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Checked out the Maruti Jimny at a showroom: Pros & cons I observed

19th April 2023, 13:32 by Dev Shah

Looks nothing like anything out there, The retro classic looks in these times of sharp edgy designs is a breath of fresh air.

BHPian Djay recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Had a chance to check out the Jimny in the flesh today. Most points have been covered many times, so just wanted to highlight some observations I found only after seeing the actual car.

Pros:

Looks: Looks nothing like anything out there, The retro classic looks in these times of sharp edgy designs is a breath of fresh air.
Build quality: Impressed by the build quality inside out. Body panels feel solid and hefty, paint quality is top notch (especially that amazing Kinetic Yellow). Interior fit and finish is surprisingly amazing. Everything feels well put together unlike anything I have seen in any other Maruti. Hopefully Maruti does not change any of this in the final production cars.

Cons:

Driver footwell: Driver footwell is a bit cramped especially for the left leg. I found my left leg angle a bit tight compared to what I am used to in Baleno or S-Cross. It's manageable for AT, but using a clutch in the manual in city traffic might get challenging. Will get better idea after seeing the manual version.
Driver seat height: I found the height slightly lesser for my taste. I always keep the seats on maximum height and sorely missed the height adjust. Not sure why Maruti left that out.
Rear seats ingress-egress: Sitting in the rear seats is a little tight as the doors don't open 90 degrees and one has to lift the leg higher than other compact SUVs to climb in. Might be a little difficult for senior citizens or women wearing sarees.

Public reaction:

Most people seemed surprised by how compact the space is on the inside, especially the rear seat. Most people expect it to be priced less as it's technically a small car for the aam junta.

Bottom line:

Great product for which the pricing will make it or break it. Higher pricing will be rejected by the market due to the compact size. If Maruti has to sell this in volumes, this has to appear a VFM buy. Note to Maruti - Over-pricing made great global products like the OG Grand Vitara, Kizashi and S-Cross fail in the Indian market. Jimny is the last great Suzuki global product. Please don't drop the ball on this one.
If priced close to the Thar, this will be dead on arrival. A Thar was parked just outside the showroom and it was clearly a size bigger externally. For the masses, the bigger size is all that will matter. With pricing the Jimny right, Maruti definitely has a their task cut out.