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Maruti Jimny Review

Maruti Jimny Pros

• Extremely stylish retro-modern SUV with loads of character. A total head-turner that’s available in very interesting colours
• Build quality is more solid than you’d expect of a Maruti. Even the interiors feel hard-wearing (note: plastic quality is nothing to write home about)
• An agile mountain goat! 4x4 with low range, satisfactory all-round visibility, 210 mm GC, good wheel articulation and excellent approach, departure & break-over angles make it a potent offroader
• Compact size & lighter kerb weight (than the Thar & Gurkha) bring advantages off-the-road and on it (in urban confines)
• Stylish interiors with good space utilization for 4 adults
• 4 doors make it more practical & family-friendly than the competing 2-door offroaders
• Smooth torque-converter automatic transmission available
• You can expect lots of modification & customization options, as is the case internationally. Go out & personalize your Jimny!
• Features such as the hard top, tinted green glasses, near-flat reclining front seats, LED auto headlamps with washers, rear wash & wipe, cruise control, 9-inch touchscreen HU...
• Safety kit includes 6 airbags, 3-point seatbelts for all, ESP, brake-based limited slip differential, traction control, hill hold / descent control and ISOFIX mounts
• Maruti’s excellent after-sales service, wide dealer network & fuss-free ownership experiences

Maruti Jimny Cons

• Small size doesn’t give it the presence of a Thar or Gurkha
• Unexciting 1.5L petrol engine with merely 103 BHP and 134 Nm. Don’t expect Maruti-esque fuel economy either (we saw high single-digit FE in our test-drive of the MT variant)
• Notchy 5-speed MT with a heavy clutch pedal. MT owners will find the footwell to be cramped
• Firm steering requires effort to operate. Vague on-road behaviour, weak return-to-centre action and wide 5.7 m turning radius
• Just a 4-seater (even legally). Not being able to carry 5 limits family-wise practicality
• Imperfect ride quality. Don’t expect road manners like a monocoque crossover, yet it is superior to the Thar’s bumpy ride
• 4-speed AT feels very old and outdated (has an “OD” button like in the ‘90s!). That being said, the gearbox has smooth shifts & proven reliability
• Missing features such as a sunroof, DRLs, rear A/C vents, auto wipers, TPMS, driver's seat height & lumbar adjustment, steering reach adjustment, auto-dimming IRVM, dead pedal…
• Boot space is just 208-liters; however, it is useable and more accommodating than the Thar’s. Disappointingly, the Jimny’s cabin has very few storage options & cubicles
• No soft-top convertible or 2-door options available. Forget about the joy of open-top cruising
• No diesel engine for those with high-running. The market still loves diesels in body-on-frame SUVs

This review has been jointly compiled with Chetan_Rao. Thanks to him for the expert observations!

Introduction

The body-on-frame off-roader market in India has seen quite a jump over the last 3 years or so, thanks to the introduction of the 2nd-gen Mahindra Thar. This car was a lot more refined and useable than any other purpose-built off-roader sold before in the country. The number of bookings for the Thar went through the roof. Seeing the success of the Thar, Force Motors introduced the new Gurkha, which was a also lot better than its predecessor. Maruti Suzuki used to sell the Gypsy (known as the 2nd-gen Jimny globally) in India from 1985 to 2019. The car went on to become a legend with followers in the off-roading and rallying communities as well as the country's defence forces. The ageing design and ever-tightening safety norms forced the Gypsy out of production.

Now, following the success of the Thar and calls from enthusiasts, Maruti Suzuki has decided to introduce the 4th-gen Jimny in India. It must be noted that Maruti has been manufacturing and exporting the 3-door Jimny since 2021. In the Indian market though, it will put the 5-door version that will be on sale. This will give it an advantage over the Thar and Gurkha, which are available only in 3-door configurations at the moment.

The Jimny is manufactured at Maruti Suzuki's Gurugram plant. It will be sold through Maruti's Nexa dealerships and will be available in 2 variants: Zeta and Alpha. There will be only one engine available - a 103 BHP, 1.5L, 4-cylinder naturally-aspirated petrol mated to a 5-speed MT or 4-speed AT and an AllGrip Pro low-range transfer case.

Maruti Jimny Price & Brochure

The prices of the Jimny will be revealed soon. We hope that the car is priced competitively.

The official brochure of the Jimny can be downloaded here: Maruti Suzuki Jimny Brochure.pdf.

