Maruti Suzuki has announced that marketing plans for the Jimny 4X4 are being firmed up ahead of the SUV’s launch in early 2023. Meanwhile, a Suzuki Jimny 4X4 has been spotted on Mumbai roads. Don’t get too excited though, for the Jimny spotted in Mumbai is a private import from Dubai, a country where the SUV is already on sale.
Images courtesy CarCrazyIndia
The Jimny that’ll be sold in India will get a right hand drive dashboard layout, and will be built in one of the many factories that Maruti Suzuki operates here. Notably, a long wheelbase version of the Jimny has been spotted testing abroad. It remains to be seen if Maruti Suzuki brings in a long wheelbase, 5 door version or chooses to stick to the 3 door, short wheelbase model. In India, the Jimny is expected to be sold as a Gypsy replacement.
Mechanically, the India-spec Jimny is expected to use the 1.5 liter-4 cylinder K15C petrol motor, paired to either a 5 speed manual or a 4 speed torque converter automatic gearbox option. A four wheel drive transfer case is likely to be standard fare. In India, the Jimny will square off against the Mahindra Thar – available with turbo petrol and turbo diesel engines – and the Force Gurkha – sold with a turbo diesel engine.
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The Jimny is one size smaller than both the Gurkha and Thar, and is expected to be priced quite competitively. While the Gypsy – despite the very limited volumes it used to sell in – was priced at about Rs. 6 lakh before discontinuation, the Jimny is likely to sit nearer to the Rs. 10 lakh mark. The Jimny is a few generations ahead of the Gypsy in nearly every aspect, and the price premium should reflect that.
The Jimny – like the Gypsy – will sit on a ladder frame chassis that should give it excellent rough road and off-road performance. The short wheelbase, light weight, and four wheel drive layout with low and high ranges should make it a ‘mountain goat’, just like the Gypsy. Where the Jimny will be different though is in terms of the on-road comfort, creature comforts and safety features it offers over the Gypsy.
Six airbags (thanks to the latest Government mandate), ABS+EBD, ESP, hill-hold and hill-descent control are the various safety features that the India-spec Jimny is likely to pack in. Independent suspension on all four wheels as opposed to the leaf springs on the Gypsy will make the Jimny a lot more usable as an everyday car. A touchscreen infotainment unit with Bluetooth connectivity, satellite navigation, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay will make the new 4X4 SUV a compelling daily drive.
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