[prashant316]

Originally Posted by ShivC

[b]

NOTE : My Yellow Jimny has been upgraded with Polk DB5252 Component Speakers – Front, and Polk Coaxial MM522 - Rear, both 5 1/4’ speakers along with a compact Sony XS-AW8 Active Sub-woofer (under the passenger seat).

Did you not need to get an amp?

I have now spoken to 2 different car audio dealers and they both say that without an amp any upgrade on this car is essentially useless as the head unit itself does not really have much power.

[jackofsome]

Originally Posted by Red Liner

Your textual inputs seem valid on the face of it.

In the real world when bogged in mud with zero traction at 17000 feet, i have used traction control to successfully extricate myself. Else it was about burning the clutch "old school style
[/b]

Traction control should definitely be off in those tricky low speed 4X4 low situation. It helps you modulate the accelerator better. Just so that you dont keep guessing, it helps by a fair share.

And it definitely helps more in motorcycles. I constantly do faster laptimes on my ZX6R or a friend’s ZX10r with all rider aids off. Btw you can also brake better without ABS on trackdays. Whole point of bringing this is how the rider aids are okay for general situations but fail when in tricky situations. Of course all of these TCs are not the super advanced ones that we are are talking about here.

[ShivC]

Originally Posted by prashant316

Did you not need to get an amp?

I have now spoken to 2 different car audio dealers and they both say that without an amp any upgrade on this car is essentially useless as the head unit itself does not really have much power.

I would humbly beg to differ with them. I did try the setup with and without the amp and found the amp to marginally improve the quality of vocals (difficult to quantify bit about 10-15% in my opinion). You could try the setup with and without the amp and hear for yourself. They could just wire it all up and do a demo for you. That would be the best way to decide. The quality of the speakers and the sub woofer will also be directly proportional to the quality of sound.

Please do keep in mind that the sound quality would never be like a Harman Kardon Premium Logic 7 but the difference between stock will be night and day..

[anand87]

Hi all,
I recently completed 900 km road trip with my Jimny Alpha AT. I thought I will pen down my thoughts (although many must have done already here) on how it performs on road and off road. My trip was through Western Ghats (Sahyadri) in Southern Kolhapur. Before I delve into the detailed review, let me brief about my background, my purpose of buying Jimny and my purchase experience.

Background:
I am an avid trekker and nature wanderer. Having lived in Pune and US, I have completed nearly 200 treks in Sahyadri and mountains in the US.

I was previously using Ecosport 1L ecoboost and drove it for 85,000 km in 6 years. My predominant usage was on rural (pothole ridden/narrow/steep) roads tucked away in mountains. Bad countryside roads took their toll on ecosport and it started producing niggles every often. That led me to searching a robust vehicle that would be totally abuse friendly to take on the potholes and narrow/steep countryside/mountainous roads. My search went on for nearly 2 years, but I could not find the right vehicle for my intended use. (We have 3 other cars in our family for professional/work/family/daily trips). Most midsize segment cars like Creta/Seltos/Taigun etc. were either unsafe (3 star rated) or unreliable (Taigun/Kushaq/Creta/Seltos DSG/DCT) in my perspective. In sub-4m segment I could not find anything better than ecosport in handling/ride quality and comfort and it made no sense to upgrade to another sub 4m car from ecosport. In addition, neither of them felt abuse friendly. When Jimny was announced in Jan 2023, I was excited but also felt anxious about its performance/practicality. I took a test drive and I got sold mainly because of Jimny's suspension. More about it in the review below.

Purchase experience:
Booked Jimny in Jan 2023 within 15 days of its announcement in Auto Expo. I received email saying it will be delivered by 30th July. During these seven months, I saw many videos of Jimny as well as other 4x4 cars. Also kept on pestering SA of NEXA Chowgule in Pune where I had booked the car about price and delivery. Fast forward to July 1st week and I received confirmation from Nexa Chowgule that my car is dispatched from factory, and I am welcome to perform PDI at their showroom (not stockyard). After an uneventful PDI, I confirmed the acceptance and paid the amount quoted. While paying, I took insurance on my own (TATA AIA all-inclusive with all add-ons) which turned out to be quite cheaper at Rs. 39,000 (I claimed 35% NCB from ecosport's policy) compared to what Maruti had quoted through their own brokerage company. I got the total cover with all addons because I thought I will take car to remote places and I may actually need some of these covers. With all the paperwork done, got my Jimny delivered on July 14th.