Exterior

Design & Styling

The Jimny is small in size compared to the Thar or Gurkha, but it is still a big head-turner. It retains the boxy styling of the earlier generation cars. It is loaded with character and grabs the attention of other road users easily. It's the simplicity of the design that appeals to people.

Some notable features are a hard top, gunmetal grey radiator grille with chrome plating, LED headlamps, 15" alloy wheels, trapezoidal wheel arch cladding and a tailgate-mounted spare wheel. The car will be offered in 5 single-tone body colours. These include Sizzling Red, Nexa Blue, Pearl Arctic White, Bluish Black, and Granite Grey. 2 dual-tone body colours are also available including Sizzling Red + Bluish Black (our test car) and Kinetic Yellow + Bluish Black.

The Jimny measures 3,985 mm in length, 1,645 mm in width, and 1,720 mm in height with a wheelbase of 2,590 mm.

Build Quality, Fit & Finish

The Jimny has a body-on-frame construction and doesn't share its platform with any other car. Its build quality is acceptable and while there’s not much flex in the body panels, they do not feel as solid as the Thar. The doors are light, but the bonnet and tailgate have a good deal of weight to them. The doors (tailgate in particular) shut with a rattle. While the paint quality is acceptable, panel gaps & the likes cannot be compared to soft-roaders like the Creta. Still, overall fit & finish are acceptable.

The Jimny weighs between 1,195 and 1,210 kg, depending upon the variant.

Wheels & Tyres

The Alpha variant gets smart-looking gun metal finish 15-inch alloy wheels, while the Zeta variant comes with 15-inch steel wheels. All variants get 195/80 section tyres. The wheel and tyre combo looks proportionate to the metal on top.

Ground Clearance

The Jimny has an unladen ground clearance rating of 210 mm. Forget on-road bumps & speed-breakers, this off-roader will clear almost any obstacle even off the road without a problem.

Standard & Extended Warranty

The standard and extended warranty packages for the Jimny will be revealed at the time of launch. Maruti cars come with a standard warranty of 2 years or 40,000 km. Extended warranty can be availed for up to 5 years or 1,00,000 km and you can expect the same to be offered on the Jimny as well.

Safety

The Jimny is equipped with safety features such as 3-point seatbelts even for rear occupants, 6 airbags, brake limited slip differential, ESP, ABS, EBD, hill-hold, hill descent control, brake assist, ISOFIX child seat mounts, reversing camera and rear parking sensors. Sadly, a TPMS is missing.

While there is no NCAP rating for now the 5-door Jimny, the 3-door version managed to score only a 3-star rating in Euro NCAP crash tests.

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Interior

Cabin Design & Quality

The Jimny gets a simple cabin. There is nothing flashy or curvy in here, but the interior is very functional & likeable. While the interior theme is all-black, the glass area is sufficiently large to keep things from getting claustrophobic. The black interior will also conceal any signs of soiling way better than a lighter theme (off-roaders will love this). While the instrument cluster reminds one of the old Gypsy, there are some modern elements too, like the 9-inch touchscreen head-unit and switches and dials on the centre fascia that can be operated easily even when off-roading while wearing gloves. There are hard plastics used everywhere, yet part quality is acceptable. Some fittings do not feel as solidly built as in the Thar though. As an example, the door pads move while the windows are rolled up or down. Still, nothing really feels like it would break easily.

Space & Comfort

The Jimny's floor is a lot off the ground compared to sedans or hatchbacks or even crossovers and one needs to climb into the cabin. Still, it's not as difficult to get into the Jimny's cabin as in the Thar or Force Gurkha. Once inside, there is enough space in the front. Despite the Jimny's compact size, cabin width is healthy and headroom is abundant. The driver’s seat slides back sufficiently even for 6+ footers to feel comfortable, but it does not get height adjustment. While short to average-height drivers will be fine with the under-thigh support, taller occupants (even me @ 5’10”) will find it to be less. Lumbar adjustment is missing too and the side bolstering doesn't feel sufficient enough to hold one in place while cornering. The fabric upholstery is of average quality & the seats are on the softer side. I wish Maruti had given a centre armrest, but then, the only two cupholders in the car would disappear.

Driving Position & Ergonomics

In the driver's seat, you'll get acquainted with all the controls pretty quickly. The three-spoke, leather-wrapped steering is perfectly sized and lovely to hold, while the horn pad is easily reachable with your thumbs. The horn itself is a nice, dual-tone unit.

