[rakesh_r]

Originally Posted by theAutomaniac

The problem is not with its name or price, problem is with the size and engine.

Its also with the name too. Circa 2016, when i bought the SCross 1.6, people asked me why did i buy a Maruti for 15 lacs. The same has been discussed in one of the Hormazd's podcast. Maruti is "perceived" as a common man's car and not as an aspirational brand.

[ringsoftime]

When the Jimny was launching, the marketing head of Maruti was repeatedly saying the marketing jargon of niche and premium. With the obscene pricing, the take-it-or-leave-it attitude they have ensured that this remained niche. As someone who waited for this for more than 6 months, I'm glad that market taught better sense to Maruti. But I am not sure if Maruti has learned anything.

Had they launched with this pricing, I am pretty sure the Jimny would have been atleast a 1000 unit per month car. They forgot the launch prices of Thar and Thar RWD. The sheer appeal of the powerful Diesel and the Turbo petrol, and thought they could take on that with a K15. While Maruti was not going to get a diesel for such a niche car, they should have learned their shortcomings in powertrain for an aspirational premium car. If they have done so, they could have launched and marketed in a much more sensible way.

Whenever I visited the Nexa dealership, it was pretty clear to me that they are here to sell Fronx and Grand Vitara, than getting Jimny out in the open. Even now, there are traits in Nexa which treats Jimny like something a customer has to come crawling.

I am not sure Maruti has learned anything, but for sure market and customers have noticed this. Nash would be damned, Maruti just ruined the party for all.

[barcode]

I wasn't even looking to buy the Jimny but the offer is crazy and I plan to hold it for 15 years as a "3rd wheel"

I was shocked to receive this quote from Nexa Gurgaon today for a Alpha AT. I might settle for Alpha MT as its hardly going to be used by anyone else but me, and not a daily drive.

Gonna bite the MS finance bullet, even thought I don't need the loan. In a nutshell, I don't need the loan, I don't need the car, so I have decided to buy the car.

Ex show room: 14.79L
RTO:1.2L
TCS: 14k
Insurance: 36k
Extended Warranty: 35k
Fasttag: 600
On road: 16.8L approx

Discounts:
Consumer offer: 1.8L
MSSF: 1.5L
SOP 25000

On road: 13.3L

[xway]

The Jimny was way overpriced right from the beginning, probably because it catered to a niche set of buyers looking for an offroader.

I know there are many fanboys of the Jimny out there, but even with a Rs. 3+ lakh discount, it does not serve the purpose of a primary car.

Reasons are as below -

- In the name of ruggedness, the interior plastics are hard and devoid of any charm. It's just a gimmick calling rough, hard and poor finish as "ruggedness".

- Space is just enough to crawl into the driver's seat. The rear sets, which they admit are for 2, there is enough leg room for those below 6 feet in height. I can't imagine seating 3 there.

- Size and road presence are nowhere as mean and bold as required for an offroader. It just looks like a small cabin on thin legs. Just keep it near a Thar or even a gypsy and you will see what I mean.

- Build quality, again, is sub-par. It's more sheets than solid metal and misses that strong ruggedness in reality. Check the doors, bonnet and though they are not flimsy, they are not solid.

- Cost cutting is visible everywhere. Look at the 195 R15 tyres. They are even smaller than an i20 or a Brezza. And you call this an offroader?

- Sub-4 meter size is for skipping taxes and it shows in the Jimny.

- Engine is just enough and does not have the grunt or power to make you smile.

Even with these shortcomings, people looking for an offroader can go for it, but it sure does not fit the requirements of a primary driver or a proper offroader even at this price point.

[amit73]

Originally Posted by barcode

SOP 25000

What is this SOP discount of 25000. I have seen this in multiple quotes but by local SA is not ready to offer the same.

[gsferrari]

Originally Posted by xway

Reasons are as below -

- In name of ruggedness the interior plastics is hard and devoid of any charm, its just a gimmick calling rough hard and poor finish as ruggedness.

