Upon its launch, Maruti Jimny will rival the likes of other compact off-roading SUVs such as Mahindra Thar and Force Gurkha
Maruti Suzuki hasn’t had a new vehicle launched in its portfolio for more than two years now. The last launch from them was of the S-Press back in Oct 2019. The next big launch is expected to be the new generation Celerio which has most likely been deferred to early next year. Despite being away from major headlines, the Indo-Japanese carmaker has been quietly working on its new range of products.
This includes the 5-door version of Jimny which has already formed a cult following way ahead of its launch in the country. Last week, Maruti Suzuki shared a new teaser via their official Nexa social media handles. The short teaser video shows a trail on a sand dune with the question “Guess Who Was Here?” inscribed.
Maruti Jimny Not Teased
The teaser showed photo of tyre marks made on sand dunes, beach and even on snow. As of now, Maruti doesn’t have a vehicle in its lineup which is capable of bashing sand dunes, hence, it was implied that the teaser points towards the carmaker’s upcoming off-roading SUV Jimny.
Speculations regarding Jimny’s launch in India have been doing the rounds ever since the fourth generation model of the compact off-roader made its global debut in 2018. But that is not the case. Maruti has shared new teaser, which confirms that they were not talking about the Jimny. What they were implying in the teaser, was about the S-Cross.
Around this time, Maruti also discontinued the much-revered Gypsy from its lineup since it did not get updated to new emission norms or with the latest safety norms. Jimny first premiered in India at the last edition of Auto Expo held in Greater Noida and the SUV managed to escalate interest of the audience present.
Earlier this year, production of Jimny for international markets such as Africa, Middle East and South America started in India. All this, along with the teaser caption, made most believe that it was infact the Jimny that was teased by Maruti Suzuki India. But that is not the case. The wait for Jimny continues.
Jimny- 3-door or 5-door?
The three-door international-spec Jimny is currently assembled at Maruti’s Gurugram facility and had also been spotted testing on Indian roads on multiple occasions previously. The three-door version of Jimny was earlier completely ruled out by Maruti’s list of prospective models since it didn’t cater to the needs of masses.
However, reports have indicated that folks at Maruti are re-looking into their strategy after seeing the huge orders and long waiting periods for the second generation Mahindra Thar which is also a three-door lifestyle off-roader. That said, Maruti will still focus on developing the 5-door Jimny as both its immediate rivals- Thar and the new Force Gurka will be offered in a 5-door version as well at a later stage.
Expected Dimensions & Engine Specs
A few months ago, dimensions of the 5-door Jimny were leaked online. The SUV is expected to measure 3,850mm long, 1645mm wide and 1730mm tall while it is expected to offer a wheelbase of 2550mm. Ground clearance is expected to remain same as 3 door version.
Powering Jimny will be a 1.5-litre K15B naturally aspirated petrol engine that produces 104 bhp and 138 Nm of peak torque. This unit will be paired with either a 5-speed manual gearbox or a 4-speed automatic transmission. It will also be offered with Suzuki’s ALLGRIP 4WD technology which sends power to all four wheels via a low-range transfer case.
