[Neil Roy]

I have been very critical of Jimny and even now I feel that is still a couple of lacs overpriced than what it is asking for. To make matters worse, I received a call from my dealer that my booking was confirmed and that the vehicle was in transit and I have to decide whether to cancel or retain my allotment. In this backdrop, two extended test drives made my change my mind or rather change my expectations of Jimny. One was a 30 km test drive on the byepass road in Chennai combined with real life traffic. As mentioned by many, power is definitely inadequate. Once we entered the city though, The Jimny was a different beast. As my father aptly put it” It’s a 4 wheel Auto”. I did not even feel insecure or bullied as the nimbleness and the agility of the Jimny works in it’s favor. Special mention here to M/s Popular Nexa for arranging this test drive and obliging me after a disaster of the first test drive where I just had to run a small half circle with pedal to metal.

The second test drive was more interesting as it was a test drive to my estate through 12 kms of thick forests and non-existent roads. Again, really commendable job by Nexa to arrange this extended test drive and that too on a brand new Jimny. A huge shout out to Mr. Balaganesh- Business head of Athens cars Nexa, Nagercoil and his sales team for arranging the test drive and that too on a Sunday for one full day. Truth be told, there was no demo Jimny in nagercoil till last week. The way Athens cars swung into action to get a Jimny registered and arrange a test drive within a week was really commendable.
With the test vehicle ready, all that was needed was for my father and me to haul the Thar from Chennai to nagecoil (a mere drive of 700 kms one way) to have a real time comparison and decide whether to cancel my booking or confirm the JImny.



The obvious comparison was with my Thar 2019 model and the Jimny was a revelation here. It treated the rough roads and steep inclinations with disdain and was more comfortable on such terrains than on the highway and the city. Mind you, the Thar was shod with AT tyres whereas the Jimny had those puny city slicks. Yet it never felt inadequate or irrelevant. My father who is going to be 80 was immediately smitten by the Jimny and insisted that I confirm the Jimny booking.

A curious bye stander watching our antics from the tree shade.



Im sharing a youtube video of the whole test drive that one of my estate staff so enthusiastically compiled. The Background music is not everyone’s cup of tea (I don’t approve the music personally) and his grammar is a little suspect but his commitment to the cause is commendable. Check out from 3:50 as it was pure grass and the tyres still had amazing traction on the incline.

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

Will be sharing more updates once I get the Jimny. Bye for now. A poignant pic as a comparo ending taken in the forest.

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by Neil Roy

The obvious comparison was with my Thar 2019 model and the Jimny was a revelation here. It treated the rough roads and steep inclinations with disdain and was more comfortable on such terrains than on the highway and the city. Mind you, the Thar was shod with AT tyres whereas the Jimny had those puny city slicks. Yet it never felt inadequate or irrelevant. My father who is going to be 80 was immediately smitten by the Jimny and insisted that I confirm the Jimny booking.

Im sharing a Youtube video of the whole test drive that one of my estate staff so enthusiastically compiled. Check out from 3:50 as it was pure grass and the tyres still had amazing traction on the incline.
[

Fantastic! As a real life user this will set anyone’s skepticism about the Jimny to rest. Indeed yours and those similar to yours, are the exact uses that the Jimny will shine at. Much better than the heavier and wider Thar.

In the 1980’s and 1990’s the Parry Agro Tea, Coffee and Rubber Estates usually gave their Managers and GM’s Maruti Gypsys. Whereas other companies gave Mahindra CL550’s and MM540’s. Those Mahindra vehicles were much more basic and definitely quite a bit lighter and to some extent narrower than the present day Thars. And all those Mahindras used to be shod with standard slim Jeep tyres. The Gypsys used to come with the standard F78-15 Nylon Cross ply like I presently use in my Gypsy.

The Gypsy, being narrow, is definitely like an auto with 4 wheels. I use it a lot locally in the city streets and find it so much more convenient because one can go at a peaceful constant pace through and in between the chaos that lines our roads. One actually gets to one’s destination faster in the Gypsy because it is narrow and small and the naturally aspirated engine doesn’t have to wait for any turbo charger to spool up. I also use this euphemistic comparison to an auto all the time, so I absolutely resonate with your father. (As an aside my Dad is also 80 and worked his entire career in the plantations right from the 1960’s)

In those times we never had access to (or the money to buy) mud terrain and all terrain radials. In fact, those of us who had Mahindra 540s used to look at the Gypsy tyres and appreciate that they were slightly thicker and hence more stable around curves and hairpin bends. And without any kind of exaggeration, those old Gypsys and Mahindras used to literally go anywhere. You have shown the YouTube video driving on grassy surfaces.

Now consider the same long grass, wet with monsoon rain and in misty conditions, in the Nilgiris or Coorg or Chikmagalur or wherever. Very dangerous indeed because the tyres can lose traction because all the grass is slick with water droplets or dew, with nice soft mud or slippery rocks just underneath, and the vehicle can slide forward, backward or even sideways when on a trail of this kind. (My Dad and I have experienced this several times. Of course while driving very slowly and with care, skill and good luck, being able to recover without getting stuck or sliding completely off the trail (tow path as we used to call it those days).

