[fiat_tarun]

Originally Posted by Red Liner

...

Congrats on the Jimny. What color ;-)

Heart wants the Kinetic Yellow but here the head is likely to win. I love the red, but the Ecosport is red, so it'll likely be the blue or the grey.

Originally Posted by androdev

Keep a good highway car - that's safe, comfortable and fun to drive. Ecosport is a very good car. Don't get carried away by the bling or horsepower and waste your money on cars that don't drive as well as Ecosport. Manufactures are getting really clever at packaging and window dressing cars without a soul. It would be better to hold on to your Ecosport till you find the right car as an upgrade/replacement instead of rushing the decision.

Jimny is a niche expensive car and in my very honest opinion, makes sense only to:
1. city dwellers who are romantic/passionate about a car of this category willing to put up with it as a daily driver.
2. folks in rural/hilly areas that need a 4x4
3. folks looking to add a hobby/weekend car to an already well stocked garage
...

So true about cars becoming less about the driving experience and more about features and screens today. I can't really fault the Ecosport even today to be able to convince myself to let her go.

Fully agree with you regarding the Jimny and have read your experience and review of it. Actually, all the 3 points apply to us in parts. This will also be used around Coorg in the later years as we move closer to home.

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

From someone who's just had a baby in the last quarter, hold on to this decision and visit it 3-6 months after the baby is here. Reason being - you won't get time to enjoy your new car; irrespective if it's a 25L car or the 'fun' Jimmy. The good part about this delay - you'll be able to give sufficient time to reconfirm if the Jimmy is a 'fad' want or it really is required.

On a side note, I'm sure you are reconfirming your finances (if it's a constraint) as your expenses will also go up once the new family member is here.

Very very valid points and is the prime consideration in my mind. I have considered the finances, so that is not a problem but the car not being used much over the next year or so is very likely.

The reason I am still considering it now is because the Alto K10 AMT has amazing re-sale which I'm not sure will last for how long while the Jimny as with all new cars will just get more expensive. Additionally, being in Pune, getting the BH registration is easy and there could be a potential move to Bangalore early next year which will make the same model ~2L more expensive on road.

Originally Posted by dhanushs

The fact that your Alto is AMT and that you are looking to buy the Jimny for your wife for short city use is enough justification Tarun!

This is exactly the conundrum I'm in. I so much want to buy my wife the Jimny AT and she loves it too.. It's the perfect wife car. Small, Good Visibility, Safe, AT, Maruti, Fiber flares... the list goes on.

The best part is you can take it away for a weekend for some good 4x4 Fun. Even she can have the 4x4 fun!

Haha, this is the story I told myself and am in this situation now ! Strange when the heart 'wants' something, you find all the right reasons to justify the 'want' to the mind

[rajshenoy]

It is a tricky situation to be in !!

If you are keen on bit of off-roading (however casual it is)/weekend fun, Then Jimny is a good choice(on budget) However it is not a highway car as you may not feel much of an upgrade in terms of interior space.

Assuming ecosport is also used during the week in city, I am not recommending Harrier/XUV as they are better suited for highway runs only. Based on your Korean bias, Only other alternatives are Honda Elevate or upcoming cars such as Tata curvv or Mahindra XUV500 (2024/25 may be)

So as per me, swap Alto with Jimny and you will have two good cars in your garage for 4-5 more years.

[bordeaux]

Originally Posted by GTO

The Jimny is the kind of car that will make you smile. This breed punches way above its weight in terms of the "feel-good" factor. For more of this preaching, check the ownership review of my own 4x4 out. A BHPian who owns an S-Class & a Porsche 911 seems to be having a blast in his Jimny. The Jimny will make you laugh, giggle & provide you sheer joy. All backed by Maruti's dependable reliability & service. It also has a smooth AT, 4 doors & isn't bumpy, unlike other offroaders. A rare enthusiast car that appeals to the head as well as heart.

Dearest GTO, I think I am going to hate you for this. I cannot have a Jimny alongside GLC + Honda City. But just reading this paragraph, I am like I think I need to sell everything and get a Jimny

[07CR]

Originally Posted by fiat_tarun

So this brings me to my predicament - Replace the Alto with the Jimny and have 2 sub 4m cars in my garage. The Jimny will stay as the permanent 2nd car for a lonnnnng time OR keep the Alto for a lonnng time and replace the Ecosport with a ~25Lakh replacement that will give the same smiles per drive

As an owner of Ecosport S TDCI (2018), I can understand why this decision is so hard. I feel this is just an itch to upgrade/change cars and nothing else. I too have faced this itch recently. My other car is a Kia Sonet HTX iMT. Both are perfectly and completely happy with niggle free ownership experience. In my case I was contemplating on selling the Ecosport and getting a Seltos GT Line D-AT/DCT.

But just one long drive in the Ecosport and the thought has been parked for now (atleast for couple of years).

