India-bound long wheelbase Maruti Suzuki Jimny spied for the first time

Maruti Suzuki Jimny created a lot of hype when it was showcased at the Auto Expo 2020. Unfortunately, the manufacturer said that they do not have any current plans to launch the SUV in India. However, they did say that if the segment showed promise, then they might consider the Jimny for India. You can read the whole story by clicking here. Well, here is the larger version of the Jimny that has been spotted on test in Europe.

The SUV might make it to India considering the huge success that Mahindra’s Thar has shown. The spy shots show that it is not a 5-door Jimny about which there were rumours floating around earlier. Instead, it is a long-wheelbase version of the current Jimny. This means the SUV still gets two doors like the Thar but there should be enough space on offer that occupants on the rear bench could sit comfortably.

However, this also means that the rear occupants would first need to move the front seats forward and then climb towards the back of the SUV, which means the ingress and egress will not be easy for the rear occupants. The SUV will measure under four metres. There are two reasons for this. The first one being that the new version of Jimny would be able to take tax advantages from the Indian government. The second one will be that the long-wheelbase hampers the off-road abilities as the vehicle can get beached easily. So, it is important to have a wheelbase that can accommodate the rear seats but do not affect the off-road abilities much.

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From the spy shots, we can see the design of the SUV largely remains the same as the normal two-door Jimny that we all have seen. So, the overall design of the Jimny is still boxy with a steeply raked windshield and an upright tailgate. At the front, we get circular headlamps with a projector setup that is flanked by a grille with vertical slats. Below we get a rugged bumper with a mesh design air dam and halogen fog lamps.

The side profile consists of blacked-out five-spoke alloy wheels which are the same ones that we have seen on the two-door Jimny. One thing that you might notice is the larger rear window. This has been done because the stock window is too small and would have made the rear occupants feel claustrophobic. At the rear, we get the same horizontal tail lamps placed on the lower half of the bumper.  In the middle of the bumper, you get a number plate holder and the spare wheel is also mounted on the tailgate which opens sideways.

Powering the Jimny LWB will be the same 1.5-litre K-series naturally aspirated engine that we have seen on the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, XL6, Ertiga, Ciaz and the S-Cross. The engine produces 103 bhp of max power and a peak torque output of 138 Nm. It will come mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox or a 4-speed torque converter automatic gearbox that will transfer the power to all four wheels. If launched in India, the Jimny will compete against the Mahindra Thar and the upcoming Force Gurkha Facelift.

Via Motor1

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