[Samba]

Checked the Jimny today.

A lot has been already shared. Still let me add few points from my side.

Looks are subjective. l Liked the front looks, but not the rear three quarter.
Lacks road presence, but it's meant to be small. This was never an butch SUV. So no complaints on this.

Panel gaps and fit and finish seemed to be fine.

The view from the drivers seat is superb with minimum blind spot.

The front seats are soft and comfortable. Have doubts on how these soft seats will fare on a 12+ hours drive.
The rear seat lacks under thigh support. They are just good for two persons. Considering the leg space available, Maruti could have easily added some more under thigh support. Plus the seats are quite upright.

The overall cabin space is good. Four people on board won't feel claustrophobic.

The portion of the rear window which can be rolled down is quite small in area.

The front power window buttons are placed near the center console and the rear power window buttons looked very basic.

The boot space looks okay for a car of this size. If two adults plan for a long holiday drive, the space won't be an issue. Even a family of two adults & a kid won't have much space crunch.

Omission of proper bottle holders is a bad miss.

Interior plastics are hard, but well put together.

The suspension felt soft. Car was sagging down quite a bit with 3 people on-board.
We also checked the softness of the suspension by gently pushing the car along the roof, and the suspension came across as soft.

High profile tyres (I always prefer high profile tyres in an offroad vehicle), plus company recommended a tyre pressure of 26 psi. This seems like, to compensate the harsh ride quality of a rigid axle, and a light weight BOF suv Maruti has worked a lot. A proper TD awaits for the actual confirmation! I will be more eager to see it's high speed ride quality than in lower speed!

The car we saw was a manual. The clutch travel is short and light. The gear shifter felt hard and rubbery. The driver side footwell was small, but not a deal breaker.

The Idling NVH was excellent.

Excellent approach and departure angles, break-over angle can be a challenge during off-roading.

HT tyres instead of AT tyres were not expected.

6 airbags present. Two in front, two in the front seats and two in the B pillar.

Basic features like cruise control rear defogger, automatic climate control are present in the top variant.

The build quality seems to be good. Though, not as heavy as a Tata or Mahindra but reminds me more of the S-Cross level build quality.

In nutshell it's a budget no nonsense offroad vehicle & we hope they will price it the same way too!
For the MT top end variant, the on-road price should be around 14L! Not more than that!

Few pics-

Kinetic yellow actually looked good! The paint finish & quality seemed to be good too.



Reminds me of my childhood, when I used to sketch box on wheels and called them cars!



The led was powerful! The headlamp washer is a good addition, specially for an off-road vehicle.



They do not fold flat! But will do the job.



Big suitcases can be kept vertically! Boot space is no way poor.



Okay, they won't rattle.



Your Redbull can won't be happy here!



The rear view is compromised. The orvm is basic!



Bhpian DogNdamsel12 was happy to be on the driver's seat. She liked the commanding view from the driver's seat.



Leg space is good, under thigh support is poor, the seating is upright. The rear door window roll down area is less.





The tint looks effective!



Rear hatch door lacks the tint.



Bland.



Basic yet classy! I loved the retro look.



The buttons and the stalks do not feel flimsy.



Body cladding are quite thick. They have added on the width of an otherwise thin car!



Why? Could have been better!



A darker color would have been more suitable, as this place lacks cladding!



Engine looks easy to work on.
The air intake is placed quite high and positioned side ways. Water wading won't be an issue. The airfilter box is typical old school, which can be opened by opening the clips.



No insulation. The k15B wont't require it either!



No underbelly protection cover, but still, if a driver is not very much ignorant, it will be hard to damage any component.





The radiator and the oil sump is quite well secured.





This cladding looks cheap.



These wielding marks are quite an eyesore.





26 psi, I never expected! Came as a surprise!



Shade difference between Nexa blue and Bluish Black,



Verdict - It is meant the way it was supposed to be. The pricing will be the key.

[jackofsome]

Saw the car finally in Kolkata. The size is so so perfect. Just put those 215 A/Ts, a minimalist roof rack and you are all set. Sat inside, and it has got much more space than i actually thought. I mean really. Okay, I am just 169cms. But still, felt like this has got more space than most hatches. Including the boot space, very very useful. Oh and the way the doors shut, i promise even their latest Grand Vitara sounded tinny. All in all just by the first dekko, it feels well put together, in fact the best yet from Maruti.
This is indeed a once in a lifetime car. Smitten.
(Will still hold my urge to not book till i drive the car though- (saying no to this prebooking madness))

[Black_Star]

Originally Posted by saurabh041086

I thought current 3 door there is limited to a smaller 660cc engine. Are they changing the engine as well for Japan 5 door?