It would be even more dicey if the vehicles’ tyres had hardened or become old and bald, so we used to always be very watchful on maintenance, tyre changes etc. And none of those vehicles had any of these modern aids like hill-hold control and traction control and abs and this and that. It was just upto the experience and skill of the driver.

In daily work situations on narrow and wet trails, ‘lightness’ ‘narrowness’, ‘compactness’ and ‘nimbleness’ matters and this is why the Jimny (being a modern Gypsy) scores nicely over the modern Thar which is like a big ‘American Box SUV’ in its overall size and bulk and weight - a ponderous big Bull, as compared to the little Jimny which is like an agile little Terrier.

Both vehicles have their merits and need to be appreciated for what they are, for sure. They are NOT really a direct comparison to each other at all.

I love both. Would love to own one of each. But then, I am not giving up my very dear Gypsy (or my dear big cruiser Thar) anytime soon.

[Sankar]

A demo of how the idle stop start disable works. There is a delay of 5 secs after engine start for this to kick in.

https://youtu.be/1eW4hXyu_3M

One glitch is if one waits for a while in the IGN position without starting the engine this will not work and will have to be reset next time. There is no way around it. But if one starts the engine without waiting for long in the IGN position works every time.

Even in comfort mode idle stop kicks in at random and most inappropriate situations in the city and when it restarts people think you have stalled the engine.

There are other ways to disable idle stop start, which is fiddling with either hood lock or battery sensor systems, but as long as this circuit works (mimicking idle stop OFF signal of the switch) its good as its not interfering with anything else.
--

Originally Posted by Neil Roy

The way Athens cars swung into action to get a Jimny registered and arrange a test drive within a week was really commendable.

Quite possible that this vehicle is not registered as a test-drive vehicle but to be sold to someone else. From what I know there are no test drive Jimnys in Tvm or Nagercoil.

[bobbyblr]

Originally Posted by Sankar

A demo of how the idle stop start disable works. There is a delay of 5 secs after engine start for this to kick in.

https://Youtu.be/1eW4hXyu_3M

Hi Sankar,

From the video I can see that you have engaged the 4 wheel drive (Green indication on the dashboard showing 4 wheels with the axles). So the ECU is thinking that you are not on a flat road and it does not want to turn off the engine.

[helterskelter]

I am itching to either book the Jimny or the Thar. Have driven the Thar quite a lot and really like the performance, the only thing holding me back about the Jimny are the following :-
1) Highway performance - I already have a 330i so basically this new car will be an addition and basically a fun car or a ‘toy’ if you will, can the Jimny hold its own like a grand tourer?! Would the engine performance suffice for an epic Delhi to Arunachal kind of a road trip?
2) footwell space - I am 6 feet tall and the footwell Space seemed really cramped to me when I did the test drive of the AT jimny. Did anyone else feel the same?
3) lack of TPMS - after having been really thankful for the TPMS on the Thar in kaza where it detected a very small puncture just before I was about to start for Manali, for me it’s an essential feature. Am I being paranoid here?

Any views would be helpful, I’ll take another test drive of the Jimny soon to make up my mind.

[gsferrari]

I've been driving my Jimny with 215 AT tires and I definitely feel there is a negative impact on performance, ride quality and handling. If you have no plans to do serious off-road driving (going off-road on complex rock/slush/sand sections for the sake of going off-road), please stick with the stock tires.

In short, the stock tires are the BEST option for 90% of the Jimny buyers who will do trails, explore the wilderness but given the option of an easier path around a difficult obstacle, they will take the easier path always.

Hope this makes sense.

I took delivery a few days back and I am not sure I am enjoying the negative effects of the tire change.

Originally Posted by Neil Roy

A curious bye stander watching our antics from the tree shade.

Attachment 2484900

This looks like a venomous green pit viper / bamboo viper. I wouldn't mess with this reptile.

[Sankar]

Originally Posted by bobbyblr

Hi Sankar,

From the video I can see that you have engaged the 4 wheel drive (Green indication on the dashboard showing 4 wheels with the axles). So the ECU is thinking that you are not on a flat road and it does not want to turn off the engine.

I moved the TC lever back to make some space to remove the shifter console because with the power extension unit there is no space to remove it unless the TC lever was moved back. That video was captured before I put everything back so the TC was in 4H.

Anyway here is another video for you.

https://youtu.be/6-_WYm8Fwn0

--

Power extension unit, it comes with its own fuse and a little amber led under it which throws an orange glow on the console under.




--

Originally Posted by gsferrari

I've been driving my Jimny with 215 AT tires and I definitely feel there is a negative impact on performance, ride quality and handling. If you have no plans to do serious off-road driving (going off-road on complex rock/slush/sand sections for the sake of going off-road), please stick with the stock tires.

Apart from the looks these tyres are pretty good and there probably is a reason why all the Jimnys around the world come with this particular Bridgestone Duelers, including India when every other Maruti comes with Apollo/JK/GY. I have not upgraded the tyres.

