Brought home my Maruti Jimny: Significant observations at first 450 kms

The key of the car is very unassuming. Does not give me an impression of spending 18 big ones on this.

BHPian prashant316 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Finally I got my Jimny last week! Driven it now for about 450kms and have a few observations to share.

Before that, setting some context of things done so far:

• Drove on stock tyres for 350 kms before switching to Yoko Geos 215.
• Got some accessories to increase storage space inside.
• Most of the driving so far has been within the city, some amount of highways around NCR and mild off roading.
• I saw some comments and apprehensions on the Auto start stop. I may have some answers.
• I also saw comments on TC being on or off during off road situations. I actually tried this, made videos to help folks out here of same terrain different car settings. I will put that up soon too.
• I used to drive a Polo GT before this or a Seltos GT line.

Since everything that needs to be said has already been said about this car, i will focus on very particular observations that i made and wanted to talk to about them.

Difference between stock and Yoko 215s:

So far, the only major difference is aesthetics. After now driving another 100 kms on the AT tyres, i feel the stock tyres are absolutely fine as well. The only reasons to change to AT tyres (regardless of size and brand) would either be aesthetics or extreme off road terrain. There are smaller differences as well in braking and overall stability. But it isnt enough of a difference to warrant spending 20-30k IMO.

NVH levels:

The NVH levels are better than i expected. There isnt a lot of sound that gets inside the cabin if all windows are closed. Even with AT tyres, there isnt really any road noise coming through on the roads i have driven. A cemented expressway will be a good test for another day. There is some wind noise at higher speeds, but easily drowned by some music.

Speaker quality:

Speaking about music, i am not enjoying the current speakers at all. So i started hunting already. Almost all shops that have worked on Jimnys have advised going for an Amp and 4 speaker setup (5.5inch or 6 inch) at the least. Their reasoning is that the head unit itself is not powerful enough to give more voltage to the speakers regardless of their capacity.

Finally at Driven in Delhi, I will be getting Hertz speakers installed without Amp. Lets see how the quality comes out and will decide on the amp of subwoofer. I really want to avoid installing an Amp!

Auto Start stop:

I saw some people being unhappy with how it works. I think it works exactly how it is supposed to. I have driven quite a few cars with the ASS system, most of which have been BMWs. And the system in Jimny doesnt work too differently from theirs. There are some basic differences, but on road their operation and conditions to turn the car off and on seem similar.

If you feel that the system is turning off too often or for too long, change its setting to 'comfort', you should find a decent difference. Or you can implement a small hack i noticed which does not turn the car off even when the system is on. This will be helpful especially at stop go traffic conditions:

Press the brake very lightly as the car comes on standstill. As lightly as you can, just enough to ensure the car is not moving but not putting your full energy onto the pedal. This will keep the engine on. And if you see that you will be standing for long and want the engine to turn off, just increase the pressure on the brake pedal to over 50% and watch the engine turn off.

Apparently light brake pressure is one of the conditions that will keep its engine on.

Some other observations:

• I quite like the windshield wipers. They cover the most amount of screen as i have seen in cars recently, leaving only small areas unlean on the side.
• The key of the car is very unassuming. Does not give me an impression of spending 18 big ones on this. Though it takes lesser pocket space.
• The auto headlight is extremely sensitive. Even under tree shades in the day it seems to turn the headlights on!
• Though the headlights itself, i quite like. So far, better than our Seltos. Good throw and beam of focus. The halogen foglamps also i like. They light up well.
• The car is best driven sedately. I really miss having a turbo in it. Its after years that i have got myself a car without a turbo. And its really something i am taking time to get used to.
• The 4AT is fine for the power it produces. 6AT would have been better, but this is alright. The overall engine + Gearbox is not something that has my heart moving. Its the other aspects of the car that do that.
• Turn the Traction control off when going into any off road scenario even if you dont put the car in 4H. I will upload a video of it soon and show you the differences in power delivery and getting through a slush.
• Be careful while going into a slush or large puddle of water at speed. Seemingly due to less overhangs, a lot of water tends to jump out of the front and land itself on the hood and windscreen, possibly even blinding you momentarily.

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