[Bibendum90949]

If the Sonet is primarily his family car, replacing it with Jimny won't go down well with the family members in due course and once the initial new car euphoria dies down. Ride quality will suffer being a ladder frame vehicle besides interior space at a premium. Driving experience won't be as great compared to the 1.5 D of Kia. He must have driven Jimny over largely very good roads abroad and it is a different ball game in our pothole ridden roads.

Even Jimny won't be as good a long distance highway cruiser when pitted against Sonet. The frugality of diesel would be missed too. His fuel bills would surely shoot up as well since Jimny may return 10-12 kmpl in city and may be 15 on highways. How much ever Maruti try to tune it for FE(which they shouldn't since the vehicle is designed and built for a purpose), end of the day it's a brick that has it's aerodynamic limitations.

If your friend can still put up with all this, he should consider selling it for Jimny. Waiting for two years to get one in pre owned market won't be as cheap to buy either owing to Maruti's immense resale value. By then, the new Jimny prices would go up which has a bearing on pre owned market.

[epiccross]

Honestly, it's not a like-for-like replacement. Sonet D AT is a peppy car that can be a good mile muncher and city car with good FE and great engine/gearbox combo. Jimny, I would say, is only justified if he's regularly going to use the 4x4. It's not a good replacement for a mainstream CSUV/family car.

Sure, the heart wants the heart wants - but impulse purchases are a real thing. If you sell off a brand new car (by taking a hit) and get something that you feel would be good and if it turns out to be not the car you'd thought it would be, then it'd be tenfolds worse. Let him take an extensive TD like @GTO has suggested (highways/city along with offroad). And let him see if it really makes sense to take that financial hit. I honestly feel he might be disappointed, as if he was primarily in need of a 4x4, he wouldn't have gotten a Sonet anyway.

[kvsneela]

I have Spresso ( 2022) though I could have purchased any car including Thar.. When I heard about the launch of Jimny, one part of brain starts thinking ( I don't consider heart as decision maker) that we have to show we are different by buying Jimny( show off). But as the launch date is nearing and pictures starts appearing my other part of brain ( which decided on Spresso) starts kicking in now and reasons for not buying Jimny is coming out.As many had pointed out, it is not a practical car with poor comfort level for that kind of money ( one may say Spresso has same attributes but it is ok considering the amount of money spent).It may give thrills for initial days but once the euphoria starts leveling , it may not be pleasant anymore.May be as an additional car for off roading which( like somebody pointed out) might not be even 1% of our total driving. In that case it would be foolish to spend for a 4*4 which might not be used at all. ( Might be worthy to wait for normal version if at all there a chance ). If the look of SUV is what everybody is after , Spresso solves that problem of psuedoSUV. 1litre engine, SUV stance with 180 mm GC, 2Airbags with EBD, smart audio with AA and CP with MSIL reliability and one may think what a moron to compare Spresso with other SUVs but it suits my purpose. Like that, analyse your requirement and as GTO mentioned , test drive multiple times and decide by the other part of your brain. Sonet( and similar CSUVs) is selling because of the appeal as SUV( as the same engines are available in hatches and sedans) but one more SUV comes around it is back to square one.

[MaheshY1]

Originally Posted by bijims

...
He is now literally in a Heart against Head dilemma where his heart yearns for Jimny while his Head says to keep the Sonet.

With this dilemma, I wanted to get the opinion of the BHPians on what would be the best course of action. Kindly provide all your valuable insights on the issue.

With the economic downturn on the horizon, it's wiser to hold the Sonet. Moreover, the Jimny could get a 6-speed TC AT with the facelift in another 3 -4 years. Then, it'd be better to go for the Jimny either a new or a cheaper used one.

My guess is that Jimny is not becoming a success story for Maruti. Sure, it'll sell but it doesn't have the road presence, iconic "Jeep" style, Thar's brand recall, and aftermarket modification support in India. A good car, which flops sells for peanuts in the used car market. All you need is patience. S-Cross and my own Nano, Navi, and Impulse are good examples. To make it an easier decision (financially), we should hope that it fails big time so we can buy it cheaply in the used car market. If it fails in sales, then eventually, your head's sound logic and heart's desires will align.

For now, continue with the Sonet diesel. It's a solid choice --- performance, reliability, feature, and style - wise.

[Freespirit27]

Originally Posted by GTO

Wait first and let him take a LONG test-drive of the Jimny. I recommend anyone considering the Jimny or Thar to take multiple test-drives before deciding. These 4x4s can be very bumpy on regular roads (unless Maruti tweaks the Indian Jimny for a bit more comfort). The Jimny's cabin is narrow & I don't think its interior part quality or driving experience will match the Sonet Diesel AT which has a superb engine + gearbox combination.

Cars like the Jimny & Thar are amazing, but they are not for everyone.

