Maruti Suzuki Jimny road test, review

The fourth-generation three-door Jimny is in high demand around the globe and buyers just can’t get enough of this charming, pint-sized SUV, not only for its serious off-road ability but also for its inexpensiveness. For India, however, Maruti followed a different approach and re-engineered the Jimny, since rear doors and more cabin space were deemed necessary to widen its appeal here. Expectedly, the five-door version is more practical and useable than the three-door sold internationally. It also fulfils the company’s export ambitions, because India is the sole producer of the five-door version, which will also be shipped to Latin American, ASEAN and some African markets.

The five-door Maruti Jimny gets a 105hp, 1.5-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine with either a 5-speed manual or a 4-speed automatic transmission, in four-wheel-drive guise only. With prices ranging between Rs 12.74 lakh-14.89 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi), it is at par with the Mahindra Thar 2WD and numerous other monocoque SUVs. Question is, does the Jimny strike a balance between being a hardy, recreational SUV and a comfy, practical family car? We put it through our instrumented tests to get an answer.