[gsferrari]

Some off-road fun with BHPian VW2010 and his Jimny. Took a lot of convincing to get him to bring his baby off road. Finally the vehicle is in its natural habitat and I must say, VW2010 enjoyed himself immensely as well.

https://youtu.be/zdx1AaYWbk4?si=Qr-i4Wz0ivsd3N75

[VW2010]

Here is the Promised update and with that I also complete the 3rd service. Another Shout out to Abish from Khivraj who took care of all service needs. Nothing major but changing oil and filters. Will get to the service update at the end.

Starting the proceeding with some pictures till the 6000kms Mark.

The summary is between 6000kms to 10000kms.


Trip no 1 was to Bangalore for a conference. We started at 430 and returned by 1130pm. We took the Old Madras road and it rained in a few sections as well. The car handled the tarmac and the lack of it through this drive with less fuss and more awe. We started at 430 and reached MG Road around 845 and that is a pretty good average.

The bane of Jimny, the slow-speed steering wheel was very comfortable at high speeds. The soft suspension eats up bad roads but does not become a boat on the tarmac. The Car is very planted on corners and one can keep gaining confidence in the capability of Jimny.

Visibility and size are favorable to highway driving in the Jimny. The engine whines more than your regular-sized engines but not once it felt it is struggling. We could cruise with no discomfort and with the EVC overtaking was also not difficult. EVC is a must for Jimny and I understand why the ECU is tuned to drive in its stock form as Fuel efficiency is also a key DNA of Maruti which does not exist with Jimny. Even at this good average pace, we got around 10.8 to 11.2 kmpl during the trip. One tank each way was the cost.

There were few stretches when it rained and some bad stretches of roads drenched in rain and mud. I am 100% sure I would have slowed down to a crawl in a sedan or other cars but with Jimny, we just glided over these stretches at a healthy speed. This makes it a terrific highway car once you consider the comfort factor on all type of roads.

Things that impressed me during this trip

• Stability
• The engine is not that bad and with EVC the drive is comfortable and reaches 3-digit speeds quickly
• Extremely comfortable for driver and front seat passengers.
• Fabric seats are comfortable
• AC, Dark tints and cabin size make it a very cold ride even in a hot summer
• Does not float like a boat and stiffer steering makes it relatively ok to drive at highway speeds
• Great for good roads, greater for bad roads
• The brakes are good. It is not abrupt but can confidently go all during an emergency and the car will stop
• Can zip through the slow traffic like you are used to as the car is small but also agile.

While this established my opinion that Jimny is a solid highway vehicle, the next day, I had a trip planned with the wife and kid to Trivandrum, Tanjavur and and Trihcy, which meant I could test the car further on the rear seat comfort, luggage space, and overall performance.

Trip no 2 - Chennai - Trivandrum - Madurai - Kumbakonam - Chennai

A similar trip was completed last year in the Endeavour (ex). While it is easy to say the Endeavour was comfortable because of that extra space, size, weight, and powerful engine, Jimny did not disappoint.

We started at 6 and reached Trivandrum around 7 pm which included the usual breakfast, lunch, and snack break.

Luggage for 3 - Check - You can say 4 as the camera gears and other nonsense I carry can be added as 1 extra person's luggage.

My wife was seated in the front/rear at different times and my son was in the rear seat. The roads were very good and well-maintained. The toll takes a toll on your wallet though. We were consistently cruising at highway speed and throughout the trip, the few questions I kept asking my family were " How comfortable is the rear seat? Is the ride bouncy? Does it make you sick?"

Both never once said they felt uncomfortable during the trip. At some stages, my son was fully stretched out and sleeping in the second row giving both me and my wife enough room to push the seats back to prevent him from rolling down.

Few things that worked in their favor

• Excellent AC and protection from heat (It was a hot day)
• The fabric seats are comfortable
• I have installed an Android device that allows us to use the display as a phone and install any app from the app store. This meant they could watch their own OTT platform on the go.
• Good stops at right time also ensured some stretching and relaxing

Cruising at highway speed is easy and the cruise control is a bonus here.

