Maruti Suzuki wowed show goers at the 2018 Indian Auto Expo by displaying the 2 door Suzuki Jimny off roader. After gathering feedback from show goers, Maruti Suzuki seems convinced that the Jimny has a good chance at attracting enough buyers in India. While the India-spec Jimny will have five doors instead of three and will arrive in a couple of years, the automaker has already begun testing the 3 door international-spec Jimny on Indian roads. The version on the test is the top-end, off road oriented Sierra trim.
This is because Maruti Suzuki will build the 3 door Jimny off road SUV for export markets at its Gurgaon factory. Also, the 5 door version of the Jimny is likely to feature the same mechanicals as the 3 door model, and Maruti Suzuki could be testing these aggregates in the test mule. In the coming months, expect to see the 5 door version of the SUV hit the test circuit.
The Jimny sold in Japan gets two engine options: a 1 liter-3 cylinder turbocharged petrol and a 1.5 liter-4 cylinder naturally aspirated K-Series petrol. International markets get the bigger 1.5 liter petrol, and the same is likely to make it to the 5 door Jimny sold in India. This engine is already doing duty on a range of Maruti Suzuki cars – namely the Ciaz, Ertiga, XL6, S-Cross and the Vitara Brezza.
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On the Jimny, this engine makes 1o04 Bhp-138 Nm, and gets two gearbox options: a 5 speed manual and a 4 speed torque converter automatic. The engine drives the rear wheels of the Jimny in two wheel drive mode, and all four wheels in four wheel drive mode. In fact, the Jimny is the first car where this engine powers the rear wheels.
While the three door Jimny has space for four adults just like the 2020 Mahindra Thar LX trims, the 5 door version is expected to seat five adults in relative comfort, apart from hosting a big boot for luggage. Boot space is a concern in the three door model, and this is another reason why Maruti Suzuki plans to launch the 5 door version of the SUV in India, where practicality is highly sought after. When launched here, expect the Maruti Suzuki Jimny to command a price tag of about Rs. 10 lakh for the base variant. The SUV will be Maruti Suzuki’s Gypsy replacement for the civilian market. It remains to be seen whether Maruti Suzuki will sell the Jimny to Indian military and paramilitary forces, a sector where the Gypsy has been very popular.