Jimny is sold in Japan as two varients, normal kei and Sierra. The kei has got the 658cc engine, no cladding on side and no rear tyre on back.

The Sierra model on the other hand comes with all the bells and whistles. So no, the 5 door Jimny won't get any engine change as it will fall into same regulations as the Sierra model.

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by fjcruiser08

I figure you are comparing the Thar to the Gypsy,. Is it really that big a noticeable difference? Or are we just splitting hair here?.

Originally Posted by Samba

[b][h3]

The front seats are soft and comfortable. Have doubts on how these soft seats will fare on a 12+ hours drive.

plus company recommended a tyre pressure of 26 psi. This seems like, to compensate the harsh ride quality of a rigid axle,

The driver side footwell was small, but not a deal breaker.

Rear Seats are upright

The headlamp washer is a good addition, specially for an off-road vehicle.

26 psi, I never expected! Came as a surprise!
.

@fjcruiser. If I park the Thar and the Gypsy side by side the width difference is evident. Here is an old photo taken when I was first test driving the Thar in 2020 against my old Gypsy at that time (I have another one now.)

@samba. Stock Gypsy front seats are also pretty soft. But they are comfy enough for driving. They dont hug you or cosset you but are pretty adequate if you are used to a Jeep. I drive my vehicle all over and no problem.
Yes the lower PSI gives a little extra ‘cushion’ and ‘bounce’ to the tyres and definitely does help with a softer ride quality.
I found the driver footwell comfortable and I have long legs and largeish feet too. I can say it is better designed than the Thar footwell.
Rear seats in the Jimny are a bit upright yes but they do have 2 adjustable positions which help a little with additional recline. But yes, the rear seats in a Jimny are not going to be comfy for long drives.
Indeed the headlamp washer is a great idea even in standard Indian monsoon conditions for sure.
26 Psi. The Gypsy’s factory recommendation sticker says 20Psi all round on stock nylon tyres and believe me this tyre pressure and those oem tyres are very comfortable even on the bumpy Bangalore roads!

[topse]

Concise and to the point review I must say. And I agree with many point’s mentioned like basic road presence, concern with high speed stability, recommended to keep lower tyre pressure to compensate for the harsh ride quality due to rigid axle same like Gypsy, and the design language reminding you of your childhood drawing of a car. Also I would like to add one point that due to its light weight nature I feel it can’t be used as a recovery vehicle in most cases, but it can do self recovery easily though. The reduced breakover angle due to longer wheelbase than its 3 door counterpart will compromise its offroad capability a little too. And regarding interior space, it will be comfortable for two people or maximum with another child or adult but with four people onboard it will feel claustrophobic for sure along with increase in body roll and reduced high speed stability. Presence in the market for many years resulted in better fit and finish and gave the company many chances to iron out small niggles and issues. Its an enthusiast’s car too and have many fan following, but at the same time it will not suit the taste of many due to many points mentioned, and I agree with that. Its a small, capable and cute offroader so could be a perfect 4x4 machine for BhPian DogNDamshell12 I feel as she looks happy behind its wheels. Lastly, a well put together concise review btw, thank you Samba for sharing it with us.

[DogNDamsel12]

Samba and Topse, to set the record straight, DogNDamsel12 doesn't look happy behind the wheels. That's the "Duster-against-this!!! " face.

But jokes aside, the happiness could be because the ABC travel is short and easier than my Polo.

Samba has captured it all.

Some points from my side:
The front seats are very comfortable for the spine. And with a nagging lower back pain because of which I always need a small cushion between the seat and my back, the Jimny seats immediately felt snug on the lower back.

The backseats with the windows are a little disappointing. Not just tall human passengers, but furbabies too will also have an issue in sitting down and letting his tongue fly out the window carefree.





Modularity in the vehicle is completely amiss. They do have bottle holders in the space between the front seats, but dearth of space on the door panels is not acceptable.



I see how this car will do tough terrains and some people can still post "India comes home in a Maruti".. well Nexa but puhtayto- pohtahto.

Honestly, I was apprehensive of this vehicle, but it came off as outright someone who will do what it's meant to do.

In flesh, the colour looks great, and the quality and finish too.

Unlike some of the other vehicles we have tested, where the panel gaps and finish stood out as an eyesore, this vehicle did not disappoint.

[Clouseau]

Originally Posted by HillyThar

Very true, in my neck of the woods which gets a few feet of snow, which is 50kms north of Theog in the Kotgarh region of HP, almost everyone who has the old gypsy and was holding on to it as there was no real replacement for an affordable 4x4, has booked the new Jimny. I am aware of at least 7 to 10 bookings in our area itself, and that's about the number of old functional Gypsies in the area. I hope they keep the pricing sensible, as this is the core audience of the Jimny, who drive it as intended, without making too much of a fuss about it!

