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BHPian Samba recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
A 300+ km drive with 11 Maruti Jimnys
Last Sunday we had a Maruti Jimny owners meet from Kolkata. It was a family drive & the destination was Orgram Airstrip in Guskara.
History of the airstrip -
wikipedia.org/wiki/Guskhara_Airfield
Roughly our location was 150 km from Kolkata and we got to enjoy a 300+ km of total drive.
11 Jimnys participated in the drive. On the road, it was like a riot of colors! Jimnys of different colors going on a convoy was a sight to behold!
It was majorly a highway drive with some driving on dirt roads, some soft roading, and some through narrow village roads. Overall it was super fun
Our meeting point was at Azadhind Dhaba GopalPur for a quick breakfast, then our next stop was at Hotel Khowai after Talit for a small tea break before reaching the destination & during our return leg, we had lunch at Hotel Samrat.
Special thanks to Mr.Sandip Mukherjee and Mr.Anirban Mukherjee for taking all the trouble to organize this drive.
Pic Courtesy -
Bhpian shourya_lahiri
Sharing the pics from this drive-
Early morning meet-up at Azadhind Dhaba.
Tea break at Hotel Khowai
At Guskara airfield
The below pics are clicked by Bhpian shourya_lahiri-
Families enjoying the meet.
Some soft-road fun.
Adding an aerial view of the meet for good measure
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BHPian ShivC recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
Got all the external lights changed to LED – Fog lamps, Turn Indicators – Grill, Turn Indicators Side, Rear High Brake Light, LED Tail Lights had been done sometime back here is the link to the post.
FOG LIGHTS: IPF F Series F50DFLB LED: Dual Colour Switch 6,500K/2,400K, Brightness: 2,500 lumens: We want to upgrade the fog lights for a while now as the OEMs are quite poor in performance. Also wanted the colours of the fog lamp to respond to various weather conditions while driving, and should also be completely sealed so that water ingress is minimized, also imperative was no wire cuts or relays added and housed in the OEM housing. Found a perfect replacement for these IPF LEDs. These are switched between white and yellow from the stalk and remember the last light colour lit. It has optimized light distribution of white and yellow LED light colours. These are Japanese Road Transport Vehicle Act compliant. Bulb Type : H8 H11 H16 (Compatible with 12V and 24V).
The good thing about these bulbs is an adjustment screw on the rear part (heat sink) of the LED fog lamp bulbs which has an externally adjustable rotation feature allowing easy installation and lighting angle adjustment.
Little did I know that while doing this I would leave no Halogen on the outside as well as the inside when I finished.
AMBER TURN SIGNAL GRILL: PIAA LEW103 LED: Wanted something brighter so that no one missed the turn lights flashing also wanted to completely change from halogens to LED. These Turn Signal Amber LED Bulbs are Resistant-less Series and Japanese Road Transport Vehicle Act compliant. Brightness: 1100 lumens with built-in resistance to hi-flag.
LED Omnidirectional Diffusion Type: LED bulb with 30 LEDs in all directions which achieves a diffused light distribution that is ideal for turn signals. No installation of resistors or replacement relays is required. Includes cooling fan at the tip. Easy to install – took less than 5 mins to install. Bulb Type: T20 -12 V.
Inner cabin lights also had been done sometime back.
Inner Cabin LED:
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BHPian RDS recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
I completed another approx. 850 km trip to the Himalayas. It was a fabulous one.
Because of dimensions, Jimny was highly manoeuvrable in cities and tight spots. Well, I never had issues with a "long" turning radius, and with a little practice, it is easily manageable.
I took the Ramnagar route due to the rush on the main route because of the holiday season. It is a kind of single-lane road with lots of twists and turns, but with Jimny, it was a non-issue.
Whenever I passed through broken roads, it was joyful because I could cruise at 30-40 where others were doing 5 to 10! This was especially true when during my return, I took a less used path through a slightly remote area because of great jams at tolls.
Highway manners were pretty good. As a matter of fact, till 80-90, Jimny behaves almost like a hatchback from the driver's perspective, composed and manoeuvrable.
I was able to access remote areas that I would usually not go to on a monocoque SUV or sedan. Used 4H when stuck and Hill Descent control sometimes, it was a wow experience. I also used OD off on mountains significantly and it was fabulous.
I got an overall average of 14.5 km/l during return - approx 360-370 Km journey through significant traffic, which I would term as beyond my expectations. I had 3-4 bars of fuel remaining after reaching home - no fuel filling even once. I started around 90% tank full.
Now that 4000 Kms are complete and the engine should be pretty well set, I am looking forward to start using EVCX to make the trips even more enjoyable after another 500-1000 Kms.