This is the reason the Jimny failed in India. The market doesn't understand utilitarian, working class vehicles anymore. The interiors are designed to be washed down after an off road session. You'll find similar quality interiors in the Jeep Wrangler / Rubicon.

Yes the interiors are rugged and hard wearing. Some of us appreciate that but I'll concede, it is not for everyone. We are too used to "cars" and have forgotten the concept of Jeeps.

- Space is just enough to crawl into the drivers seat, for rear sets which they admit being a 2 seater is ok with leg room for below 6 footers, cant imaging seating 3 there.

I'm 6'2" and daily drive the Jimny without issues.
The car is a 4 seater. You cannot seat 3 in the back legally so that was never under consideration.

- Size and Road presence is nowhere mean and bold as for a offroader, it just looks a small cabin on thin legs. Just keep it near a thar or even a gypsy and you will see what i mean.

Why does an off road car have to look mean? Why does any car have to look mean? Who are you trying to intimidate or impress?

The interior space is way more optimised than the Thar and the Gypsy is nowhere near as comfortable with the side facing bench seats.

- Cost cutiing everywhere is visible, look at the tyres 195 R15 even smaller than an i20 or a brezza and you call this an offroader.

Have you seen this pathetic little under tired Jimny performing off road? Have you watched the Rock & Road competition in person or on YouTube?

Even with these shortcoming people looking for an offroader can go for it, but it sure
does not fit being a primary drive or a proper offroader even at this price point.

Please define what a proper off roader is. Eagerly awaiting to hear your thoughts.

[Senotrius]

As long as the Thar exists, the Jimmy just cannot grow in sales. They could of course plonk in a bigger more capable engine, gearbox/AT and add more creature comforts and features. Or they could hold on to the 'niche premium' market offering similar to Jeep(which calls it's Compass that) and continue witnessing poor sales.

[Nitish.arnold]

Originally Posted by gsferrari

Please define what a proper off roader is. Eagerly awaiting to hear your thoughts.

This is GOLDEN.
No more pointers are needed. Period!

[dingolphie]

Interesting perspectives on value. Let me add mine, knowing fully well that I am in the minority.

I bought my Alpha AT dual tone for 18.5L on the road in Dec ‘23. It does duty as my wife’s daily driver in the city and has done some minor off-roading on a few trips (as we dip our toes into travels off the beaten trail).

I considered Hycross, Elevate, Crete/Seltos, Sonet, MG Astor and test drove them extensively.

Do I still think the Jimny is worth the 18.5L? For me - down to the last pie.

It’s convenience in the city in narrow lanes, friendly suspension (for a 4x4 with solid axles), go anywhere capabilities, quirky looks and easy character as a drive make it tremendous value for money. In some ways I’m quite glad it’s not a mass appeal car!

[Rajjaiswal92]

Jimny in my opinion suits best for young, working single or newly wed couples who do not have a family and would use the car for day to day chores along with the capability to go to near by destinations (within 400km) for a weekend or a long weekend trip. It has decent luggage capacity if you aren’t using the second row and plan to use it for carrying your stuff around, it has the comfort in the front row to keep you happy for 6-7 hours of journey, it has the essentials like climate control, cruise control and the ability to go off the track.
Now once you add family into the picture the Jimny is not for you and it was never designed for the same, it is a strict 2 person carrier if it is your primary and only car it gives you the added benefits of 4*4 drive, if you have a family Jimny will fall short as your primary or only car it can be a good 2nd or 3rd car in a family setup.
IMO MSIL should have marketed the Jimny to young working men/women or newly married couples with 2,50,000 price cut right from the beginning and it would not have struggled.

[Dry Ice]

Originally Posted by theAutomaniac

The problem is not with its name or price, problem is with the size and engine. While the small size and simple lightweight engine are core Jimny values, the same are the biggest hurdles in Jimny's sales chart journey. That said, it is high time that people give a break to carmakers! Not every car is meant to be a sales blockbuster. Sometimes, a car like the Jimny, Hilux, and Gurkha, should just exist to satiate its own niche customer. We have already seen how major brands like Thar have been ruined in the wake of getting popular among the mainstream crowd.