If you want to keep the Ecosport and get the Jimny, I would advice you to think it through. Jimny though not as stiff as Thar, is still super stiff for me, and simply not a daily driver. Also with the baby around, not really sure if you would be finding time for atleast a couple of years for routine weekend off-the-road outings (seen this with my sister recently).

[jkrishnakj]

Go and pick the Jimny. I hate it when my A6 gets relegated and the Jimny keys are picked up. But it’s a joy to drive that cute Jimny.

Just last week, we did a 1300km round trip and the wife wanted to take the Jimmy over the A6 and the 2.8 Crysta AT. And what a fun drive it was. We managed to do a lot of beach driving in very loose sand. It didn’t trouble us in the highway. The ride quality was just perfect and I could keep up with many cars on the highway.

[sunilch]

Originally Posted by fiat_tarun

Both cars are 5 years old, in perfect condition and I foresee no major problems coming up.

A very good reason to sell one of these if not both

This will fetch you a good value now instead of in the future.

Better to get good value for your current cars and purchase what your heart is asking for. If wife is ok to take EcoSport, sell the Alto. Else sell the EcoSport and make Jimny your daily car.

[nxshar2]

Going against popular opinion here but doesnt the jimny look a bit like a toy car? Saw one today in beautiful green yellow colour just after eway exit near mumbai but the proportions just play tricks on your mind.

[abaliga]

Make sure your wife gets to drive the Jimny before you take the plunge, as this is going to be her primary car, it's important she approves it, beware of the long turning radius and the relatively vague steering feel on the Jimny may be deal breakers for some

[SoumenD]

I would prefer replacing the Alto AMT with Jimny TC as Ecosport replacement will be very-very tough to find within 25L, specially considering yours’ is a remapped one. Plus due to Ford exit, resale won’t be as good. Keep it for longer.

Having said that, hope you have accounted for upcoming expenses associated with a child and more importantly amount of time you need to dedicate. It’s insane trust me. Expenses have almost doubled after we had the child & all other fun things we used to do have taken a backseat. Do consider this aspect before committing 15 big ones. All the best for the baby and car(if you choose to go for it)

[RijuC]

If you at all decide to buy the Jimny, delay the decision at least by 1-2 years.

Reasons behind this suggestion:

1. This Jimny is not "initial batch niggle free" type of car from MSIL. For few owners, there are issues which owners are not openly talking about. For example, my ICE head unit failed on day-0 and the mic module also. I am not seeing any more Electrical issues, but worried about something more could come up. Hence, not driving it at all.

2. MSIL Dealership and Service centre staff and technicians are not trained at all for servicing the Jimny. They are not aware of any ABCD about the Jimny and its' electro-mechanicals and most importantly, the 4x4 hardware and electronics associated. Mine is AT variant and the service centre guys were trying to drive it by engaging 2H-4H-4L lever. They were not able to engage it forcefully and then tried to fiddle with AT lever. I had to ask them to leave driver's seat and drove the car to their service area.

They are not aware of the features and functions of the Jimny electro-mechanicals yet. Hopefully, in 1-2 years time MSIL service centre technicians will get to break enough hardware to learn servicing Jimny.

3. Warranty replacements are denied by NEXA service centres owned by other dealerships. Hence, servicing MSIL cars anywhere is a myth. You have to remain dependent on the dealership owner service centre only.

4. No response comes from MSIL if you escalate these matters. The escalations are redirected to the same dealership guys or service centre guys.

5. Safety and build quality- Jimny is the same light weight and unsafe built car structure installed on a ladder frame chassis. Recently we saw two accidents. Occupants of Kinetic Yellow of Delhi were lucky. Photographs of other accident where the Grey colour Jimny was ripped apart show the real story. It's "just" little better than usual Maruti Suzuki cars. That's all.

6. Many owners complained about alignment issues, and Jimny pulling to left or right direction. And those complaints are not yet attended. MSIL service centres are clueless about how to attend or how to diagnose these mechanical issues reported.

7. Accessories- essential accessories of Jimny are not manufactured locally. Almost all are imported items, mostly manufactured in China and bought from the Japan or other foreign country marketplace platforms. Indian agencies are also sourcing from the same place in bulk. Hence, accessories are extremely high priced. And most essential accessories like diff. Vent breathers extension kit, underbody diff./ Transfer case/ radial cup area protection covers are not available yet.

8. Hype- most of the NEXA Dealerships are charging high premium of the order of 75k-1 lakh as non-negotiable accessories package, extended warranty, high priced insurance etc., Unless the buyer is well connected or belong to the associated business network.

9. It's an impractical SUV if you are planning to welcome kid. Pregnant women, infants need little bigger space. Jimny is strictly for 4 persons, extremely fit and with adventurous mindset.

