Maruti Suzuki Jimny road test, review

    How does Maruti’s characterful and tough off-roader perform in our exhaustive road test? Read on to find out.

    Published on Sep 23, 2023 10:00:00 AM

    23,339 Views

    Maruti Suzuki Jimny

    The Jimny’s ladder-frame construction gives it serious off-road prowess, and when you judge it in the light of its natural rival – Mahindra Thar – the Jimny’s suspension impresses with its pliancy, its bump absorption capability and its road-holding manners. Equally admirable is its robust construction, which feels like it can take a repeated beating and it remains unfazed over the toughest of terrains. You wouldn’t think twice before taking  it off-the-beaten track, or attacking pothole-stricken roads without slowing down.

    Compare its ride to monocoque compact SUVs, and the Jimny’s feels a bit unsophisticated, with some rocking movements over less-than-perfect roads. On account of its boxy, slab-sided design, crosswinds also tend to hamper its highway manners; each time a larger vehicle passes by, you’d experience a gush of wind, which could unsettle the car. And when pushing the car around a series of bends, it rolls a fair bit and understeers due to its skinny front-end; enthusiastic drivers will be left yearning for tighter body control. What also dampens the drive experience is steering, which needs a fair bit of input to persuade it to change direction. On the highway, it has a slack in the dead-centre position where it feels a touch lifeless. And it isn’t user-friendly in urban conditions either. Uniquely, it uses a recirculating ball-type electric power steering, which also happens to be tuned for off-roading rather than road use. As a result, it is slow geared and requires four turns lock-to-lock, has a huge turning radius, and what further dampens the experience is that it is heavy to twirl around too.

    This off-roader could also serve as your daily driver.

    In off-road applications, however, the slow-geared steering shows merit, and Maruti has also added additional steering dampers, so it doesn’t kickback aggressively like many other off-roaders. The Jimny gets Suzuki’s AllGrip Pro four-wheel-drive system, and unlike the Grand Vitara’s AllGrip Select  system, it doesn’t get selectable drive modes (Auto, Snow, Sand and Lock) but gets a manual lever to choose between 2H (2WD) and 4H (4WD). It also gets 4L or 4-low range gear, which is handy to conquer challenging terrain. Combine that with solid front and rear axles, its mere 1,200kg kerb weight and electric wizardries like hill-start assist, hill-descent control, ESP and electronic brake locking differential (front and rear), the Jimny has a mountain goat-like ability to trundle through the rough. What’s equally commendable is that it hauled itself up rock-covered steep inclines, waded through water, leaned at unimaginable angles and pulled itself out of sticky situations, without batting an eyelid. This, while driving on stock highway all-season (mud+snow) tyres, which seem more than capable at their job.

     

    Copyright (c) Autocar India. All rights reserved.

    Comments
    ×
    img
    img
    Navneet Kumar - 234 days ago

    loved the DATA LOG , great addition for full car / bike review.

    Ask Autocar Anything about Car and Bike Buying and Maintenance Advices
    Need an expert opinion on your car and bike related queries?
    Ask Now
    Search By Car Price
    Poll of the month

    At Rs 1.85 lakh, the Bajaj Pulsar NS400Z is the most affordable 40hp bike in India. Would you pick it over similarly priced bikes with less power and features?

    Yes, 40hp at this price is unheard of!

     

    48.08%

    No, it's a decade-old bike in a revamped suit.

     

    22.43%

    Great value but doesn't look unique enough.

     

    29.49%

    Total Votes : 807
    Sign up for our newsletter

    Get all the latest updates from the automobile universe