Accesories and modification:
Before getting the delivery, I got her fitted with various NEXA accessories worth up to 40k. I got 9% discount on the list price by Chowgule. Major ones were spare wheel cover, bodyside cladding, exterior styling kit, mud flaps, all weather boot and door mats. After the delivery, went straight from showroom to tyre shop to change tyres to Goodyear Wrangler AT Silenttrac 215/75/r15. I received a good discount here after exchange and paid Rs. 9500/- for changing all five tyres. I did not go for other mods as my intended purpose was mainly on broken tar roads plus occasional soft off-road.


Kolhapur trip:
Finally, after all the accessories fitted in, the mountain goat was ready to go into the mountains. The plan was made to visit many forts in Southern Kolhapur where roads are now built to take cars almost to the top. On some of these, the roads to the top from base village are a mix of gravel/mud/midsize stones. Needless to say, the roads were narrow, steep and winding.


After the trip ended, the odometer showed 850 km.

Pros of Jimny:
- Suspension: After driving for 850 km through narrow, winding and pothole ridden/gravel/off roads in mountains, I was overjoyed by the Jimny's suspension. Fellow friend travelling with me was jumping with joy on how he felt while Jimny obliterated potholes. They hardly filtered into the cabin and whatever came through was easily manageable. No matter how much I write about Jimny's suspension, one has to feel it to believe it. It is soooo good.
- Ride quality: The ride quality is very good. It is not as planted as ecosport but for a ladder-on-frame RWD (2H mode) vehicle it is extremely good. Cornering is decent too and ride is not bouncy. The sitting position also offers a commanding view of the road.
- Stability: I found Jimny's high speed stability to be good as well. Again, not as good as ecosport but very good for a 4x4 vehicle. I drove typically between 90-110 kmph on Mumbai-Bengaluru highway and I felt confident. On pothole ridden roads, Jimny breezed past other slow-moving traffic as if it was making a statement and making its case a bit stronger .
- Infotainment and speakers: It may not be as fancy as Kia/Hyundai offer, but it offers wireless Apple CarPlay which worked flawlessly. Sound quality of speakers is also acceptable. My friend who constantly put songs of different genres did not complain. USB-C is a miss though. The workaround is to get a USB-C charger that fits in 12V socket.
- NVH: There is a slight whine of K15B which is audible, but I am believing it may reduce as the engine settles down with more KMs. I could be wrong though. Other than that, NVH is very good. Engine noise is felt if you push it too hard and beyond 100 kmph. Till then all is good and acceptable.

Cons of Jimny:
-Pickup: Jimny is slow to overtake and slow to pick up the speed. You will need to plan overtakes. Also on steep hill roads, Jimny will take its time to climb on. It is not worryingly slow, but turbo petrol users will be disappointed surely. I, for one, felt sluggishness of K15B very prominently after having used 1L ecoboost ecosport.
- Features: Suzuki has done a poor job on giving some basic features. These would not have costed them much. Examples are - unlit gear knob indicators, unlit ORVM closing/adjusting buttons, front armrest, DRLs and LED foglamps. The unlit buttons are pain to use as you have to switch on mobile torch till you get accustomed. Fueling lid is on the opposite side and every time I stopped at the fueling station, they requested me to come around the other side.
- Mileage: Those looking for Suzuki grade mileage will be disappointed. After the whole trip the mileage meter showed 11.1 kmpl. It could be a bit higher as I have not done the tank-to-tank calculation. I also forgot to reset the milage meter before leaving the home .
- Space: In general, space will be an issue if you plan to carry a lot of stuff. Especially if you have toddler's stuff. The boot is enough to carry luggage of 2-3 people for a weekend or 3 days at max. Door pockets do not have bottle holders as everyone has pointed out. In addition, the backseat has poor thigh support for anyone taller than 5'8''. On long distance trips as this one, lack of thigh support could be felt especially for elderly people.

This is my first review and I may have missed some important pointers that potential buyers may consider before buying. Please excuse me for the same or you may ask specifically in reply.

Conclusion:
Jimny in my conclusion, is a car for people who are adventurous enough to take it to places that it is meant for. It does that job brilliantly and significantly better than any sub 4m car and probably better than any 4.3m car in the market too. It has limited on offer for highway/city performance. I have mentioned limited offering in cities because of the poor turning radius and low mileage. If the usage is strictly highways, then you would be better off with any other FWD car as well. Jimny is meant for travel on countryside roads, mountainous steep/bad/pothole ridden roads where it outshines every single car. Jimny as you would expect may not be comfortable for elderly people as the backseat is not very comfortable compared to other cars.