If you browse through initial pages of 5 door Jimny related threads in Team-BHP; you can find my posts with full of enthusiasm. I booked on 12th January. But, in order to get the delivery, I had to book two more Jimny from different dealerships. And, even after a good PDI with nil observation; these are happening after the delivery of Jimny. In one word, I am "heartbroken". I am not at all happy to write 1-9 above.

You have two wonderful cars, wait for some more time if you have decided to buy Jimny. Or, wait till the release of Renault Duster and then decide.

[matchvan]

Originally Posted by fiat_tarun

My garage today consists of 2 cars:]

So this brings me to my predicament - Replace the Alto with the Jimny and have 2 sub 4m cars in my garage. The Jimny will stay as the permanent 2nd car for a lonnnnng time OR keep the Alto for a lonnng time and replace the Ecosport with a ~25Lakh replacement that will give the same smiles per drive

Greetings,

I'm 43 and was in the same dilemma a while ago.

I have an SX4 which I sold in March 23 and wife has a 5 year old S-Cross which is her daily workhorse with 97k miles clocked.

This is where all the dilemma started.

Whether to sell S-Cross, buy a bigger car or keep the S-Cross and buy a small beater AT.

So to cut short, instead of a small beater AT, convinced the missus, and got myself a Jimny AT because we only live once.

Its a keeper. I shall replace S-Cross at 10 year mark.

My advice. Go for it. Let your Alto find a new home.

Replace your Ecosport after 5 years.

Drive safe.

[Raghu M]

If I were you, I wouldn't bite the bullet and buy the Jimny. You ask me why? You have the answers yourself. The EcoSport is doing awesome, has at least 5 to 7 more years of juice to it and your city runs in the Alto will not be the same as the Jimny. If there are issues, your wife will find it difficult to commute on loaners/cabs. There is the money angle to it too. The cars are too young to be replaced. Two years down the lane, yes. Also, you won't need a bigger car than the Eco after your little one arrives. If you have excess funds, then you can go for it but if the Jimny is going to go the EMI route, then for me it's a big NO. Invest the additional funds in MFs or real estate or even gold and by 2025, you will have a clear view of what you may need. Now is too early, keep the funds, they will grow. The Jimny isn't going anywhere.

[Samfromindia]

Originally Posted by fiat_tarun

So this brings me to my predicament - Replace the Alto with the Jimny and have 2 sub 4m cars in my garage. The Jimny will stay as the permanent 2nd car for a lonnnnng time OR keep the Alto for a lonnng time and replace the Ecosport with a ~25Lakh replacement that will give the same smiles per drive

The only logical upgrade to Ecosport will be the Compass 4X4, maybe a good preowned option can sweeten the deal. Else Jimny can be a great replacement for alto and will take you places where your trusted mile muncher cannot tread.

[LordSharan]

Three word answer.
Replace the Alto.

--

Jimny is a compact SUV and a true-blue offroader. If you pick up the AT variant, you aren't going to miss out on anything by replacing the Alto.

Pros:
1. much better, modern and well rounded car compared to Alto
2. Can do everything that Alto can, and then some more
3. It's compact, and AT would be fun for city round abouts
4. Has 4x4, so ticks on all your adventure plans

Cons:
1. dent to wallet. but we get one life, and it might push your plan of owning luxury cars by a couple of years, so what? You'd be grinning ear to ear for those two years driving the Jimny.

Listen to your heart and go for it. Get your better half to drive it, and I'm certain she might find it better compared to Alto, given the taller seating position and better auto box (compared to AMT).

[fiat_tarun]

Thanks again for the all the varied perspectives. Lots of 'heart' / YOLO views and the 'mind' / logical views

Originally Posted by rajshenoy

...
If you are keen on bit of off-roading (however casual it is)/weekend fun, Then Jimny is a good choice(on budget) ....
...

Exactly why it appeals to me as the second city + fun car. The Ecosport will be used by me for the daily office commute and the highway roadtripping. Fully agree that the XUV / Harrier are too big for my use case and the Elevate is a litte boring, I wish Honda had brought in the iVTEC Turbo.

Originally Posted by 07CR

As an owner of Ecosport S TDCI (2018), I can understand why this decision is so hard. I feel this is just an itch to upgrade/change cars and nothing else. I too have faced this itch recently.
...
But just one long drive in the Ecosport and the thought has been parked for now (atleast for couple of years).

If you want to keep the Ecosport and get the Jimny, I would advice you to think it through. Jimny though not as stiff as Thar, is still super stiff for me, and simply not a daily driver. Also with the baby around, not really sure if you would be finding time for atleast a couple of years for routine weekend off-the-road outings (seen this with my sister recently).

Have seen your posts pondering this decision and glad you have decided to keep it.

We've been travelling and hence haven't yet been able to get a proper test drive to check out the ride, turning radius, etc., so shall do that over the coming weekend.