One last major and very important point - As per my last post, I mentioned that as soon as the last bar is left, you still have 8-10 litres of fuel remaining.
This time I again noticed the same, and this is now re-confirmed. However, one should not wait till empty to refill, as that can impact systems.
But, yes, there should not be high anxiety when you just reach the last bar, the indicator shows a 30-35 km fuel range and the next pump is 50-60 KMs away!!
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BHPian Catamaran recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
Installed the "Jimny optimized sound package" by Pioneer and what a difference it made. The sound delivery is in a different level now compared to the stock speakers. It’s a six speaker plug and play set up with the additional tweeters installed on the A Pillar. Came with the woofer baffles and tweeter brackets for A Pillar. Looks very neat. The tweeter bracket is precisely made for the Jimny A Pillar and doesn’t look like an aftermarket fitment.
Done damping on all 4 doors and the sound output is crystal clear. However the bass is just adequate due to the absence of a sub-woofer. All in all well worth the investment and highly recommended if you are looking for a speaker upgrade, without the fuss of making modifications on the door pads and pillars.
Meanwhile was in Kochi for the last five days and had ample fun in the Jimny. Took her to Vagamon hills and nearby off road tracks to Uluppuni tunnel where only the rented Jeeps are going. Also took a short cut mud road to Moolamattom, with only stone and rocks (all sand was washed out in the rains). The car handled the all the terrain with ease.
Last two days was completely in the Kochi city traffic, raining heavily and the diminutive size (both width and length) and ground clearance really helped. Parking and driving the car in the traffic is a breeze and you dont need to bother the large crater like potholes. My other car in India is a Honda city and that’s hardly driven after the Jimny’s arrival. Honda City is now reserved only for long drives with family and for rest, its the Jimny . Few pictures of the drive:
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BHPian Samba recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
A few days back I received a call from the Regional Service Head from Maruti about this matter. I explained it to him over the phone. They are aware of this Team-Bhp thread too.
He asked me to bring the car to Jyote Motors, so people from their technical team could come and inspect the issue.
I reached the service center on time and their technical team was already present. They acknowledged the issue.
First, they checked all the measurements, and then whether all the bolts related to this were tight with the correct torque or not.
After this preliminary check, they installed a camera where the propellor shaft rubbed against the cross-member and took the car for a test drive. I insisted that I would like to join them for the test drive, but let their driver drive the car. They obliged.
They were monitoring it live on their phone connected to the recording camera.
From the test drive what I incurred is, with 4 people on board when the car crosses a hump or an undulation or a dip at a higher speed and the time when the shock absorbers (especially the rear one) sag the propellor shaft goes very close to the cross member or it may touch. We checked it under articulation too, but there was a sufficient gap when the car was stationary even with 4 people on board. Seems like this can be replicated in a moving car with some load in the car (of course within the permissible range) on an undulated surface, but not that easily in a stationary car.
Just after taking the TD in my car, they drove another Jimny which belongs to Bhpian arghyaheart. Both of our cars have similar ODO readings, both are stock cars with stock tyres, and both are manufactured at the same time. Mine is a 2023 July manufactured car, and Arghya's is a June 2023 manufactured car. Arghya's car does not have any marks on its propellor shaft.
So the idea was to check whether it's a car-specific issue or it can happen in any Jimny. They took the test drive on the same road with the same load and similar speed. The movement looked similar to my amateur eyes. I will refrain from commenting here, as let their technical team have a look at both the videos and then decide.
They have not provided me with any time frame, on when they are expecting to resolve the issue. All they said was- that with the data they collected their technical team would be working on it. Once they get a solution, they will do the needful.
They have not shared any data or any info on how they are planning to go ahead with this issue.
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According to a media report, Maruti Suzuki dealerships are offering a discount of around Rs 1.5 lakh on the top-spec 'Alpha' variant of the Jimny.
The Maruti Suzuki Jimny is available in two variants – Zeta and Alpha with prices starting at Rs 12.74 lakh (ex-showroom). The Zeta variants are offered with a discount of Rs 50,000.
The Jimny is powered by a 1.5-litre K-series engine that produces 103 BHP @ 6,000 rpm and 134.2 Nm @ 4,000 rpm. The engine is paired with either a 5-speed manual or a 4-speed automatic.
In India, the Jimny is positioned as a niche product. Unlike other models in Maruti’s line-up, the Jimny isn’t selling like hotcakes. The carmaker has been offering heavy discounts, in a bid to attract more buyers.
