Is the Maruti Jimny a good choice to learn offroading?

My usage will be primarily the city, quarterly high way runs of around 1000 km. Since we already have a Nexon, I am okay with not having another car that offers comfort and agility.

BHPian nh1922 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I am looking for a car on which I can learn and take it off-road as well in future as I gain confidence.

I've looked at plenty of options but the Jimny slightly stands out for me due to following

• Small and compact (probably easier to learn and drive on narrow roads, city traffic)
• Maruti Suzuki service network
• Decent comfort in city and highways despite being a 4x4
• Extremely capable off-roader

I am not an absolute newbie. I have driven our family car - Nexon(automatic) occasionally for smaller distances and I've had my driving classes. I definitely need more practice.

Normally I'm advised to not take a new car if I plan on learning with it. But I am confident that I will take it off-road as I've done a fair bit of it on my motorcycle and I love it.

My usage will be primarily the city, quarterly high way runs of around 1000kms. Since we already have a Nexon, I am okay with not having another car that offers comfort and agility. I live alone and will probably be driving this alone for the most part.

I've got a quote of 15.27 lacs in Pune for Alpha MT. As this will be my first car that I'd purchase with my own money, I'd like to have your opinion on following:

• Is it worth it at 15.27 (insurance, extended warranty included) or I must wait some more expecting the prices to be dropped further as the sales are declining ?
• Would Jimny be a good choice in the long run for me ?
• Should I really choose to not go for a new car and try getting a second hand Thar at comparable/lesser cost?

Here's what BHPian dhanushs had to say on the matter:

The problem with off-road driving is that it requires you to master on-road driving first. The understanding required about the car is much more than a road requirement.

That said, yes, the Jimny would be a great starter for you, for the exact reasons you've mentioned.

The only suggestion I would give is to first master on-road driving, then venture off-road for your own safety.

Here's what BHPian shankar.balan had to say on the matter:

From your location and post you seem to be in Goa.

I like what Dhanush said- indeed you have to learn to drive properly on the roads, before venturing off the road.

Something like learning to walk before attempting to run.

If I were you, to save time, money and heartache, I would simply take time to attain a level of driving expertise and earn some valuable daily real life experience on the narrow roads of Goa, first using the family car itself.

After a few months of this, I would rent one of the many Jeepy things available locally there and go with a few experienced/ trusted friends for small trail drives and off road jaunts.

I would then assess whether I like this activity or not. Only then would I buy a vehicle which is aimed specifically at this activity.

Remember also, that off roading comes with its set of headaches like water and mud and sand ingress into the brakes and wheel wells and differential gearbox and all that, apart from entering all the crevices in the vehicle.

Remember therefore, the responsibilities that you owe to your car after off-roading - the thorough cleaning with a high pressure wash, stripping and cleaning of the brake drums and all of those components which are hidden in plain sight. Then, the draining and changing of oils and fluids. The thorough post activity inspections. Etc.

Its a serious sport and like any serious activity, it requires time to be invested in preparation and maintenance. There are no shortcuts.

Learning the nuances and skills of driving and post activity maintenance, is much better achieved through patient application and practice.

Coming to the Jimny, indeed it can be a neat little modern, well accomplished, well equipped, highly capable all rounder as your first car.

For many of us growing up in the 1980’s, the Jimny’s Grandpa, the Gypsy, along with the Mahindra MM540, was our first introduction to the world beyond our road defined boundaries. The Jimny can perform that role for you for sure. And it will do 100% of the required job, beautifully. It is a superb vehicle.

I would just suggest that you take a few prudent baby steps before jumping into it. It is just a matter of a few months of patience, practice and experience that you are investing in along with the 15.3 lacs to get the appropriate tools and equipment (in this case, the Jimny).

Wishing you all the best and do enjoy the journey.

Here's what BHPian Mystic had to say on the matter:

Off roading is a very costly hobby. I have the same opinion to the overlanding.

Coming to India , we are very fortunate after we have the golden quadrilateral connecting the top 4 metro cities. Indians started experiencing the world class roads infrastructure for the first time. Prior to this era, it is almost off roading to go anywhere to anywhere in India. I am sorry to tell the raw truth even though my father was Chief Engineer of Roads in Government.