Very very true about the time part for the next year or so with the baby coming which is why I have't booked it yet
Will take a call on this later this year based on the potential move out of Pune as I want the vehicle with a BH registration.

Originally Posted by jkrishnakj

Go and pick the Jimny. I hate it when my A6 gets relegated and the Jimny keys are picked up. But it’s a joy to drive that cute Jimny.

Just last week, we did a 1300km round trip and the wife wanted to take the Jimmy over the A6 and the 2.8 Crysta AT. And what a fun drive it was. We managed to do a lot of beach driving in very loose sand. It didn’t trouble us in the highway. The ride quality was just perfect and I could keep up with many cars on the highway.

Wow, this is very encouraging, specially considering the other cars in your garage ! Did the Jimny feel underpowered for highway overtakes ? Although this is not going to be my primary use case, we will have to take the highway if we are heading towards 4x4 territory.

Originally Posted by sunilch

A very good reason to sell one of these if not both
...
Better to get good value for your current cars and purchase what your heart is asking for. If wife is ok to take EcoSport, sell the Alto. Else sell the EcoSport and make Jimny your daily car.

Well, actually both these cars are doing amazingly well for their age and that isn't a factor at all to sell. If the Jimny hadn't launched, I wouldn't be in this situation and probably would have looked for an Ecosport replacement in the next 1-2 years and kept the Alto. Since the Jimny cannot be the main car in my garage, here I am !

Originally Posted by nxshar2

Going against popular opinion here but doesnt the jimny look a bit like a toy car? Saw one today in beautiful green yellow colour just after eway exit near mumbai but the proportions just play tricks on your mind.

I would say it's quirky which is a big factor in it's appeal and one of the reasons I am drawn to it. It stands out among all the other 'similar' looking cars.

Originally Posted by abaliga

Make sure your wife gets to drive the Jimny before you take the plunge, as this is going to be her primary car, it's important she approves it, beware of the long turning radius and the relatively vague steering feel on the Jimny may be deal breakers for some

Yes, she has to approve of it and the TD is planned in the coming weekend.
The ride, seat height adjust (lack of it) and turning radius are key parameters to be experienced.

Originally Posted by SoumenD

I would prefer replacing the Alto AMT with Jimny TC as Ecosport replacement will be very-very tough to find within 25L, specially considering yours’ is a remapped one. Plus due to Ford exit, resale won’t be as good. Keep it for longer.

Having said that, hope you have accounted for upcoming expenses associated with a child and more importantly amount of time you need to dedicate. It’s insane trust me. Expenses have almost doubled after we had the child & all other fun things we used to do have taken a backseat. Do consider this aspect before committing 15 big ones. All the best for the baby and car(if you choose to go for it)

Actually the Ecosport has pretty good resale now which will only go down with time, but that is not a factor anyway.

True about the expenses, but that is something that has been planned so we are well within our means. The time factor is 100% true and may result in me pushing the decision by a year, but a potential re-location and the need for a BH registration might mean I continue with the plan now.

Originally Posted by RijuC

If you at all decide to buy the Jimny, delay the decision at least by 1-2 years.
...

Thank your for the detailed post and while I have been actively reading the Jimny thread, didn't realise there are quite a few issues. I also read about the water entering differential issue.

Originally Posted by matchvan

Greetings,

I'm 43 and was in the same dilemma a while ago.
...
So to cut short, instead of a small beater AT, convinced the missus, and got myself a Jimny AT because we only live once.
...

Congratulations and have fun with your Jimny. Love the red !
Let me see how my situation unfolds.

Originally Posted by Raghu M

If I were you, I wouldn't bite the bullet and buy the Jimny.
...
Invest the additional funds in MFs or real estate or even gold and by 2025, you will have a clear view of what you may need. Now is too early, keep the funds, they will grow. The Jimny isn't going anywhere.

The perfect logical solution, but the heart doesn't listen to the mind and everytime I see a Jimny on the road it will remind you that 2025 is just too far away.

Originally Posted by Samfromindia

The only logical upgrade to Ecosport will be the Compass 4X4, maybe a good preowned option can sweeten the deal. Else Jimny can be a great replacement for alto and will take you places where your trusted mile muncher cannot tread.

The Compass is the true upgrade to the Ecosport but the pricing today is just ridiculous.

Originally Posted by LordSharan

Three word answer.
Replace the Alto.
Jimny is a compact SUV and a true-blue offroader. If you pick up the AT variant, you aren't going to miss out on anything by replacing the Alto.
...
Cons:
1. dent to wallet. but we get one life, and it might push your plan of owning luxury cars by a couple of years, so what? You'd be grinning ear to ear for those two years driving the Jimny.
...

Oh yes, grinning for sure. The 'luxury' craving isn't so strong now as the drive and fun experience from behind the steering is my main priority, so that fits well.