The Suzuki Jimny is an iconic off-roader that is sold in around 200 countries across the world. But when it came to launching this SUV in India, Maruti Suzuki had to do something different. So the brand decided to present the SUV in a never-before-seen 5-door avatar, as everywhere else the car is sold with just 3 doors. The Jimny is now launched in the Indian market with a 4-wheel drive system as standard, making it the most affordable off-roader in our market.
Design
The 5-door Jimny takes forward Nexa’s Crafted Futurism design philosophy. It gets a body-on-frame design along with squared body proportions, which give the driver better visibility of the surroundings, especially on treacherous topography. Upright A-pillars, a flat clamshell bonnet, and LED projector headlamps with washers are some of the exterior highlights of the SUV. The iconic 5-slat girl is there too, while the bumpers with angled edges promise better clearance for agile manoeuvring. The Jimny gets seven colour options, including two dual-tone schemes. You can also choose from two accessory packages to give the car a more exclusive look. The Summit Seeker and Adventure Lifestyle collections are designed for both better aesthetics and to enhance off-roading adventures.
Interiors
The cabin of the Jimny gets a minimalistic design, which, according to Maruti, is to avoid distractions so that the driver stays focused. The dashboard and centre console have been designed to maximise the driver’s awareness of the angle of the car on undulating surfaces. Sections of the interior have a pattern resembling the body of a high-grade single-lens reflex camera. The 9-inch SmartPlay Pro+ touchscreen system offers wireless connectivity with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. You also get a premium sound system by “ARKAMYS” in the car. What is unique is the instrument cluster, which reminds me of the iconic Gipsy. The SUV is strictly a 4-seater, which means only two passengers can sit in the second row.
Engine
The Jimny runs on the proven 1.5-litre K-series gasoline engine with idle start-stop technology. It makes 104 bhp along with 134 Nm of peak torque. Maruti says you get optimised torque delivery and specially tuned 5-speed manual and 4-speed automatic transmission options. The claimed fuel efficiency is 16.94 kmpl for the manual and a little lower at 16.39 kmpl for the automatic. The SUV gets a 3-link rigid axle suspension along with a Suzuki ALLGRIP PRO 4WD system. It comes with a low-range transfer gear (4L mode) to ensure extreme off-road ability. Shifting from 2H two-wheel drive to 4H four-wheel drive on the fly helps when the road gets tough.
Safety
The Jimny gets six airbags as standard: anti-lock braking system (ABS), electronic brakeforce distribution (EBD), brake assist function, electronic stability programme (ESP), brake limited slip differential, hill hold control, hill descent control, side-impact door beams, 3-point emergency locking retractor seatbelts, ISOFIX child seat anchorages, seatbelt pretensioner, and a rear view camera. It is built on Suzuki’s renowned Total Effective Control Technology (TECT) platform and promises to provide superior safety performance.
Prices
The Jimny has been launched in two variants, and prices begin at Rs. 12.74 lakh and go up to Rs. 15.05 lakh, ex-showroom, for the top dual-tone automatic. This off-road SUV can also be owned via Maruti Suzuki Subscribe at an all-inclusive monthly subscription fee starting from Rs. 33,550.
Occupant Safety by Global NCAP.
The SUV ranges from Rs. 6.50 lakh to Rs. 11.23 lakh, ex-showroom and in all you can choose from 15 different versions.
The author is a Senior Editor at carandbike.com.