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BHPian Ksingh544 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
Hi,
Congratulations on getting your Jimny! Nice to hear from a fellow Thar CRDE owner.
Positives -
Negatives-
I drove it up to Darcha and Bara Lacha Pass on the Manali-Leh highway in mid-May and the vehicle had no issues, this included driving through fresh snowfall.
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BHPian tacho9000 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
I got my Jimny Zeta MT delivered on 23rd December 2023. Have since then driven the vehicle for well over 10K kilometers. Presently odo is standing at 19700+ kilometers. The vehicle has been nothing but a joy to own at least for me. Upgraded the stock 60/55W Philips H4 bulbs to Osram 100/90W H4 with factory-fitted relay in the vehicle. Reliable, and compact enough to get into quite a few narrow lanes in and around my locality.
The superb ride quality and the ability to make small patches and potholes on the road vanish is a highlight definitely for me. The only bothersome aspect of the car for me personally has been the large turning radius. Have got a few mods done to improve the car's long-distance driving comfort from what it already is. Most of them have been bought from Amazon Japan store. All of them are more or less reversible. I have always added things to my car to increase the utility of the vehicle.
The car delivers good FE too provided one is easy on the accelerator. It can gather speeds but that is pointless. Best to stick to a comfortable speed and cruise along all day long.
Attaching a few pictures of my car.
Delivery Day
Interior view
First long trip to Ghatshila
Random clicks around Ghatshila
Dalma Hill Top, Jamshedpur
Very Dirty, But I love this look post any road trip
Low Beam
High Beam
Somewhere near Bongaigaon in Assam
Sevoke Road
Near Fulbari Bypass, North Bengal
Grille changed to the Sierra Grille, Spare Wheel Cover changed and 10K service done with Amsoil 0W-16 API SP Fully Synthetic oil
Zeta doesn't come with leather-wrapped steering wheel. Got it done from Imperial Leather, Bangalore when I visited Bangalore.
Post detailing
In Bangalore
Random Clicks
Armrest from Amazon Japan
Hood struts from Amazon Japan. Fitted These as DIY. Very easy to install and is a great convenience factor
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BHPian Samba recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
We were more than happy with our Duster AWD.
But then a few factors made us reconsider retaining our Duster.
If I list a few:
Plus the discounts Maruti offered on the Jimny were one of the major deciding factors too.
The budget we fixed was roughly Rs 20L.
A few things that were non-negotiable-
These ruled out the ScorpioN & the Gurkha. The XUV7oo AWD was not in my consideration. It was too sophisticated for my liking! I wanted something that would be more raw & abuse-friendly.
Though diesel, I still loved the Compass AWD, but at that price, we could have grabbed the Hilux with all the discounts Toyota was offering! I have always drooled on a red Hilux! If the above cars were available in petrol with an AWD/4x4, this ownership review could have been for a different car!
So the options left for us were the Maruti Jimny, Toyota Hyryder AWD/Maruti Grand Vitara AWD & the Thar Petrol MT.
Checked the Hyryder AWD & the Grand Vitara AWD. But I couldn't justify paying Rs 20L for a car that will have better features than the Duster but will be a downgrade in terms of performance and capability. I am not even bothered about some of the features these cars offer.
Had the manufacturers given the Grand Vitara AWD in Sigma or Zeta trim, or the Hyryder AWD in 'J' or 'G' trim, I would have considered any of these. I was not ready to shell out Rs 20L for a car providing 103 Bhp and 137NM torque! If I let go of the AWD, at Rs 20L cars like Kushaq/Taigun 1.5 are available!
I checked out the petrol Thar. I loved the car.
But it was not a practical choice for me. The lack of rear doors made accessing the rear seats a cumbersome affair for elderly people. The boot space was surprisingly much less. The ride quality felt a bit bouncy.
Finally, after some quick math, I let it go.
With the current price of petrol, and considering the low mileage of the Thar, it turned out to be less economical & impractical for my purpose.
I was eyeing the Jimny for a long time. There was no immediate plan to get the Jimny. I casually took a few test drives and drove it off the road too. I liked the car, though, I was well aware of the shortcomings of the Jimny.
But I always felt paying 16L+ for the Jimny was not worth it. It felt overpriced by a couple of lac rupees.
In December 2023 when Maruti came up with a good discount, then it was no barrier for me to pick up the Jimny. I got a good deal for my Duster from Cars24 and I let the Duster go, and bring in the Jimny.
We bought the car from Machino Techno, BT Road, Kolkata. The deal they gave was fantastic and the lowest we could get in Kolkata.
The final OTR price was Rs 14.42L. This included the following-
However, the dealership experience was strictly subpar.