The steering wheel is adjustable for height, but it doesn't get reach adjustment. Also, the driver's seat is not adjustable for height and the fixed seat belts are fitted rather high. This means they will cut across the throats of shorter occupants. These factors could make finding a comfortable driving position difficult for some users.

The instrument cluster is inspired by that of the Gypsy. It is clear and easy to read. Coming to frontal visibility, you sit fairly high and have a good view of the road ahead (you can even see the bonnet). The A-pillars are upright and not very thick and don't cause blind spots. Rearward visibility is fair despite the tailgate-mounted spare wheel and the thick D-pillars. The IRVM is adequately sized and ORVMs are tall & wide.

Another complaint we have is that, in the MT, a dead pedal is missing and there is very little space to the left of the clutch to rest your foot on long journeys.

Cabin Storage

The Jimny doesn't do very well in terms of cabin storage. There is a spot to park a smartphone at the base of the centre fascia, but it is useable only if the phone is not too large (it could not hold my 6.4" M31). There are practical cupholders at the end of the centre console. The door pockets are very slim and can only manage to hold items such as thin books. One can keep a smartphone in them, but it will slide and rattle as you drive along. The door pockets do not have bottle holders. The glovebox is on the smaller side too (though not as bad as the Thar's). It doesn't have a cooling vent or illumination either. There is an open space above the glovebox on the dashboard to keep small items such as smartphones.

Coming to the rear, both front seats have seatback pockets and that's all the storage space available. There are no rear door pockets or cupholders or any place to keep one's smartphone.

Air-Conditioning

The Alpha variant gets a climate control system which will chill you to the bone! The air-con’s power is more than enough for this small cabin. No rear air vents for the two in the backseat. The Zeta variant gets an old-school HVAC unit.

Features

Unique & Noteworthy Features

The Jimny is not exactly loaded with features. It comes with keyless entry & go, auto LED headlamps, dark green glasses, reversing camera, rear washer+wiper, rear defogger, cruise control, multi-function steering with tilt adjustment, automatic climate control, three-point seatbelts for all occupants, two 12V power outlets and one USB charging port. It also gets a 9-inch touchscreen head unit with wireless Apple CarPlay & Android Auto connectivity and voice commands. One of the features that stand out is the near-flat reclining front seats.

What's missing? Rain-sensing wipers, sunroof, wireless smartphone charging, ventilated seats, seat height and lumbar adjustment, front and rear centre armrests auto-dimming IRVM and DRLs have been left out.

Audio System & Sound Quality

Maruti offers a 9" touchscreen with its SmartPlay Pro+ infotainment system in the Alpha variant. The user interface is simple and easy to get used to and the display is crisp and clear. It's extremely smooth and seamless in operation. A physical rotary knob for the volume control and power on/off would have been nice to have though. The sound system is tuned by Arkamys, but music is played through just 4 speakers.

In terms of audio quality, it's just ordinary. There are presets to choose from but the sound quality is not up to the mark. At least a couple of tweeters should have been provided. There is also quite a bit of vibration in the door pads if the volume is turned up.

Rear Passengers

Rear Seat Comfort & Space

Ingress & egress into the rear are quite easy thanks to the 5-door layout. There is enough space between the rear seat and B-pillar to move your feet in or out. The seat is well-sized for 2 (not 3, mind you) and there is enough head + knee room for anyone up to at least 6' tall. It has a comfortable backrest angle that's adjustable & the headrests are adjustable too. Taller passengers will find the under-thigh support to be less. There is enough space under the front seats to slide your feet into. The rear windows are well-sized and let a reasonable amount of sunlight into the cabin. However, we wished that the openable portions of the windows could have been larger. There are fixed glasses behind the rear windows, which let even more sunlight in.

Boot Space

Luggage space is just 208 litres. While this is still better than Thar, it is no match for the 500-litre boot of the Force Gurkha. The boot is still useable though. For driving holidays, the Jimny is best for 2 – 3 onboard and their luggage. You can forget about going on a road trip if you have 4 occupants because their bags simply won’t fit! Yes, the rear seat’s backrests split in a 50:50 ratio and fold down for when you need to haul larger cargo. With the rear seats folder, you get a claimed 332 litres of cargo space.