And yet, the same engine and size starts selling with discounts. Because people see value at the reduced price point. The shortcomings become acceptable when you pay less. At the launch price, being too close to Thar, people see all these shortcomings and hold back. Now there is the additional factor that Maruti will offer discounts again. They are basically just cementing the market’s perception. Hence, my suggestion. It would allow them to save whatever reputation they have left, and also allow the Jimny to exist here, long term.

We are talking about Maruti here, which is a volume player. If the Jimny does not garner enough numbers, it will be stopped sooner than later. Gypsy survived all these years only because the Govt was ordering it in bulk.

[vellatechie]

Originally Posted by Dry Ice

And yet, the same engine and size starts selling with discounts. Because people see value at the reduced price point. The shortcomings become acceptable when you pay less.

Not really. Jimny sold about 900 units combined in December 2023 and January 2024. Thar meanwhile sold about 12000 units.

[sinharishi]

Originally Posted by theAutomaniac

Maruti offered a price and those who could afford it, bought it at the original price. Maruti saw that the pricing was ambitious and not many people are willing to pay that price, they reduced the pricing!
What exactly do you think is unfair in this?

Thanks for this post. Maruti, not once but thrice (If I counted correctly) has reduced the prices. Nothing unfair at all, even when the dealership knew that massive discounts are around the corner and were selling the car at non-discounted rates. Absolutely fair practice by the company and its dealer.

I bought the car, and just when the 1.5 lakhs discount was introduced my car was invoiced a day before. The dealership was after me to make the payment. That wasn’t enough, a week later discounts were at 3.2 lakhs.

[fiat_tarun]

Originally Posted by xway

...

- Space is just enough to crawl into the drivers seat, for rear sets which they admit being a 2 seater is ok with leg room for below 6 footers, cant imaging seating 3 there.
...

- Cost cutiing everywhere is visible, look at the tyres 195 R15 even smaller than an i20 or a brezza and you call this an offroader.
...

The Jimny bashing is fine but these points take the cake

Question - Have you sat in the front seats of a Jimny to make this statement? Even 6 footers don't need to 'crawl' into the driver's seat. The rear seats are in fact shitty with the super short seat base and upright seating angle!

To the second point on tyre size, does this make the i20 or the Brezza a better off roader than the Jimny? .

Please also read up a little on the vehicle, it is sold in the same spec. globally as well.

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Honestly, Maruti should stop trying to 'push' Jimny sales as it is not a mainstream vehicle and will not appeal to the masses however much is the discount.

They are keeping the lines running with export orders and it makes so much more sense to keep the Jimny as a niche offering and atleast preserve the brand value (whatever little is left).

[rakesh_r]

Originally Posted by Rajjaiswal92

Jimny in my opinion suits best for young, working single or newly wed couples who do not have a family and would use the car for day to day chores along with the capability to go to near by destinations (within 400km) for a weekend or a long weekend trip.

My daily drive is a further more non practical car, a Gurkha. We are a family of three, myself, wife and my 7 month old son. The Gurkha is even more difficult to live with, not so easy to ingress and egress, cant be parked in majority of the underground parkings owing to its height. I think you wont suffer such issues with the Jimny. The interior of the Jimny is far better than the ones of my BS6 Gurkha, but i am not complaining as its built for the purpose. Some of my fellow Gurkha owners have two kids whom I know personally travel the length and breath of the country in the Gurkha. The Jimny, would it suit a family, again boils down to the number of members. If a three or four member family can live with a Wagon R, why not the Jimny, just my take.
The looks are pretty debatable. honestly speaking it doesn't look proportionate for its size (Wheelbase Vs Wheeltrack).
The only thing now that can further dent the sales of the Jimny is the the Thar 5D.