Does the Maruti Jimny and XL6 make for a perfect 2-car garage?

XL6 is terrific on roads but the trip to Spiti exposed some shortcomings.

BHPian ChauhanSaurabh recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

My garage consists of an XL6 6AT.

My Figo diesel was doing fine until 2022, when we felt the need for a petrol automatic. After test-driving multiple automatics ranging from Baleno to Creta nothing clicked the way any car owned (Figo, Polo, Punto) until that point. I was finding it hard to decide on anything and my wife didn’t want to drive the Ford diesel anymore. So finally, we chose the method of elimination and as a first-timer, Maruti's purchase went with an office car lease. The wife chose XL6 as she liked the versatility, space, refinement, and ease of driving it even within city limits. We chased Scorpio N booking for a few months, but my wife was finding it very hard to be used as the only car for all purposes. Plus, the insane running cost for our 20k kms a year average with Petrol Scorpio N held us back.
We are a big-time road trip people. Even with our hatchbacks, it has been car overflights for vacations in India. Apart from built quality, XL6 has proved to be much more than we expected on all fronts. What started off as a 3-year commitment is taking shape such that my wife intends to retain this car even after lease tenure for a longer period.

Dilemma:

Before Covid, we had two cars for a very brief period, and we plan to have two cars set up at least a year from now after the arrival of the baby next year. XL6 is terrific on roads but the trip to Spiti exposed some shortcomings. I could hear some sounds from the chassis under hard flex during the trip as well as on certain uneven off-road patches after returning to Noida. I guess that is where a monocoque shell or 2WD limits are. For highways, the XL6 is an awesome car. I am in no mood or capability to spend 20+ lakhs on a Thar 5 door in the near future. With the ongoing price correction from Maruti, I have Jimny Zeta's AT offer at 12.2 L OTR. I am in a huge dilemma about whether:

• • Jimny will be sufficient for highways clubbed mountain trips in North where?
• • Considering the current price point and simple interest calculations, should I buy it now or defer for a year?
• • Will Jimny be ideal for the city and hills use case?

Here's what BHPian Dippy had to say on the matter

I think the Jimny will go well with our XL6 and it surely sounds like a nice 2-car garage. While the Jimny may not be ideal for outright highway driving, it will come into its own in the hills.

For road trips that consist of only highway driving, you can use the XL6. And for trips that have a mix of highway and hilly driving the Jimny will be a piece of cake. The Jimny will also work well in the city.

I feel with the prices on offer you should very well go ahead and pick up the Jimny now rather than wait for later.

Happy shopping

Here's what BHPian Red Liner had to say on the matter:

100% just go for it since you already have a freeway mile muncher. And you live within a day of the mountains. I think Jimny will be done justice. And the car is pretty good enough in stop-go traffic and general city run about.

Buy it now! The discounts are good.

Here's what BHPian Geo_Ipe had to say on the matter:

Are you sure you wanna go for another Maruti, with the same engine, with an inferior 4-speed automatic?

Definitely, the Jimny has certain advantages over the XL 6, however, I'm not sure the Jimny will perform anywhere near as good as the XL 6 on the highway. Over broken patches, yes. However, reaching the broken patches in your city is equally important.

Here's what BHPian shankar.balan had to say on the matter:

@ChauhanSaurabh

A great choice.

Personally, I very much appreciate the XL6 and its excellent and comfortable highway behavior. It is a very good car but sadly under-appreciated in India only because it lacks ‘snob-value’. My good friend owns one and I LOVE riding in it. It is really excellently comfortable.

Don’t stress; because ‘snob-value’ is only for those who value ‘form’ and ‘appearance’ and ‘impression-creation’ over ‘practicality’ and ‘function’.

And ref the Jimny - well it is a very lovable, capable, and solid little thing, with a strong genetic and evolutionary heritage behind it.

Again, don’t stress, because of what people say about the Jimny vs other ‘True SUV’s with ‘Butch Road Presence’ and all that.

Both the Jimny and the XL6, can very easily, simply, and non-invasively, be given a little boost, by way of the ‘Throttle Controller’ which helps enhance throttle responses by reducing the momentary lag between when you press the accelerator and when the vehicle surges forward.

Your instinctive choices of vehicles, as articulated in your post, are indeed very good ones. I would very probably have considered the same choices, had my needs and wants been the same as yours.

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