My native place is Visakhapatnam and I stay in Bangalore. I frequently travel between these cities ( 1K kms ) very often in various vehicles like Scorpio RWD, Crysta RWD and Jimny Allgrip. Some parts of the highway is still in construction like near Naidupeta to Tirupati. One can get off road experience of around 50 kms free. I believe it is same across India.

Abroad, the road infrastructure was ahead of India by many decades as they have invested huge money on roads to ride over the depression era in world war days so that people would get employment constructing roads. One needs to exclusively join an elite group to figure out the bad roads / no roads for off roading.

I personally enjoy Jimny the most and look forward to the bad roads / no roads. I look forward and take a detour to find them (In fact there is no road to the farm house we visit at 4 K feet above sea level very near to Visakhapatnam). We have plenty of such opportunities in rural roads of India.

Coming back to the agenda of this thread, Jimny is one nimble vehicle to try for beginners due to the compact dimensions but be aware that Jimny has more turning radius than a fortuner.

Here's what BHPian dicor had to say on the matter:

Once a wise man advised me not to utilize my primary vehicle as an off-road hobby vehicle. An off-road vehicle dances too much and begins squeaking earlier than planned, reducing the enjoyment of highway driving.

So, the question is how much off-roading do you want to undertake?

• A - Once a year, for some events, or once a month, when looking for weekend sites.
• B - Extreme off-roading, participating in practically every event.
• C - My everyday journey includes slush, sand, ice, snow, and tight roadways.

If your answer is A, then go for training at Mahindra Adventure or https://www.learnoffroad.com/, they do provide their vehicle too. Once you've learnt, you may periodically rent a Thar and have fun with it. You're from Goa, therefore there's no shortage of rental Thars.

If your answer is B, then buy a used 1st gen Thar / Jeep or used Gypsy (5-6 lakhs), and modify it according to your taste and need.

If your answer is C, then buy Jimny, you will love it.

Play your cards correctly, you may obtain the Alpha AT for 15 lakhs (2023 model), but that's not the end of the tale; you'll need to pay another 50K to get it off-road ready.

Should you wish to see Jimny in action, MSIL is organizing finale in Goa from 21st March.

Here's what BHPian lamborghini had to say on the matter:

I just spent some time with a brand new Jimny rental in Goa - it's definitely a fun car but not comfortable, or easy to maneuver around. I loved the seating position, the car and driving characteristics felt special. The compact size was a boon driving in the narrower lanes, but the steering isn't chuckable and you need to move it a fair bit to get the car to respond and turning radius too was a spoil sport. The ride too isn't the best and though I was enjoying my drive - it definitely is not something I enjoyed driving bobbing around the highways or being tossed around on some bad stretches of road.

Once the initial joy wears off, you will appreciate and find other cars that much easier to live with in the same price bracket - the Kushaq 1.0TSi for example is that much more safer, quicker, comfortable, better to drive, practical, etc. so you may want to consider that if this will be your only car (if the Nexon is there with you in Goa then it is a no brainer to get the Jimny) & that Goa has quite a few off road events / AWD rentals like Jimny, Thar, Hilux, Fortuner, etc. available for when you want to have some fun (do check the terms and conditions though of the rental).

Here's what BHPian anjan_c2007 had to say on the matter:

Trust you have mastered on road driving. A better option is to go for an used Gypsy (these days they fetch higher than earlier resale values), an used Mahindra 540DP 4x4 or an used Thar. The 4x4 MUV needs to be in a very good hassle free condition so as to not cause worries.

You can save capital and also vouch that you have got a good MUV with the "Learners" badge.

Here's what BHPian NPV had to say on the matter:

I recently drove the Jimny and just loved it. Given the kind of city and town traffic we have today, and this being your one do-it-all car, I would highly recommend you to consider the Automatic transmission variants. That would be the brilliant combination of automatic with 4x4 go anywhere capabilities

My personal view - don’t get carried away by the “enthusiasts only drive manual transmissions” tagline. I couldn’t have been happier than I am now after buying a Harrier in its Automatic avatar last year!

I would also recommend you test drive the Jimny and the Thar to see how they fare and help you compare/contrast what you like/dislike.

In my opinion, Thar has the raw

power, but when it comes to driving comfort and refinement (petrol engine helps), Jimny is way ahead. But, to each his own!

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