[bobbyblr]

Originally Posted by Sankar

I moved the TC lever back to make some space to remove the shifter console because with the power extension unit there is no space to remove it unless the TC lever was moved back. That video was captured before I put everything back so the TC was in 4H.

Anyway here is another video for you.

https://Youtu.be/6-_WYm8Fwn0

Yeah, I can see that the "Aoff" light is Amber and not Green on the dashboard on both of your videos. Which means that the Idle Start Stop (ISS) is not active.

So can you please tell us the proper procedure to disable the ISS on the Jimny?

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by gsferrari

II've been driving my Jimny with 215 AT tires and I definitely feel there is a negative impact on performance, ride quality and handling.
In short, the stock tires are the BEST option for 90% of the Jimny buyers who will do trails, explore the wilderness but given the option of an easier path around a difficult obstacle, they will take the easier path always.

First class input. Good to know that it is better to stay with the stock 195 HT tyres in the Jimny. Bigger, then, is not necessarily better. I do believe that this is a lot to do with the 80 sidewall that makes the ride comfortable across terrain. I also fell victim to the earlier discussions where I ve gone on record saying if I buy a Jimny I’d like to consider 215 AT’s. I stand corrected now in my thinking.

What would you say to 205 AT’s? The main point being the AT tread pattern for better versatility.

I did used to have 235’s (Ceat Rhino Radials) on one of my Gypsys 20 years ago and more recently I had 215’s (Goodyear Wranger Radials). In the Gypsy yes the 215’s gave better braking effect and stopping power and grip on the highways especially in the rainy season when compared to my stock F78-15 Nylon Cross plys.

Saying this, whether in the dry or wet its better to drive within certain limits considering the kind of vehicle one is driving. Right now the present Gypsy is driven carefully and never at higher speeds than 80kmph. It has those stock Nylons F78-15. The sidewall cushioning effect is formidable.

[stupidbeard]

Originally Posted by ecosport rules

Limb risers on my IBEX were put to test during a forest trial,the tree branches were gently pushed away from the windshield to above the roof.
One more fantastic piece of equipment from Swastik Fabs.
Contact Mr.Vijay
+919448068681.

Does getting this fixed require any drilling or is it straightforward? Please share some info on the installation process. Thanks

[DicKy]

Originally Posted by Sankar

Quite possible that this vehicle is not registered as a test-drive vehicle but to be sold to someone else. From what I know there are no test drive Jimnys in Tvm or Nagercoil.

Leave TDs, does the Nexa showroom in TVM even have one on display?

Visted a couple of times, just for them to say that it was some customer cars that were on display and those had been delivered.
They will inform when the display car comes. Guess, shouldn't have missed out on the launch event.

[mpant05]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

I also fell victim to the earlier discussions where I ve gone on record saying if I buy a Jimny I’d like to consider 215 AT’s. I stand corrected now in my thinking.

What would you say to 205 AT’s? The main point being the AT tread pattern for better versatility.

I've been using 205/70 Yoko AT's on my gypsy, and they have definitely improved it's onroad as well as offroad mannerism. Before switching to AT, I was using the cross ply that comes standard on a Gypsy, which I believe are good for upto 70 kmph only.
With 205 AT's, I can do upto 90 kmph with ease. And no, I did not feel any negative impact of these tyres on the ride quality, or performance.

As for the Jimny, I have decided to stick with the stock tyres as at this moment I don't have a good reason to upsize except for the looks. I'd rather keep them, experience them first hand, and then decide if I really need to upsize instead of relying on the feedback from others. This will also give me a good measure of the overall impact of the upsize, should I choose to do that later.
Thanks!

[RijuC]

Originally Posted by gsferrari

I've been driving my Jimny with 215 AT tires and I definitely feel there is a negative impact on performance, ride quality and handling. If you have no plans to do serious off-road driving (going off-road on complex rock/slush/sand sections for the sake of going off-road), please stick with the stock tires.

In short, the stock tires are the BEST option for 90% of the Jimny buyers who will do trails, explore the wilderness but given the option of an easier path around a difficult obstacle, they will take the easier path always.

***

I took delivery a few days back and I am not sure I am enjoying the negative effects of the tire change.

Many congratulations for your Jimny.

Received my Jimny, Bluish Black Alpha AT on last Friday. Could drive 130 kms only due to outstation duty. Hence I could not change the tyres. I am considering 215 Yokohama or 225 Apollo. However, after the feedbacks, probably I won't change the tyres at this stage. 26 psi tyre pressure seems to be too low? Sidewall of tyres are looking too buldging out at this rated pressure. Also, frequent punctures for stock tyres on dirt road sections is reported.

[4x4addict]

Originally Posted by Sankar

Power extension unit, it comes with its own fuse and a little amber led under it which throws an orange glow on the console under.

This is sweet !!. Where did you get this? Can you please share the details.

[Sankar]

Originally Posted by 4x4addict

This is sweet !!. Where did you get this? Can you please share the details.

I'm using one of the inbuilt USB ports to power the dashcam and in one of the 12v power sockets i have a compact USB PD charger to power 15W wireless charger.

Carmate NZ587
ebay item #: 265959416580
or
eBay item #:175712597745