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Driving the Jimny 1.5L Petrol MT

1.5L K15B engine is taken from the 2018 Ciaz & 2019 Ertiga / XL6. It is longitudinally mounted and doesn't get the Smart Hybrid system. Air intake is routed behind the right headlamp:


The Jimny is powered by Maruti's 1,462cc, 4-cylinder K15B engine that puts out 103 BHP @ 6,000 rpm and 134 Nm @ 4,000 rpm. While the power figure is identical to the 2018 Ciaz and 2019 Ertiga, it must be noted that the Jimny weighs 1,195 kilos, which is more than its siblings. The torque has also been reduced by 4 Nm to 134 Nm. So the Jimny has lower power-to-weight and torque-to-weight ratios (86 BHP / ton and 112 Nm / ton) than its stablemates.

The Alpha variant is equipped with keyless entry & go. To start the car, press the clutch and hit the start button. The engine fires up with very little noise, but there is a noticeable shake of the gear lever. At idle, the engine is silent, but the gear lever shakes about and there are some mild vibrations felt on the seats.

Release the clutch gradually and the car moves forward without any throttle input. You can even pull away from a standstill in 2nd, albeit with some extra throttle input! Throttle response is satisfactory. Power comes in smooth & seamless. Low-speed drivability is good and in the lower gears, the car can pull reasonably well at anything over 1,000 rpm. The engine starts feeling comfortable above 2,250 rpm. Keeping up with the traffic is easy, but if you need to close a gap, a downshift might be required.

On the open road, the Jimny feels underpowered. Outright performance is below average. Rivals such as the Thar petrol will leave you in the dust. Overtaking slower vehicles on undivided highways requires some planning and aggressive downshifting. When pushed, the engine revs to 6,250 rpm and with a full load of passengers & cargo, you will need to work it hard. We feel that the rev limit of 6,250 rpm is very conservative. Sometimes, in the middle of overtaking manoeuvres, you have to shift up. The Jimny is more suited to a sedate driving style. It can cruise at 100 km/h in 5th gear with the tachometer reading ~3,000 rpm.

The clutch has a rather heavy action and a medium travel range. The 5-speed transmission has a heavy & notchy shift action too. This will get irritating in stop-go traffic. Add a heavier-than-usual steering and wide turning radius and you have a problem. Despite its small size, these factors prevent the Jimny from being a good city runabout. The AT should be a lot better though.

Noise, Vibration & Harshness (NVH)

Coming to NVH levels, there is no body shake on start-up or shutdown. However, as mentioned earlier, the gear lever moves about while the engine is being cranked and on idle. Vibrations are felt through the seats on idle as well.

The engine is silent while idling and acceptably refined at low revs. However, it is audible when revved. You can always hear the motor when you are accelerating. It starts getting loud post 3,500 rpm, and more so after 4,500 rpm. Near the redline, it whines and doesn't sound good. Wind noise starts creeping in above 80 km/h and gets louder as the speed increases. Road and tyre noise are both well-controlled.

Mileage & Fuel Economy

The 1.5L petrol engine comes with an idling start / stop function which enhances fuel efficiency. The MT and AT have ARAI ratings of 16.94 km/l and 16.39 km/l, respectively. We managed to see 8.5 km/l on the MID, but it must be remembered that there was a lot of idling, hard acceleration and braking involved in our drive. Better driving can easily yield 10 km/l or higher figures.

Heavy bonnet with no insulation underneath. The single manual prop rod is so flimsy, the hood sags at the unsupported end. A pneumatic one should've been provided:


Firewall has little insulation which results in engine noise entering the cabin:


Absolutely no underbody protection of any kind. Given the nature & use case of the vehicle, a bash plate is probably the first thing a lot of people would get:

Suspension

3-link rigid axle at the front...


...and rear:

Ride Comfort

The Jimny comes with a 3-link rigid axle suspension with coil springs at the front and rear. At city speeds every little bump is felt inside the cabin. However, it must be noted that both variants of the Jimny ride on 15" wheels with 195/80 section tyres and the recommended tyre pressure is 26 PSI. The tall sidewalls definitely help matters. So while the Jimny may not match some monocoque crossovers for ride comfort, it still outclasses the Thar in this field.

The tar roads around Dehradun were in good shape and finding large potholes was difficult. However, we did go off the road. Rough patches and dirt tracks posed no problem for the Jimny. It tackled them with aplomb and didn't cause any discomfort to the occupants. The car feels abuse friendly. The suspension works silently too.

Handling & Dynamics

We didn't get to drive very fast as the roads were passing through forests with corridors for wildlife. However, we did find an empty straight stretch away from the forest for a few short fast runs where we managed to touch 100 km/h. The high-speed stability of the Jimny at the speed was acceptable.