We reached Trivandrum and the forward trip was complete. We went through a few rain zones and the car was dirty and covered with muck from the previous day's trip as well.

Took the car to the carwash next to Infosys in Trivandrum and they did a very good job.

Some pictures during the visit.

We did use the car inside Trivandrum and this was the trip that helped me enjoy what this Jimny offers.

Trip to Chennai

We left Trivandrum at 5 am and we planned to head to Kumbakonam and visit 4 of the 5 Navagraha temples and stay put in Kumbakonam. The plan was flexible based on the time it took us to reach Kumbakonam.

On the way we stopped to enjoy the windmills and take some photos finally of Jimny

This is an excellent place to stay if you want to start your tour from Karaikal. Clean and tidy and the food is very good.

We reached Madurai by 930am and decided to head to Kumbakonam and finish the outer stretch of the 4 temples including Shani, Budhan, Kethu, and Sevvai. The roads are lovely to drive or ride in this part of the state.

In between it was raining and I had to take an emergency call from work.

Driving the Jimny in these parts is easy and fun. Roads are small compared to the highways and Google Maps takes you via weird interior roads that are at best as wide as one car. I enjoyed this drive and so did my family.

After finishing the tour we returned and were treated to some exhibition of sky, colors, and a clean day. There is nothing here to explain but to share some pictures

We reached Chennai around 4pm leaving us a day and a half to relax before heading back to awful work and routine.

Spotted this Mahindra EV on the way back home.

Final Summary and stats after these two trips:-



Jimny is a solid city and highway car for a small family. It is strictly a 2 adult and 2 kid car. It has enough space for such a family size with the advantage of looking good as well.

Total Distance covered - Close to 3500 and ended the trip at 9500 km.
Average fuel consumption for the trip - Around 11

Considering the 3500 odd km in 5-6 days I heard only good things from a comfort standpoint from my wife and Kid. This trip enabled me to sell the Endeavor. Jimny now has a solid recommendation if someone came to me and I personally do not believe this is a slow car or a car that is not good for highway drives.

I also completed the 10000 km 3rd service. Changed oil, filters, and pretty much the usual top-up stuff. The filter was filthy and I have decided to clean it once a week. The filter is located inside the glove compartment. Rear wiper water pressure is suddenly low and i have to check this this week. Other than that, there is a reason why people buy Maruthi. The experience is stellar and thanks to Abish from Khivraj. He is a fantastic service manager and if you are in Chennai, please get your car serviced in Khivraj Perungudi and ask for Abish.


Up next - Offroading debut with the Jimny and starting to use the car to the fullest.......

[matchvan]

Originally Posted by VW2010

I have installed an Android device that allows us to use the display as a phone and install any app from the app store. This meant they could watch their own OTT platform on the go.

Up next - Offroading debut with the Jimny and starting to use the car to the fullest.......

Greetings,

Nice travelogue and pics.

However I'm more intrigued in the Android Device you installed.
Please share more details and if possible pictures for other Jimny riders as well.

Thanks in advance.
Drive Safe.

[VW2010]

Quick update on the device.

Few Q&A
1) Where did you get this device?
A) A close friend got this for me from China

2) Similar devices available in India?
A) Probably yes but I saw this in his car and simply asked him to get me one and I did not do any research

3) Cost of the device?
A) I will check and revert on this as I am not sure what exactly i paid for this

4) Where can I get this?
A) If there is enough interest, I can check for a group buy as a service. I also want to avoid being marked for advertising sales but rather doing it as a help for group-buy only. (Mods delete this if this is in violation)

5) Explain other features
A) To summarize

• This is a tiny device that needs to be connected to the USB making it a wired Android Auto
• It has 2 SIM card slots that can operate as standalone devices.
• Load the device with a SIM card add data and forget it.
• Alternatively, just supply your phone internet as a hot spot and use the device as a stand-alone device
• Resembles an Android phone which means you can use it for calling or operating any apps from the Android Play Store.
• Google sign-in also works very smoothly
• Some apps are not available in Google apps which can be downloaded via their own APK download application or APKMiRROR for those who are ok to get the APK installed outside the Google Play Store.