I completely agree that MSIL should keep the prices "sensible" and keep the Jimny a no-nonsense, non-fancy option with anywhere-driveability.

[fjcruiser08]

Originally Posted by Samba

Checked the Jimny today.

Originally Posted by jackofsome

Saw the car finally in Kolkata.

Would you mind sharing what location/s is the Jimny on display in Calcutta? Also, do you happen to know the dates, or how long it'd be there?

Thanks

[Clouseau]

Originally Posted by RoadFiend

As soon as it arrived at the nearby showroom, I promptly took my spouse there, who promptly issued a thumbs-down. She wanted to know why I don't go for the (according to her) better looking Thar if I'm so interested in driving off to the hills by myself (she isn't into that). I mumbled something about Jimny having superior mountain goating capabilities.

The kids were more encouraging actually. My daughter sympathetically suggested that I could swap our i10 or Tigor-EV for this, while ensuring that the Fortuner is retained (it's been her favorite car forever). Son wasn't interested at all, actually he's not even interested in getting his license since there's Ola\Uber (definitely not a petrolhead).

Therefore, in a few months when you see a Lonely Old Man and A Jimny - that'll be me

Hello - here's another potential Guy Oldman - right here!

My daughter disliked the Jimny until I explained that I would drive it and she would get the Seltos - then she was fine.
The old 'trouble and strife' (wife) hates driving to the hills and doesn't like automatics either.
My son still needs to learn to drive but I'm guessing he'll want to learn on the Seltos auto rather than the Jimny auto. Gut feel.

So just like the Oldman who was a prisoner in that movie, many Oldmans might be prisoners of our own device.

Cheers!

[jackofsome]

Originally Posted by fjcruiser08

Would you mind sharing what location/s is the Jimny on display in Calcutta? Also, do you happen to know the dates, or how long it'd be there?

Thanks

This is the Sector V salt lake Nexa. I went there at about 7.30ish, they had covered the car dont know why. But they obliged for me, i got a message saying the car will be there today as well. Dont know where will it be in the weekend.

[Rahul Lal]

Precise review by Samba. Has anyone taken pictures of all Jimny shade cards as Samba has posted picture of Nexa Blue & Bluish Black. I am interested in Granite Grey shade.

[fjcruiser08]

Originally Posted by jackofsome

This is the Sector V salt lake Nexa. I went there at about 7.30ish, they had covered the car dont know why. But they obliged for me, i got a message saying the car will be there today as well. Dont know where will it be in the weekend.

Thanks for the feedback. I was scheduled to be in Calcutta this weekend but looks like its gonna get pushed out to the weekend after (i.e. on 29th) and I am hoping it would still be on display somewhere in the city.

[DogNDamsel12]

Originally Posted by Rahul Lal

Precise review by Samba. Has anyone taken pictures of all Jimny shade cards as Samba has posted picture of Nexa Blue & Bluish Black. I am interested in Granite Grey shade.

Don't have a picture. But I loved the Granite Grey too. Quite similar to the Carbon Steel variant of Polo/VW.

[purohitanuj]

As per youtube video :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKND7ms3wg0

Dealer invoice of Alpha AT is 13.65L. Could be on Ex Showroom price of 13.99L

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by purohitanuj

Dealer invoice of Alpha AT is 13.65L. Could be on Ex Showroom price of 13.99L

If this YouTube video is to be believed, then the Alpha AT top spec will cost nearly 17 to 18 Lacs OTR in Blr. (KA taxes are very high). And this price will ensure very low sales for the Jimny, notwithstanding the 5 doors.

Only a real enthusiast seeking a small footprint go anywhere compact lifestyle SUV will consider this.
Else it will remain just a plaything for the rich. And there is no way the Armed Forces or other Government services can afford to have it in their consideration set.

At such a high price it will also completely lock the mass market consumer out. This kind of pricing will literally hand over the market to the Thar RWD and similar on a Silver Platter inset with Emeralds.

Because in the India that we know, sheer ‘bulk and road presence’ rule. Might is generally right and Intimidation is the name of the game.

The Jimny does/ represents none of these. And if it is to be priced similar to the Thar, there are no prizes for guessing which of the two will lead the sales charts.

Will the famous Maruti Company’s hitherto almost ‘Oracle or Soothsayer-like’ reading of the Indian market pulse falter in this case by way of such pricing? (Assuming of course this YouTube video is not a fake one and merely ClickBait)

We shall have to wait and see.