5-door Jimny unlocks more opportunities to explore the world and has relatively better street presence in comparison to entry-level hatchbacks and sedans
An international bestseller, Maruti Jimny is expected to be launched soon. While Jimny comes as a 5-door version in India, it is predominantly sold as a 3-door version in international markets. The 5-door version can target a larger customer base, comprising off-road enthusiasts as well as family-oriented buyers.
Bookings for Maruti Jimny are open for a token amount of Rs 25,000. Ahead of its launch, Jimny production spec has been spotted at a dealer yard, parked next to Maruti Suzuki Swift. Excluding all other variables that may impact decision making, it’s easy to see that most people would probably choose Jimny over a hatchback.
Jimny and Swift parked side by side
Jimny is longer, taller and has a longer wheelbase than Maruti Swift. Jimny is 3,985 mm long, 1,720 mm tall and has a wheelbase of 2,590 mm. In comparison, Swift is 3,845 mm long, 1530 mm tall and has a wheelbase of 2,450 mm. However, Swift is wider than Jimny by 90 mm.
Compared side-by-side, Jimny clearly has an edge in terms of street presence. It is not just the specs, but also the SUVs rugged profile. Jimny’s overall size has a clear advantage, so much so that Swift’s wider body is hardly noticeable. Exploring Desi channel has shared a detailed walkaround of new Jimny from the dealer yard.
Features like rugged front bumper, retro-styled round headlamps, chrome grille with vertical slats, boxy design and ground clearance of 210 mm create a more powerful impact in comparison to Swift. While both cars have R15 alloy wheels, Jimny uses larger sized tyres. Moreover, Jimny’s wide fenders add more muscle in comparison to Swift’s lean proportions.
Even though Jimny seems like a better package, there are areas where smaller cars like Swift can be advantageous. For example, Jimny finds it a bit challenging to accommodate 5 adults. Four passengers (2+2) are perfectly fine, but five people inside Jimny can create quite a bit of shoulder friction in rear seat. Hatchbacks like swift are relatively better in this context.
Swift is also likely to fare better in terms of fuel efficiency. It delivers 22.38 kmpl and 22.56 kmpl with manual and AGS transmission, respectively. Swift CNG variants are even better, with mileage of 30.90 km/kg. Fuel efficiency of Maruti Jimny is yet to be revealed.
Maruti Jimny performance
Powering Maruti Jimny will be the 1.5 litre K15B petrol motor. It churns out 105 PS of max power and 134.2 Nm of peak torque. Transmission choices include 5-speed manual and 4AT. Top-spec variants will have Suzuki’s AllGrip Pro drive system with low range transfer gear. Jimny has a departure angle of 50° and approach angle of 36°. Ramp breakover angle is 24°. These features should allow Jimny to tackle a wide variety of off-roading environments.
While Jimny is getting a lot of attention, Maruti is yet to reveal its price. With Mahindra Thar available at Rs 9.99 lakh, a more competitive price point can be expected for Jimny base-spec variants.