Other points to mention

Loading time - Expect a minute or more from your standard device as it has to wait for your existing system to load and then connect as Android Auto. The phone connection is pretty fast.

Phone as just Bluetooth - One of the features I like is to use my phone as just a blue tooth device and not worry about connecting as android auto. Two reasons for this.
1) Allows me to operate the device maps or apps separately and not over load the phone
2) Access the phone menu in the phone itself when deploying a driver which the stock Android does not provide and I have to always stretch or ask the driver to disconnect etc.

Any special features that I enjoyed:- I could connect the DJI apps to the screen and pretty much even control the DJI Pocket 3 via the screen. Also, drone videos viewing or reviewing using the DJI app while returning after a day of offroading fun is actually enjoyable. Note - I am a passenger or we are stopped at some hotel to review these footage.


Enough talk - Can you share the pictures? Here you go.

The device box and the device size

Device Interface and applications

Hope this helps. There should be something locally available but I find this very reliable, fast, and comfortable for my usage. I am getting its own SIM card shortly and load it with data.

[bottle]

Khivraj perungudi , is it Arena ?

[vidyanand]

Originally Posted by VW2010

There should be something locally available ...

You are correct. Amazon shows very similar (in fact same with diff branding) but the price is high. ~15k. Search for 'Carlinkit'.
There are other models that are cheaper around 8k.

[VW2010]

11500kms completed and an update with the first two trips to the palar bed.

I have done minimal offroading before, but I am what they call the Agmark Newbie. While Guru has been chasing me to go offroading. I had something else on the days he goes offroading. Either I am riding a bike or playing cricket.

So I finally took the first step and went with Guru. We went to Palar early in the day. I have accompanied Guru on a few trips as a passenger and have a decent sense of basics.

A list of things to carry includes tyre deflators, an air compressor, and a tow rope.

After getting the air pressure sorted we entered the river bed. The first fear to overcome is the first drop into the river bed. Jimny handles it with ease. Once into the soft sand I shifted to 4L and started driving around enjoying the first experience. We roamed around a bit and crossed a few streams and a few low-lying shrubs to get a taste of level 1 I would say.

We stopped and took some pictures

The First Climb
The first climb was the most anxious one. I was not sure if Jimny could do that. Guru was the tester for most of the course where he would go and try it out while I stand by for recovery. You are also tempted to try going very fast with the fear of getting stuck. But having sat with Guru one thing I understood was it is easier to recover than to break your car while trying to use speed as a way of getting out of a tough situation.

As I climbed over the small dune I could hardly see anything below the bonnet. I gently throttled up and got over the dune. The first smile was evident and the fear of breaking the car in these sands turned into the fun one can have. Also, you learn to read the path as once you start the climb there is so much not visible and you are dependent on either the memory of what you were getting into as you drive into one or an external support guiding you.

The first Drop


The first drop is also not so different. You have seen the other car do it. You know it can be done. But when you are the driver and you tip over the edge there is a few seconds of fear of what if the car will topple. Jimny ain't heavy either and you are constantly thinking for the first few meters on getting turtled over. But the soft sand sinks with the weight and you gently glide down.

Learning here includes how to avoid braking and sinking into the sand and gently moving the car so it keeps grabbing new surface area.

The water wading and in general goofing around

Water wading is fairly straightforward. Precaution is to check the water bed and the height of the water. Post which we just went driving flat out in the wide river bed putting some stress on the lower arms of the car.

Here are two videos altogether over the last 1 month or so that pretty much cover some of the fun we had with Jimny.

First trip

Second Trip

What did I learn and what you can learn?

• Carry an air compressor and a tow rope. Carry a two-way communication device
• Leave it to the pros and follow the instruction
• Early butterflies in the stomach can be addressed only after you make the first climb or drop
• Driving fast when you are stuck is useless
• Cradle the car when you are stuck then hard throttle it
• It is not embarrassing to get stuck and need a tow
• The aim is not to sink and to keep rolling
• Be patient and do not attempt to be a hero

Impression on Jimny continues to grow. This is a solid performer when you add the offroad capability to its city and long-distance capability. If space is not a requirement Jimny can be a great car for having all sorts of fun.

