The Indian car market currently has a very high demand for SUVs. Almost every car manufacturing company in India is adding new SUVs to its portfolio to maximize sales. Lifestyle offroad SUVs are also a part of this demand. Noticing this, the largest car manufacturing company in India, Maruti Suzuki introduced its lifestyle off-road SUV “Jimny” at Auto Expo 2023. Maruti will launch the Maruti Suzuki Jimny 5 door first in India to take the first come advantage. In the Global market, a 3-door version of Jimny is also offered but its launch in India is not confirmed yet. Currently, this segment in India is ruled by Mahindra Thar. Thar has so many bookings that you will have to wait for almost a year to get the delivery. Mahindra is also soon going to launch the 5-Door version of Thar which will give tough competition to the Jimny 5-Door.
The Jimny is a lifestyle offroad SUV which means it has more capabilities than a normal car – it has higher ground clearance, a 4X4 system, and a rugged exterior and interior. The design of the 5-Door Jimny is just like the 3-Door variant, it has the same 5 rectangle grille with the Suzuki logo in the middle, the same squarish bonnet, and a boxy body. On the side profile, you get thick body cladding, old fashion lift-up door handles, and new alloy wheels. From the side, you will also notice the long-wheelbase and extra door which the 3-Door version didn’t have. The rear profile is flat and it holds the spare tire. A rear-hanging spare tire is the identity of the lifestyle off-road SUVs.
The interior of the Jimny gets a black finish with brushed silver here and there. All the interior parts are made of rugged materials and the interior design will never get old for the eyes. The rear seats look comfortable and spacious but they are not suitable for 3 adults. The Jimny gets a 9-inch touchscreen infotainment system with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, an analog instrument cluster with small vertical colored MID in the center, USB and 12V sockets, traction control, hill-descent control, and a 4X4 low-range transfer case. The Jimny only lacks rear AC vents and a rear armrest.
The Maruti Jimny price is not yet revealed by the company but we expect it to be around Rs. 10 – Rs.12.70 lakh (Ex-showroom) in India. The 5-Door Jimny will be offered with both manual and automatic transmissions. It was introduced in India at Auto Expo 2023 and its launch is expected in May 2023. The Jimny will replace the iconic Maruti Jeep, which was discontinued long ago for civilians. Jimny bookings are already open and it’s getting a great response in the Indian car market. It doesn’t have any such rivals but the soon-coming 5-Door Mahindra Thar will give it tough competition.