They promised me an OCT/NOV manufactured car, but when I did the PDI, it turned out to be manufactured in July. Overall the car passed all the parameters during the PDI, so I went ahead with the purchase.
A couple of pics from the PDI day-
I asked them to get the insurance from Tata AIG, Go Digit, or ICICI Lombard, and they agreed on that, but without my permission they got it done from Iffco Tokio. I had a bad experience with Iffco Tokio with my Ford Figo earlier, so I wanted to avoid it.
I asked them for a registration number which ends with an odd number. As my other car ends with an even number. So by any chance, if the odd/even rules come into the picture in West Bengal, I can have one car at my disposal anytime. They ended up giving me an even number.
The good part is, though I got an even number, the number looks fancy.
On the delivery day, the cleanup was shoddy and I could see a lot of swirl marks on the black paint.
A couple of pics from the delivery day-
Yes, if the number of people on board will be limited to 2-3. This car officially is a 4-seater.
If a kid is asked to draw a Jeep, the closest the kid will come up with will be looking very similar to the Jimny!
Personally, I love the boxy design of the Jimny. This design has that retro feel. The dimensions are ideal for any kind of usage.
I love keeping my cars stock, so I have not changed the stock grille to the Sierra grille. The chromes do look odd. But as of now, I have not thought of any modifications.
There is nothing to write about the side profile of this car. If asked about the proportions, I find the 5-door Jimny to be quite proportionate. It does not look like a forcefully stretched version of the 3 door Jimny.
I find the rear design to be cute! The Jimny may be the only SUV, on which one can use the term cute!
It has a ribbed roof for additional strength.
The underbelly lacks protection. People who are into regular/serious off-roading can get the aftermarket underbelly protection installed. There are a lot of options available aftermarket for Jimny.
The most vulnerable part while off-roading is the radial arm guards.
The sump, oil filter, and front radiator are securely placed. It is hard to damage other components like the transfer case, silencer box, differentials, etc, unless one is too careless or abusing the vehicle beyond the limit.
For regular touring in hills or bad roads, no underbelly protection is required.
The build quality seems to be better than the other Marutis. This car feels solid & well-built. The build quality of the Jimny can be compared to the S-Cross. The interior is well put together. The bonnet is heavy, the door closing sound is reassuring, and the boot door also feels heavy (that may be due to the spare wheel). Plus the boot door comes with a hydraulic strut, which ensures the door opens slowly on its own.
The overall build quality does not feel flimsy or light from any angle. But then again, it can't be compared with the Germans/Italians or our own desh ka Loha Tata & Mahindra!
The bonnet hood lacks an insulation material from the inside. The lid feels heavy to lift. I miss the hydraulic struts which was there in my previous Duster AWD.
The safety features provided by Maruti are- 3-point seatbelts (for both front & rear passengers), 6 airbags, BLD, ESP, ABS, EBD, HDC, hill-hold, ISOFIX child seat mounts, reversing camera, and rear parking sensors.
The HDC works only when the 4wd is engaged (10km/hr in 4H & 5 km/hr in 4L).
After giving all these, I have no idea why Maruti missed out on providing a TPMS for an off-road vehicle! Also giving an inclinometer & a 360-degree camera would have been a good addition!
The fit and finish are typical Japanese. The panel gaps are consistent all over.
From the initial days, the paint quality seems to be good, but it's too early to comment now. Let's see how the shine and the paint hold on for long-term usage.
The Jimny came with Bridgestone Dueller HL 195/80/R15 tires. The recommended tire pressure is 26 psi in all four tires, but when the car is fully loaded then it's recommended to fill 26 psi in front and 29 psi in the rear.
The Alpha came with all 5 alloy wheels. The alloys look good in a gun metal finish. I like the design and the look of the alloys.
Regarding the stock tires, all I can say is, that it's adequate for touring. For serious off-roading, it's better to upgrade. I have driven on slush, steep gravelly inclines in 2WD itself, and the tires never gave up. But they do not aid much confidence either!
On fast corners, the ESP kicks in a bit early, but maybe with a better tire, that will improve.
I will be happy if any company comes up with an AT tire with the stock size. I am not too keen to upgrade to a fatter tire on a 5.5J rim. The most common upgrade is the 215/75/R15, whereas 225/70/R15 is another good choice. I won't recommend anything beyond 225 on the stock rims. Anything beyond that must come with a new set of rims and a lift kit.
When I bought the car, everyone recommended I upgrade the tires. At that time the tyre shops were hardly giving something between Rs2000 to 3000 per stock tyre. The max I could get from the 5 tires was Rs15,000. So I was like, let's use the stock tires, and if I need to upgrade, the loss won't be much. Hence I kept the stock tyres and till now am okay with it. If anyone is not taking this car for regular OTRs the stock tires can be used.