Through curves, the car holds its line well at regular speeds or even a bit higher. On twisty roads, you will experience some body roll but it's well-controlled for a body-on-frame vehicle. Our test car came with 195/80 R15 Bridgestone Dueler tyres, which provided enough grip at the speeds we were doing.

The Jimny's driving dynamics are certainly better than the Thar's and way better than the Gypsy's.

Steering

The Jimny comes with an EPS unit. It is also heavier compared to some other EPS units. It is not one-finger light at city or parking speeds, but we have no complaints. It is nice in the city with a decent amount of weight to it. On the highway, its reaction time is slow, but we actually prefer it this way in an off-roader that is not a great handler (sharp steerings are best suited to low-slung, tight-handling cars).

What we do not like is that the steering has a poor return to centre action. Though not as bad as some other Maruti cars, it does require correction. This can be quite a lot of work while tackling switchbacks in the mountains. The steering takes more rotations to accomplish the same turns compared to a ubiquitous rack & pinion setup, so driving around obstacles or parking in a tight spot will involve a decent arm workout.

Another problem is that the Jimny has a turning radius of 5.7 m, which is wider than the Force Gurkha's 5.65 m. This means you will be performing more 3-point turns than you'd like.

Braking

The Jimny is equipped with disc brakes at the front and drum brakes at the rear. The performance is as expected and the car comes to a halt without much drama. Under hard braking too, the car doesn't lose its composure.

Niggles & Problems

The 3-door version of the Jimny has been in production since 2021 and Maruti will have solved any problems that might have arisen. The engine and transmissions have been around for a long time and have proven durable and reliable. We did not face any problems in our test car and do not expect owners to do so either. However, as is always the case, we strongly recommend extended warranty coverage.

Like we saw in the Fronx, all the seatbelts have to be buckled in while the car is being driven, even if there is no other person in it other than the driver. If not done, the seatbelt alarm keeps sounding. Luckily the alarm stops after about 2 minutes of driving.

4x4 & Off-roading

The Jimny is an extremely capable vehicle off the paved road. It is equipped with rigid axle suspensions at the front & rear and Suzuki's AllGrip Pro shift-on-the-fly four-wheel drive system with 3 modes:

1. 2H - Power is sent only to the rear wheels. This mode should be used for normal on-road driving (street and highway).
2. 4H (high range) - Power is sent to all four wheels. This mode should be used for driving on gravel, sand, mud and other low-traction surfaces.
3. 4L (low range) - This mode should be used for low-speed driving in extreme off-road conditions.

You can shift between the 2H and 4H modes on the go. Of course, getting in or out of 4L mode is only possible when the vehicle is stationary. The engaged mode is displayed on the MID.

'4WD engaged' indicator in the MID. Simple and clear:


Further, the Jimny also gets a brake limited slip differential, hill descent control and hill hold assist. The stats are very impressive. The Jimny has an approach angle of 36 degrees, a departure angle of 50 degrees and a ramp break-over angle of 24 degrees. However, its water-wading depth of ~300 mm is low compared to other off-roaders.

Articulation and approach / departure / ramp break-over angles are fantastic in the stock setup. We didn't scrape the undercarriage pretty much anywhere however difficult the surface was to navigate:


This thing's called a mountain goat for a reason and we saw enough to say the moniker is well-earned:


Short overhangs and lumbar black scratch-resistant bumpers mean sharp inclines are dispatched matter-of-factly without any fuss:


210 mm ground clearance, 310 mm of water wading depth and the high air intake in the engine bay mean the Jimny can dispatch most water crossings even in stock form:

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Maruti Jimny Exterior Images

Clean, retro face with a flat hood. Wheel arch cladding adds width to the relatively narrow body:


Full-size tail-mounted spare, mounted on a sideways-opening boot door with a pneumatic strut. "Jimny" and "AllGrip" badges on the left and right respectively. Tailgate gets a request sensor too.