In short, go for it if you do intend to take it to mountains and remote places and if it is a second car for your hobby. Look elsewhere if your intended purpose is highway traveling/work traveling/city traveling.

Originally Posted by Jaggu

I always thought turning radius is due to the design birfield ends limitation / design to keep longevity high. The topple story while interesting, is not really the actual reason I feel.

I first heard the 'topple story' from Jeep Guru U B Singh, and another aged Gypsy rallyist in Calcutta. The first time I drove a Gypsy, my initial reaction was -- why does such a tiny vehicle turn like a whale ? Did FIAT design this (as Premier Padmini also took a huge turn, compared to the Hindustan Amby) ? Many years later I chanced upon the YouTube videos of the staged topple, as well the confessions of the conspirators !

Generally speaking, all old 4WDs (with live front axles) turned sharper than the big cars of those times. They had to, to operate on twisty mountain roads. In my last post, I forgot to mention the Nissan One Tonner, with wheels slightly smaller than a large bus or truck, but an ability to turn almost in a space an Amby could. It was a vehicle really fun to drive, with the same 6cyl 3956cc engine as the Jonga, but a four-speed gearbox that made better use of the revs.

Nowadays, all cars have small turning circles, and Gypsy stands as an exception. But Suzuki has brought out Jimny with the same drawback !

As for power steering, I learnt that the Zen unit is a perfect fit (and no leaks, since it is electronics) . I somehow came to know this more than halfway through the life of my current MG413W, and could not find a reliable enough mechanic to fit it, so I am living without it. Calcutta has very few Gypsy mechanics -- even dealers' workshops do not all know what a 4X4 is !

And, to finish off, I just learnt that the BS6 Force Gurkha provides two-point lap belts fro the rear captains' seats.

[Jaggu]

Originally Posted by Red Liner

Contrary to popular opinion, traction control should be on in slippery conditions so you have the benefit of tech to control spinning wheels and direct power instead of burning the clutch.

Originally Posted by Red Liner

Using traction control needs the application of common sense and trial and error (sometimes).

Look around you, understand the situation, and use the tools given.

It is little more complex and very different between 1 wheel being driven and 4 wheels, which becomes more complex. Traction Control TC in both work very differently also and yes there are situation which may benefit. Also vehicle, I believe RR Evoque is a vehicle which benefits greatly with the use of inbuilt Offroad modes and traction control systems.. that can make it do lot of tough stuff as good as some full blown 4x4's.

Thumb rule- if the situation needs lot of momentum to be carried forward, best is to keep it Off on a 4x4 set up like Jimny. The BLD type of assist anyways will take care of the actual circus under the wheels when needed.

[mallumowgli]

Originally Posted by ecosport rules

3000 kms of blissful companionship through Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala

Congrats on the Jimny. That's quite a trip. Will you be putting up a travelogue or a detailed report here itself?

[rakesh_r]

Originally Posted by anand87

I first heard the 'topple story' from Jeep Guru U B Singh, and another aged Gypsy rallyist in Calcutta.

And, to finish off, I just learnt that the BS6 Force Gurkha provides two-point lap belts fro the rear captains' seats.

Congratulations on the Jimny. Looks like you found the ideal vehicle for your purpose.
Coming to the Gypsy, I have been hearing on the topple story since my childhood. My cousin, long back used to rally on a Gypsy with his close friend who had a makeshift garage (a tin shed actually) with very basic tools, a welding machine and a pipe bending machine to make custom exhausts and roll cages, and not even once I heard him say it was unstable.
Currently I have a BS6 Gurkha, the two point seat belt is a point of concern. I am waiting for the 6.2 to come out which will have a proper 3 point seatbelt, will see if i can retrofit it on my vehicle.

[ketan007]

Originally Posted by anand87

In short, go for it if you do intend to take it to mountains and remote places and if it is a second car for your hobby. Look elsewhere if your intended purpose is highway traveling/work traveling/city traveling.

Congrats on your new Jimny. I too, have a use case where I might need to travel frequently on bad/rural roads. I am excited about the overall positive feedback on the vehicle and considering it as a future buy.
PS: I too drive a 2020 Ecosport and no other vehicle beats its ride quality, design dynamics, or engine performance.

[astrodex]

I am really annoyed at the way Maruti has implemented the rear seat belt warnings. Even for Grand Vitara and Jimny they have cheaped out of installing the seat belt sensors in the rear seats. Normally, I don't have rear passengers so I keep them plugged in, but this weekend I've had to do a lot of chaperoning of 14 year olds around town. I tried to remind them to plug the seatbelts back in when they exit, but that was an exercise in futlility since my presence in the car didn't even register to them.