To date, I have encountered a couple of punctures in this 7,500 km.
The jack mounting point to change a tire-
To mount on a hydraulic lift, the jacking point will be below the radial arm guard.
And when a single tire needs to be replaced the stock jack can also be mounted at the same place.
The ground clearance is 210 mm. Which is more than adequate for most of the situations. The approach angle is 36 degrees, the break-over angle is 24 degrees and the departure angle is a whopping 50 degrees. This makes the stock Jimny itself a go-anywhere vehicle!
At 2590 mm the wheelbase of the Jimny is longer than the Thar 3 door. But the 210 mm ground clearance managed to give this car a decent break-over angle.
The above specs are good enough to keep one safe during touring or some weekend off-roading. For serious off-roaders getting a lift kit is suggested!
Continue reading Samba's Maruti Jimny review for BHPian comments, insights and more information.
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BHPian Omkar recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
Here's what GTO had to say about the matter:
1st choice for me is the Mahindra Thar & I put my money where my mouth is. Love the 2-door Thar and the pleasure it brings.
Second choice from the current list would be the Scorpio-N 4x4. It's quite good off the road, while the SUV itself is very useable & family-friendly on-road.
Wouldn't buy the Gurkha as it doesn't have an AT. Wouldn't buy the Jimny as it's just not my kind of car. Too small, too slow.
Here's what BHPian buzzy_boy had to say about the matter:
I drive a 10-year-old Force Gurkha. The vehicle has clocked> 1L KMs.
The good thing about the Gurkha is that it gets plenty of attention. Many strangers walk up to me to talk about it. The three-door version, with its compact size, is city-friendly. You get great views all around. The vehicle feels like a tank to drive.
This is where the good things end. The actual driving experience is pretty average with a decidedly non-tractable engine, and non-existent NVH and dynamics. Plus, you get a fair share of niggles.
Overall, the Gurkha is not for the common person. So voted for the Scorpio N.
Here's what BHPian rakesh_r had to say about the matter:
Currently drive a 2022 Gurkha. As someone mentioned, it's an attention magnet, you feel like a VIP when it attracts attention from all, male, female, children or senior citizens. The Gurkha is something which is best to be kept as a secondary vehicle, although I know quite a few in my circle who use their Gurkha as their primary vehicle. Owing to its height, it's a difficult task to park it in underground parking, it's no mall crawler for sure. Most of the time I have to do some "Footwork" to check if my Gurkha would fit. Service centres are wafer-thin. Not all FM service centres cater to the Gurkha.
Despite all the shortcomings, I still like my car, the commanding road presence gives me a good view of the road ahead. Call me old skool, but I appreciate the fact that it doesn't have any complex gizmos, although I would have appreciated 6 airbags as standard. Mine despite being a BS6, doesn't require ADblu, which is the biggest advantage. In two years, didn't face any DPF clogging issue (Touchwood) as the truck does a mini regen on its own. I did face an issue with the NoX sensor, it was promptly taken care of by FM SVC though.
I did TD the Thar, and although I like the powertrain options, I felt the interiors to be a bit claustrophobic to my taste. Not speaking about the ride comfort as the same has been discussed in detail. Found the Scorpio N 4x4 to be apt for the purpose, so my vote goes for it.
At the same time, I test drove the new 5-Door Gurkha and would like to appreciate FM for updating the lineup. Although I didn't like the instrument cluster (the previous gen had a nice analog one), some of the updates like the inclusion of armrests, internally adjustable ORVMs, better cabin insulation etc have indeed made the Gurkha a bit more upmarket. The undercarriage looks clean. The control arms have been nicely tucked in. The older ones used to protrude, but at the same time were very abuse-friendly. Only time would say how the new ones would fare. Although the power has been bumped up, I wouldn't say it is mediocre, but the powerband is way too narrow, something similar to the Traveller. The steering definitely feels way better. The pedal travel is way less than its previous Iteration.
For peeps missing out on AT, FM is working on bringing out a Gurkha with an AT GB, probably by 2026.
Here's what BHPian Love4Cars had to say about the matter:
Voted for the Jimny till the 5-door Thar is launched. Out of the current 3 cars, only Jimny offers 5 doors practicality + Petrol AT (NCR).
Bought one in Dec 23 for my Dad, very happy with the purchase. It is our go-to car for crowded city places. The compact size is a blessing and it can be parked in tighter spaces.
Yet to take this mountain goat in its true zone.
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