Bookings for Maruti Jimny have crossed the 5k mark – Waiting period is rising everyday, with increase in booking nos
Once considered a dead segment, lifestyle off-roaders are back in demand. Popularised by Mahindra Thar in 2020, lifestyle off-roaders are now a mainstream offering too, thanks to Maruti Suzuki which will soon launch 5-door version of Jimny in India.
Jimny goes toe to toe with Mahindra Thar. It has to be mentioned that Thar is still in its 3-door guise. Mahindra is working on launching the Thar 5-door model, but that is expected to launch later this year or next year. Meanwhile, the 5-door Jimny was unveiled at the 2023 Auto Expo. Official bookings have opened, while launch is expected by May 2023.
Maruti Suzuki Jimny Testing Continues
Though already unveiled, testing seems to be not complete. New spy shots of the Maruti Jimny 5 door with red registration number plates have leaked online. These are the first undisguised spy shots of the Maruti Jimny 5 door after the Auto Expo debut.
Also to be noted here is that this is the Zeta AT variant. The one showcased at the Auto Expo was the top variant, Alpha. Maruti will be offering Jimny in only two variants – Zeta and Alpha. Both will be offered in manual as well as automatic gearbox option. AWD will be standard on all variants.
Maruti Jimny Zeta variant misses out on some features, which will be on offer with top of the line Alpha variant. It will get steel wheels, instead of alloys. It will not get body coloured door handles. Other misses include auto headlamp, headlamp washer, LED headlamp, fog lamps, retractable electric ORVMs, start / stop button, cruise control, leather wrapped steering wheel, automatic climate control, larger 9 inch touchscreen with surround sound. Instead, it gets a 7 inch touchscreen and 4 speakers.
Though an off-roader, in many aspects Jimny comes off as a purposeful everyday car. That said, it is a lot more feature-loaded than rival Thar. With 50 years of Gypsy and Jimny heritage to bank on, 5-door Jimny gets a ladder-frame chassis along with a 4X4 transfer case. Dubbed as AllGrip Pro, it has low-range gear to crawl out of sticky situations.
Engine Specs
The 1.5L NA 4-cylinder engine makes 104.8 PS and 134.2 Nm of torque. This engine is mated to either a 5-speed manual or a 4-speed torque converter that is the only chink in Jimny’s armour. Maruti Suzuki should have provided a modern 6-speed AT unit that is offered with Ertiga, XL6, Brezza and the likes.
Jimny gets skinny 195-section tyres. These do not look proportionate to the size of the SUV. A 215-section tyre would give the Jimny a lot more muscular stance. With Thar’s prices now starting at Rs. 9.99 lakh for 1.5L diesel with RWD, Jimny’s prices are likely to be around the Rs. 10 lakh mark (all prices ex-sh).
