Once you have the car being used for daily life, the 17 - 19 lacs spent on a chassis with 4x4 capability will seem incredibly foolhardy.

[vyasachetan]

The Jimny prices I am sure are introductory, it will go up by 2L in 2-3 years with some feature and colour additions. They did the same with the Thar.

At 21L on road bangalore in 2025, with the 5 door Thar at 32-35L will be incredible value.

The buyers who picked it up at the launch prices will be lucky…

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by himalyan_ice

Oh the pleasure of going through this thread!

Once you have the car being used for daily life, the 17 - 19 lacs spent on a chassis with 4x4 capability will seem incredibly foolhardy.

A lot of what you say is absolutely practical and true, hence appreciated.

I think this above sentiment though, will apply equally to Thar, Wrangler, etc.

[silverado]

Jimny definitely deserves a premium for the image it has. Anyone buying a Jimny would definitely not be buying this as his/her sole car.

15 Lacs is a lot of money, especially when you consider there is always a THAR 2wd available for a little less.

I was expecting it to start around 9.99 lacs ex-showroom for a basic variant, but i guess they dont have one right now and would want to milk as much as they can till the hype/excitement goes down.

[himalyan_ice]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

A lot of what you say is absolutely practical and true, hence appreciated.

I think this above sentiment though, will apply equally to Thar, Wrangler, etc.

Most of them sell for satiating a sense of bravado. A requirement which the cute little Jimny won’t be able to solve for.

[aravind422]

Originally Posted by PYSO

2) Those who want to buy a Jimny / Thar because they have a totally different character from the rest of the crowded array of car models on sale - this segment would want the Jimny to be priced as high as possible - so that Jimny retains its exclusivity and doesn't become a mass product. This segment would walk away from the Jimny if it had a base variant priced below 10 lakhs, and every Tom, dick and harry went and bought a Jimny (and Maruti would make nil profits in the process)

You have a very valid point about category 2 there, and I thank you for bringing that up. But may I ask why Tom, Dick and Harry should be denied that chance ???

There will always be people who would love more than anything to own a particular vehicle, property, gadget, etc., and pray it would be just that tiny bit more accessible for them. I don't think they should be kept at a distance to facilitate exclusivity for the privileged sector. Those better off have a far wider choice of vehicles than what the lesser souls do. They can go ahead and buy themselves a Wrangler for the unmatched 4WD capability, a G-Wagen from AMG for the opulence or a 300 Series for the comfort and unparalleled reliability.

The Jimny is a simple vehicle that is even issued to the Police and civil emergency departments worldwide. How would that elite soul feel about that? Would he ask Suzuki to price it so high that it becomes inaccessible to the governments too?

I also do not understand what this premium-ness and lifestyle segmentation is all about. There is nothing premiun in a Jimny (except for maybe the handful of minor luxuries available in the Alphas). And do forgive my ignorance, for I have never had the capability to see anything except the Hilux, the Xenon and the Vcross as lifestyle vehicles.

Sincerely asking, wouldn't it be better for Maruti, or any other manufacturer (of any mass market product for that matter) to derive profits from volume sales rather than pitch for low quantity high margin business? I mean, isn't profit an important aspect? Just can't understand MSIL's strategy. That's clearly something a couple of leagues above me.

[IB290]

It gets interesting when I start reflecting on why I want something for which there is no immediate need. Is it really the heart or is it the brain. Or just the circumstance (Covid lockdown etc) driving me towards a particular mindset. And the moment I think it is the mind, how do ‘I’ really separate between the heart and the brain.
Point is, Jimny is something that I have tracked for last 2 years or more, spent so much time browsing through this forum and others to get news bytes, and bored near and dear ones with the related conversations. Now that the prices are out, to me they seem to be atleast a few lakhs more than what it should have been. Part of the mind says go for it - only one life. Other part says stupidity has its limit . And there are things that I dont understand - like why would MSIL spend money designing a 5 door ‘family’ car and price it at a premium to make cash. Or does it really cost that much. Could a big corporate be so wrong in their assessment?

So I continue to sit on the fence, may be a test drive will help me decide either way. But the excitement is marred for sure. Maybe MSIL should learn from Mahindra. Sell what you may, but keep the customer excited.

[RijuC]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

A lot of what you say is absolutely practical and true, hence appreciated.

I think this above sentiment though, will apply equally to Thar, Wrangler, etc.

Sir, a "pahadi" person knows all the tricks for how to tackle the situations, tricky terrains and surfaces and make full use of an Alto or Bolero in those terrains on daily basis.

Whereas, we, the plain or city dwellers lack that knowledge and skill set. Hence, we mostly need the aide of an AWD or a 4x4.

Jimny is an open and shut case for me. There is no AWD+AT available in India below 20 lakhs price range. Jimny is the cheapest and apparently most reliable solution available for a small family with minimum comfort requirement.

As long as I need not to press a clutch pedal, I am good. 4 speed or 6 speed TC or 7 speed DCT is none of my business.

[RoadFiend]

Originally Posted by PYSO

Two types of customers will buy the Jimny

2)... so that Jimny retains its exclusivity and doesn't become a mass product...

Thanks PYSO for your insightful characterization. On reflection, I am willing to concede (much to my embarrassment) that I probably belong to the 2nd bucket.

In fact, the only reason it fits into my garage (The 'Garage dilemma' thread : Buy / sell / keep / shuffle my cars) plan is because of the mountain goat character, whatever that means 🤷

Looking forward to the test drive and real life stories from the field.