Side view highlights the elongated nature of the 5-door over the smaller 3-door. Nice integration, we must say:


Nice and upright stance. Not butch, but has enough road presence:


Boxy shape with clean and straight lines. No quirky cuts & creases:


Projector LED headlamp and position lamp in a round housing with a halogen turn-indicator next to it:


Radiator grille gets shiny grey applique and chrome inserts around the five slats with the "S" logo in the centre. The grey and chrome look out of place. Should have been body-coloured or black:


Alpha variant gets headlamp washers. Handy while offroading:


Unpainted plastic bumper continues the retro theme. Looks great and is very functional for an offroader that'll collect plenty of dings and bumps on trails. Air dam gets a honeycomb mesh grille and is flanked by halogen foglamps. Number plate mount is on the bottom edge and the front towing point is on the left:


No underbody protection at the front at all:


Flat bonnet has subtle creases to add some character. Nothing quirky though:


Dual-nozzle windscreen washers sit on the bonnet - very old school:


Maruti claims that the large trapezoidal wheel arches are meant to accommodate the car's articulation and movement angles while off-road. Running board cladding, has a 'do-not-step' warning icon on the rear edge:


Large, square ORVMs are finished in glossy black. No fancy inserts or integrated turn-indicators here:


Flap type door handles look right out of the 80s. We quite like them, honestly. Keyhole and request sensor are mounted separately on driver's door (front passenger door gets a request sensor too):


Glass area is large enough to let a good deal of sunlight into the cabin:


195/80 Bridgestone Dueler tyres mounted on smart-looking 15" gunmetal finish alloy wheels. For offroading, we prefer the lower variant's steelies though:


Drum brakes at the rear:


No wheel well cladding at the front...


...and very little at the rear:


Shut lines are uniform but not as tight as we've seen on modern cars:


They get wider around the bonnet...


...and plastic cladding:


Fuel flap is on the RHS - rare on right-hand drive cars. Fuel tank capacity = 40 litres:


Ribbed roof for added rigidity:


Stubby antenna is mounted in the rear right corner of the roof. Also notice the rain channels along the edges:


High-mounted stop lamp on the upper edge of the tailgate. Rear windscreen washer nozzle is located next to it:


Tail-lamp cluster is mounted on the bumper - just like the Gypsy. Maruti says it enables making the boot door wider, and the opening uniform. Two reversing sensors are mounted under each tail-lamp cluster:


Rear wiper is concealed behind the spare wheel:


Exhaust peeps out from the right. Towing points are located on both sides. Reversing camera is neatly integrated into the rear number plate housing:


Here's the Jimny in Kinetic Yellow. Apparently, it's a very popular colour:


In Pearl Arctic White with some camping accessories (sold separately):


In Granite Gray with more aesthetic accessories, including large "JIMNY" decals:

[Aditya]

Maruti Jimny Interior Images

Simple monotone dashboard, with classic Gypsy-like cluster and controls. Maruti claims the surfaces are scratch-resistant:


Great frontal visibility. Bonnet is visible from the driver's seat. Shorter drivers might have a problem as the seat isn't height-adjustable and the protruding head-unit gets in the line of sight:


A-pillars are upright and not thick and do not cause blind spots:


Typical Maruti leather-wrapped steering wheel. It does not get thumb contours but is still good to hold:


Audio and infotainment-related controls are located on the left spoke, while the right spoke holds switches for the cruise control system:


Telephony and voice command controls are placed behind the wheel:


No contrast stitching here. Monotone treatment continues:


Steering gets only tilt adjustment. Telescopic adjustment is a glaring miss, especially when clubbed with the missing height adjustment for the driver's seat. Limits the choices to find your optimal driving position:


Stalks are chunky. Wipers have 4 speeds for the intermittent setting. While automatic headlamps have been provided, rain-sensing wipers have been given a miss:


Retro, twin-pod instrument cluster with analogue dials, reminiscent of the legendary Gypsy. Redline is marked at 6,250 rpm. Simple, monochrome MID with self-evident readouts:


Adjustment stalks stick out of the instrument cluster on both sides:


MID readouts include seatbelt reminders, instantaneous FE, average FE, DTE, average trip speed and total driving time:


MID shows the exact doors that are open including the tailgate but not the bonnet:


Circular side A/C vents with a honeycomb mesh grille. They can be closed, but some air still comes out:


Headlamp leveller, headlamp washer and idling start/stop disable controls on the RHS:


Engine start/stop button and ORVM controls are placed below:


Dummy cutout slot below. Could've installed a coin/ticket holder cubby here:


Bonnet release lever and uncovered OBD port:


Rudimentary all-black doorpad. No soft-touch material anywhere. Front speaker sits at the bottom:


Door handles are finished in chrome:


Doorpads get a skinny map pocket. Unless you're long-fingered, you'd probably need a pair of tongs to fish stuff out from the bottom. No bottle holder here:


