Mahindra Thar owner speaks about Maruti Suzuki Jimny AT Vs MT

Jimny AT is a very well engineered package; a very practical vehicle. Just gets things done. But, Thar is literally a tank.

BHPian aak7420 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I test drove Jimny AT and MT back to back for a 2-3 hour test drive each and here are my observations. 

On the Tarmac/good hill roads :

MT is very peppy and responsive compared to AT. Unless it’s very steep climb, I would say MT feels almost as responsive as my Petrol MT Thar. 

Off the road/Very Steep Inclines in Low Range :

( More Context : Where you’ll need to crawl up a hill in as slow speed as possible, where torque matters than speed and you simply can’t speed - where you’ll need to sort of be able to hold the clutch momentarily - where Jeeps shine and Gypsys fail ) 

MT gave me jitters. It just kept stalling at various points throughout the drive. Practically felt the clutch was gone by the end of the TD. Just couldn’t get the vehicle up from standstill on a steep concrete slope without Low Range. Didn’t inspire my confidence at all. 

P.S : It’s probably me not getting used to the vehicle. The Auto Start Stop not being turned off. TD vehicle being horrible. Just warning those opting for MT to take extensive TDs in the terrain you frequent often if you’r your use case is similar to the one described above. 

AT gets the job done. You’ll need to throttle and keep modulating it ( 2000- 3000 rpm ). You leave the throttle and the vehicle with slip down in reverse ( 4L-L mode ). I so wish it had a crawl feature. My 30 year old Marshal is more effortless to climb but Jimny AT gets the job done without running out of breath. 

The whole episode made me appreciate two things which are oft repeated:

- the oodles of Torque and Power my Thar has. Thar in low range and 1st gear climbs the whole track without any throttle input at <1000 rpm. 

- Very proactive BSD is Jimny viz-a-viz Thar. What Jimny lacks in power, I think it makes up for it with the BSD. You can feel it getting you out of situations before you even realise that you’re in a situation. As for Thar, with all its torque, there’s no situation , with BSD only very occasionally kicking in. 

- Very sensible Hill Descent Control in Jimny. Climbing down was a breeze. Maintains almost ideal speed climbing down. To compare, HDC is Thar in off roading situations is useless. It’s a pain climbing down in Thar in this terrain. It’s too fast for comfort and difficult to control with brakes without engine assisting you. 

- Jimmy’s ride quality. That’s the most comfortable ride I’ve ever experienced in that track for all my existence. Thar is a tractor in that regard.

Summary : 

Jimny AT is a very well engineered package; a very practical vehicle. Just gets things done. 

Thar is literally a tank. It has the power of the tank, practicality of a tank, comfort of a tank and commands respect of a tank. No wonder it sells.

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