Each time the car beeped annoyingly after a dropoff and it was painfully long. First couple of times I would stop, get out and plug them in but afterwards just got used to the ding-ding charade. This should be a textbook example of how not to do cost cutting, I can't imagine how much more expensive it must be to add sensors in the seats. I really am disappointed in Maruti for sneaking in such an annoying function in their vehicles!

Is there a way to install a sensor? Or if nothing, to turn off the beeps? Mark my words, I'm sure someone who carries passengers frequently in the backseat of a Maruti would attack the vehicle with wire clippers and yank out the beeper in desperation.

[anand87]

Originally Posted by ketan007

Congrats on your new Jimny. I too, have a use case where I might need to travel frequently on bad/rural roads. I am excited about the overall positive feedback on the vehicle and considering it as a future buy.
PS: I too drive a 2020 Ecosport and no other vehicle beats its ride quality, design dynamics, or engine performance.

Thanks and yes. I would say preserve your ecosport as long as possible. There is not a single vehicle in sub 4m sector that offers the ride quality/pickup like ecosport. I sometimes do miss my eco. .

[gsferrari]

Originally Posted by Turbanator

I won't go with such feedback. Media drive and especially if someone is driving something as exclusive as Jimny for the first time, we cannot have a fair judgement. YouTubers But I haven't driven any of Jimny with stock tires either so cannot be sure.

Your own TeamBHP correspondents were with me on the media drive. We were in Dehradun on the same day but I guess putting a review in text on TeamBHP makes it somehow more "trustworthy" than someone making a similar effort on YouTube

I hung out with Aditya and Chetan for pretty much the entire day at Dehradun and I know how much effort goes into the reviews here. Doesn't make the rest of us on YouTube "shills".

215-75-R15 definitely hurts the ride quality and F.E noticeably. Of course, there will be variations from brand/tread pattern/sidewall stiffness. My opinion was specific to the Goodyear AT Silenttrac which has reinforced sidewalls and it results in a harsher ride. Yokohama Geolandar is well documented for weak sidewalls, and this should result in close-to-stock ride quality. If you want a stronger tire that can take a beating, you have to be prepared to give up something.

In my "youtuber" review I did point out that the stock tires were pretty amazing on and off the road and a tire change would be necessary only in very specific circumstances. In my case I plan to go off-road every weekend and hit the mountains at least twice a year. For these reasons I accept the compromised ride quality in favor of a bit more durability.

[anand87]

Originally Posted by gsferrari

215-75-R15 definitely hurts the ride quality and F.E noticeably. Of course, there will be variations from brand/tread pattern/sidewall stiffness. My opinion was specific to the Goodyear AT Silenttrac which has reinforced sidewalls and it results in a harsher ride.

Hey. I am using 215/75/r15 Goodyear Silenttrac too. What tyre pressures do you use? I keep 26 psi in front and 27 in back when two passengers are riding on front seats. Have you tried these pressures? I feel the ride quality is good with these pressures. I found when pressures are higher, the ride is stiff, bumps are felt and there is slight skidding if you rush over rumblers/potholes.

[mayankk]

Originally Posted by astrodex

Is there a way to install a sensor? Or if nothing, to turn off the beeps? Mark my words, I'm sure someone who carries passengers frequently in the backseat of a Maruti would attack the vehicle with wire clippers and yank out the beeper in desperation.

Wouldn't a belt clip extender take care of this?

https://www.amazon.com/SSSJWS-Origin...zcF9hdGY&psc=1

Doesn't take away from utility either. Unfortunately can only be had from Amazon US or Ali.

[Turbanator]

Originally Posted by gsferrari

I guess putting a review in text on TeamBHP makes it somehow more "trustworthy" than someone making a similar effort on YouTube

It was not directed against a particular person or any portal, ours included. I wanted to convey that the media events are too short for anyone (YouTuber/ reviewers or whatever term you are ok) to advise on a topic like this.

Since you already own one, I will give your personal experience much more weight than when you made some content. Just how I think, nothing against anyone

[rajesh2812]

A terrible accident of Jimny was posted by YouTuber Prateek Singh. Forced my wife to force me to cancel the Jimny booking. She tells me I let my heart rule over the head. She wants me to book the Scorpio N. My heart longs for the Jimny.

Now that people are becoming aware of safety ratings of vehicles, Maruti needs to work on this aspect. I trusted Jimny would bring some change, but it doesn’t seem so.