Dark green tinted window glass - a boon in our country as sunfilms have been banned:


Front windows can be rolled down fully (well, almost):


Wide front seats draped in fabric upholstery with tall headrests akin to the Ignis. Side bolstering isn't sufficient to hold one in place when cornering hard. Fabric quality is average and the cushioning is on the softer side:


Driver’s seat is 4-way adjustable. Height and lumbar adjustment have been omitted:


Seatbelts aren't height adjustable. We found them mounted a little too high:


A, B & C pedals are well spaced out, but there is no space for a dead pedal in the driver's footwell:


Jimny-branded bucket floor mats have silicone retaining hooks - important for safety reasons. Fuel flap release is located just ahead of the seat rail:


Wide and square shaped ORVMs provide a great view of the action behind. They were very helpful while reversing on a tricky offroad course:


IRVM is large enough to cover the rear windshield. However, the view is restricted by the thick D-pillars, rear headrests and the spare wheel. While it gets a day/night mode, no auto-dimming function has been provided:


Thick D-pillars and tailgate-mounted spare wheel restrict rearward visibility. Still, with the compact dimensions and the reverse parking sensors & camera, reversing is not a difficult affair:


Centre fascia is well laid out with a touchscreen sticking out at the top:


9" SmartPlay Pro+ touchscreen head-unit is responsive with a crisp display and capable of wireless Android Auto & Apple Carplay connectivity. Has haptic controls only:


Surround Sense with Arkamys offers signature ambiences, but the audio is rather underwhelming overall:


Equalizer presets available for different genres:


Good-looking 3-pod climate control console with a central monochrome display in red, flanked by front/rear demister & fan-speed controls on the left pod and temperature and Auto A/C controls on the right. A/C mode and On/Off & recirculation switches are tactile and intuitive to use:


Switches for the front power windows (auto up/down for driver window), hill descent control and traction control are located below the climate control console:


12V slot with cover and USB-A port are place below:


Cubby hole at the bottom of the console can hold a small smartphone:


5-speed MT shifter looks rudimentary and is notchy to operate:


AllGrip Pro 4WD mode selector. It needs far less effort to operate than the one in the Gypsy:


Bird's eye view of the centre console. It houses the rear power window switches, window lock button and two cup holders:


Wide grab handle on the passenger side of the dashboard:


Little cubby where you could keep small items. It's wide but not very deep:


Basic glovebox gets no illumination or cooling. It's not very spacious either:


Roof bezel houses the Bluetooth mic and front cabin lamp:


Sunvisors are thick and feel sturdy. Both units get vanity mirrors with covers and ticket holders but no illumination:


The Jimny comes with 6 airbags in total (front, side and curtain):


Rear doorpads are even more rudimentary than the front with just door lock/unlock and window controls and a speaker. Not even a map pocket, though that probably saves you from carrying a pair of tongs to fish stuff out. Win some, lose some:


A closer look at the retro power window switch. We like it:


Adequate legroom at the rear even for taller occupants:


Chetan (5'7") has sufficient legroom and headroom at the rear, though under-thigh support is lacking:


Rear passengers get adjustable headrests and three-point seatbelts:


Rear seat-belts are installed rather high too:


ISOFIX child seat anchors have been provided on both sides:


Large glass area. Rear passenger windows are split and only the front portion rolls up/down:


Tall and wide floor hump to accommodate the 4WD equipment below:


Whitish roofliner with a cabin lamp for rear passengers:


Fixed grab handles above each passenger door. No coat hooks have been provided:


208 liters of boot space. Boot does not get a parcel tray by default, though there are accessory mounting holes on either side so that one can be installed:


Medium size backpack and a duffel bag kept in the boot for reference. There's plenty of vertical space due to the form factor, so a vertical luggage net could be a handy accessory to install:


Boot lamp with an On/Off switch and a second 12V/120W port below. Notice the warning label that the two 12V ports can support a max combined 120W of power draw. Keep that in mind to avoid electrical overload issues.


