4,400 km with my Jimny: 7 changes I would make if given a free-hand

The Jimny is a wonderful SUV already, but so much more is possible!

BHPian pheru8b recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

The Jimny: my thoughts on making a good car, into a great one!

After 4,400 km on my Jimny AT Alpha across 3 months, I must say that I still take every excuse to take it out for a spin. It makes me smile. A lot. And I've never enjoyed any car as much as my Jimny!

After reading the complaints people have mentioned on this thread, and I personally do agree with some of them, I feel that most of them are not really major, and on driving the car, would not honestly matter much in terms of the overall package the Jimny offers. It is a good, good car!

But if I were somehow put in charge of the Jimny by Maruti, and were given a free hand to imagine all the changes that would make this good car great, this is what I would do:

1. Add another gear or two to the AT to improve fuel efficiency. Or perhaps add a "city" drive mode which reduces fuel consumption in traffic. My Jimny gives around 15 on the highway, but just 7 to 9 km/l in the city with the AC on. That needs to be corrected.
2. While the brakes do their job, they just don't seem to have adequate bite. Spongy would best describe their performance. Would be good to have sharper brakes a la Hyundai or Toyota. And oh yes, yellow disk brake calipers to set off the bluish-black Jimny would go a long way in terms of adding some major MOJO!
3. For a top-end model, the Jimny does miss out on some creature comforts that are expected of our times viz, wireless charging, connected car features, ambient lighting, auto-dimming rearview mirror and a tyre pressure monitoring system. These would've been nice to round off the package!
4. For the entry-level, rather than giving a discount (shudder!), I would add a new 2-wheel drive variant, meant for cities. The car is a dream to drive around crowded cities, and many people would like to use it accordingly, but balk at the price!
5. I would improve the turning radius, at least at lower speeds. I understand tall cars can't have a tight turning radius, but there are ways around that.
6. For the little off-roading that I did, I would have loved to see a compass, a front-back and left-right level indicator, and a forward camera. Useful items, all these. But more than useful, very very cool! Like the Thar which has some of these, they make a statement!
7. Finally, change the voice and tone of the "aunty" who welcomes you every time you start the car. I know she can be shut off, but she does sound rather like my old school principal on occasions when I was sent to visit her for not keeping to the expected norms of behaviour. Would be good to get the welcome message in the voice of Megan Fox, or perhaps Shakira. Or Akshay Kumar.

That's it. Seven ideas from my side that could make the Jimny stand out further from the crowd, gallop ahead on the x factor, and become truly great! She's a wonderful car already, but so much more is possible!

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