I tend to strongly agree. My heart was on Thar and during one of my XUV service pickup wait I decided to check it out. Thar is a purpose built adventure vehicle which many folks use for city rides and I simply can't understand the kind. Ingress egress, back seat access, dimensions everything shouts for a cargo pants, boots and jacket kind of a guy! No way I would go highway cruising or to a restaurant in a Thar!
So Yes, see the car do a couple of test drives, check again what you need it for and then put your money on the counter.
Just a parting thought, Bad municipality roads don't equate to offroading it just requires a 4 door higher GC vehicle!

[aamishdhingra]

Hold the Sonet at all costs! Jimny looks nice but Thar looks better. Also, Kia is a breeze to own, have owned the Seltos in the past and absolutely a niggle free ownership. Although Maruti ownership is easy too, but would not recommend you getting a Jimny.. Let the car come out with the initial niggles and hassles for the first 1 year minimum.

And, Kia has beautiful diesel engines.

[raj4466]

Since he is from Kerala and hoping he has space to park 2 vehicles inside his property, why not keep both?

I will not recommend Jimny as a primary vehicle. The maximum level of ride comfort you can expect on the Jimny can be compared to a WagonR.

Keep the Sonet for family outings/occasions and the Jimny when he travels alone and weekend fun.

[condor]

Keep the Sonet - it will be far more practical for family than the Jimny. Expectedly, people have already started complaining about the lack of elbow space in the Jimny, and this just for starters. The only advantage of the Jimny over the Sonet will be the 4x4.

Your friend can still get a Jimny later when they come into the used market. By that time he can also get sufficient test drives with family and decide on the suitability.

[SinghBHP]

Originally Posted by GTO

Wait first and let him take a LONG test-drive of the Jimny. I recommend anyone considering the Jimny or Thar to take multiple test-drives before deciding. These 4x4s can be very bumpy on regular roads (unless Maruti tweaks the Indian Jimny for a bit more comfort). The Jimny's cabin is narrow & I don't think its interior part quality or driving experience will match the Sonet Diesel AT which has a superb engine + gearbox combination.

Cars like the Jimny & Thar are amazing, but they are not for everyone.

Every time my father or a family member see Thar on road they ask me why dont we buy that and my answer is same as above. However, I am sure most of the people buy it for looks and then keeping it as a style statement.

[Newtown]

Originally Posted by bijims

He loves the looks and overall packaging of the Jimny and is a fan of the Allgrip setup. He had driven the Jimny abroad and found it to be a "cute and small car that can do it all".

The small, cute car that does it all, has a very different package and setup. What he drove and liked so much would almost in all probability not be the same offering when the car is launched here. As an example, note that the Seltos is a different car in the United States when compared to the one in India.

He should keep the booking if he wants to but beyond that only test driving it will give him the answer. Don't be in a hurry. Mind over matter in such cases.

[Autonaut]

Keep the Sonet; it's a fantastic vehicle with a great engine and gearbox combination. Many rental car companies in Kerala are currently offering Thar's, and I'm confident they'll introduce Jimny soon. For those who are not serious about off-roading and don't intend to use a Jimny or Thar as their second or third car, renting one will be a better option.

[mpant05]

Your friend can surely save some money by keeping the Sonet and spend his days wistfully looking at other Jimneys zooming by
OR
He can be the one sitting in one of the Jimneys, content to the core of his heart :-)

The choice is as simple (or difficult) :-)

[Malyaj]

You haven't mentioned who are the other users (not necessarily drivers) of the car. A car is not just for oneself but for the entire family and their comfort matters too. Your friend should not buy anything unless he test drives it with at least one other family member who is most frequently going to commute with him. Unless of course, they are of the type who simply couldn't care (There are people of this type).

[epiccross]

Originally Posted by mpant05

He can be the one sitting in one of the Jimneys, content to the core of his heart :-)

The choice is as simple (or difficult) :-)

Honestly, the biggest problem is not that it's a tradeoff between taking a hit vs having what they enjoy - I honestly feel like Jimny might not be a vehicle for them. If they have only one car for the entire family, then Jimny is not a practical vehicle that is reasonably fun to drive, and gives a comfortable ride/good FE. I'm assuming this must be what nudged them towards Sonet D AT.

Jimny is none of that. It's a very good offroader and a decent city rider, but is that really their primary usecase? As many have pointed out, the car is often a family vehicle. And looking at his confusion, I'm gonna go out on a limb here and suggest it's the buzz around Jimny that's causing this buyers remorse and he might end up feeling not so happy in the long run. But again, I could be wrong

[bijims]

Thank you all for your insights, As asked by the members, regarding the number of members who would be traveling in the car, he and his wife would be the sole members traveling, at least for the foreseeable future. So rear seat space isn't an issue.