Accessory fitting holes with bolt sizes mentioned - two on each side. Very helpful:


Styrofoam casing for tools:


Rear backrests can be folded using these plastic levers. Backrests lock in two positions:


Rear seat backrest is split in a 50:50 ratio which allows selective folding if you need to carry a combination of cargo + passengers. Rear seats don't fold completely flat:


Two positions to lock the rear seat backrests, as mentioned earlier:


Notice the subtle recline angle difference with the two rear backrests locked in the two different positions:


Cargo space with seats locked at position 1. Loading area is flat, and has minimal side intrusions:


332 liters of cargo space with rear seats folded down:


Exposed defogger contacts are an eyesore:


Tailgate gets plastic cladding on the inside:


Disclaimer: Maruti invited Team-BHP for the Jimny test drive. They covered all the travel expenses for this driving event.

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line.

[discoverwild]

Thanks, Chetan and Aditya.

Was looking forward to it when I was a bachelor. My son turns 20 next month. Finally, it's here. Even the Alpha variant is bare bones, considering it comes with a power steering and AC which I didn't have in the Gypsy King.

The 195/80 R15, is the right size for the machine. I had nylons, 205s and 195s and the King and the 195 was the best fit.

From the looks of it, Maruti is going to go high on price. While the mountain goat interests me, the boot space is negligible to make it a true 4-seat tourer. I had the King for 97,000 kms and 9 years doing a lot of work in the jungle. Although I'm looking out for an off-roader, I don't think the Jimny will do for me anymore. (Personal reasons). Maybe, my son will be interested in 5 years time.

[Dsan]

Jimny is being made in Maruti's Gurgaon plant and not the Gujarat plant.
May please check and update in the review.

[predatorwheelz]

Thanks for the concise, picture-rich review. This is ultimately a purpose-built off-roader, and anyone buying it for luxury/lifestyle aspirations will come up short. The pricing will play a key role.

Having gone through millions of international reviews, I was expecting the same results you got. Short on creature comforts but a mountain goat off-road. What is disappointing is the complete lack of underbody protection.

As exciting as the launch of the Jimny is, I'm looking forward to the international and local off-road accessory manufacturers setting up shop. In a few months the market will be flooded with underbody kits, off road bumpers, lights and associated stuff from the likes of Ironman, OME, Prad and Bimbra. Will give a year's time for the product and accessories market to settle down, and make a decision.

[itwasntme]

Excellence review, thank you! Looks built to purpose as a sturdy second/third car. Should last years with minimal maintenance too.

Now the pricing!!!

[thakkali_]

Originally Posted by Aditya

Driving the Jimny 1.5L Petrol MT

So while the Jimny may not match some monocoque crossovers for ride comfort, it still outclasses the Thar in this field.

I guess this is something everyone here was waiting for. If the ride comfort is going to be better than Thar, all Maruti has to do is price Jimny correctly.

Excellent review and much thanks to both of you.

[Nilesh5417]

Great review - made for a really good read. Assume it rides on tubeless tyres right?

Leaves me with mixed feelings about the Jimny - while a car meant to be a serious off-roader might skimp on creature comforts, I somehow feel that MSIL has not built this tough-enough.

I've never taken my cars off-road but makes me feel that this car will require TLC after each or at least a couple of serious off-road runs. Not having storage space even to hold a bottle of water, no cladding under the hood, single-flimsy bonnet support strut, no under-body protection, no reach adjustment for the steering, no cover (not even flimsy) on the USB port etc are areas that MSIL should have worked a bit on. Indicators on the mirrors would have been a good addition too - ok with no DRLs though.

One the good side - checks all the basics to be a good off roader backed by MSIL A.S.S. And it looks great! The retro feel of the switches inside is something i really liked.

Whatever be the price - i feel this is strictly purpose built and not for everyone. The ones who buy it cause they just want to be seen in the Jimny are going to get over it fairly quick or spend tons of money adding accessories trying to turn this into a Creta.

Would be good to see the take from our members who truly off-road!

[cefiljoseph]

Great review, finally a good new car that is accessible to the common man. If I had to buy a car under 20 lakhs today, it would be this.

A true blue off-roader that has been long awaited. I especially love the no-nonsense approach by Maruti here. It has all the creature comfort one needs but nothing more.

As Einstein said, “Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler”. Jimmy nails this and many thanks to Maruti for making this happen in India.

[Bhodrolok]

Nice, detailed review as always.

I have to say this is the only Maruti that tugs at my heart strings, wouldn't touch anything else from their stable in a hurry.

How does the build feel? Do the doors close with a thud? Is there any flex in the sheet metal?

[azm@bpl]

Most awaited and sought after car review of this decade. Mark my words, this Jimny review will break all records of viewership, comments and thanks. Admins if your policy allows, would love to see the analytics.