[VW2010]

Update - 13500 kms completed and 13000 at exactly 1 year from the date of purchase.

The last time I did over 10k kms in a car in a year was way back in 2013.

Jimny has been a fabulous addition for every type of drive. From office, school drops, kids classes drop, long drives beyond the city, offroading and more.

From the last update I have done two long trips to Bangalore and Tiruppur. Each of these trips have beed day trips covering a decent distance at cruising speed.

Positives continue to be comfortable ride quality, excellent cooling, good highway cruising, cruise control, evcx, and a solid car for a small family.

110 - 120 kmph is a sweet spot for the car. Size is majorly an advantage in the city while some have complained about turning radius. The turning radius is a problem if you try to take a quick U turn in the middle of the road. Other wise it is perfectly manageable.

Advantage of fabric seats is that it is very comfortable for longer drives. The disadvantage is the amount of dust it collects. Every 2 weeks one needs to ensure they actually beat the dust out and vacuum it

Music system is bad. There is no two ways about it. If there is an upgrade that I want to do in the future is to get a decent pair of speakers and a better head unit.

The android auto device I am using is fantastic. I have installed a sim and my son enjoys watching his programs on trips. I have even installed dji apps to control pocket 3 or watch the drone video sitting inside the cabin. This device is a must buy to bypass the inability of stock android auto.


Weakest point for this car is the fuel efficiency. At 100 the car pushes fuel efficiency close to 14 kmpl. Beyond that the efficiency drops drastically and inside city it will be an event if it crosses 8 kmpl. For example in Bangalore traffic jimny may yield 5 to 6.5 kmpl.

Suspension is on the softer side and I will definitely upgrade to a stronger spring. The right side of the car sags a bit and its very common to spot. When you stop behind a jimny next time, you can notice the right rear sagging a big.

Interior lights are bad. I added a simple 12v 2.5w White LED which now is bright and even helps my kid to read books. I changed all the bulbs inside the car. It is a straight forward DIY to change the bulbs. Don't worry it you do not have a special tool. An IKEA table knife from the fork set is enough to pry open the light cover

Fog light and High Beam are pretty useless and I will upgrade the fog light to long throw lights shortly


Here are some of the pictures as I added another 2k kms










Misery or happiness likes company. It took this owner one drive to banglore in my jimny to go ahead and book the car



One of the trips we did was to Sriharikota. Another solid drive and fun with wife and kid and the eldest one, a beagle enjoying his second launch.





In summary Jimny is a wonderful purchase knowing the bad fuel efficiency and the fit for a small family. If these two are not an issue, Jimny is a good car to buy as a first car. 13000 kms in a year is the proof.

[EshanS]

Originally Posted by VW2010

Fog light and High Beam are pretty useless and I will upgrade the fog light to long throw lights shortly

Wow, great experience. That launch image at the last is too good, loved the colors and trail in it.

On the fog light issue, you might want to try MadDog lights on it, I have seen couple of Jimny's with the MadDog AUX lighting. They have clamps and wiring harnesses which does not require cutting of any sort - along with a switch.

I just installed them on my V650 at the moment, and trust me the throw is wider and stronger than my Kiger LED headlights that are standard. I see they have a Thar version for the lights, should be the same for Jimny.

[VW2010]

On the fog light issue, you might want to try MadDog lights on it, I have seen couple of Jimny's with the MadDog AUX lighting. They have clamps and wiring harnesses which does not require cutting of any sort - along with a switch.

I just installed them on my V650 at the moment, and trust me the throw is wider and stronger than my Kiger LED headlights that are standard. I see they have a Thar version for the lights, should be the same for Jimny.

Thanks. I plan to make one custom and make it a longer throw than spread for the high beam effect. I will post an update once I get to some shape.