Why Maruti Suzuki Jimny is perfect for urban commutes
What's the story
Maruti Suzuki introduced the capable Jimny five-door model in India in June, with the objective of allowing customers to tackle off-road conditions.
However, it is not possible to go on such adventures on an everyday basis. This means the capable lifestyle SUV has to tackle the urban jungle for daily commutes.
Is the rugged four-wheel-drive offering right for such mundane activities? Let's find out.
Context
Why does this story matter?
First introduced in the 1970s, the Jimny became an icon in the offroading community. The car made its way into India as the Maruti Suzuki Gypsy in the 1980s.
It gained popularity due to its compact dimensions and go-anywhere ability, along with a reliable inline-four engine.
To continue the legacy, the carmaker brought the model back in its fourth-generation avatar with the Jimny moniker.
Design
Jimny's appealing design exudes road presence in the urban environment
Maruti Suzuki Jimny has a boxy silhouette and a typical upright SUV stance.
It features a clamshell bonnet, round LED headlamps with washers, squared wheel arches with black cladding, and rugged alloy wheels with all-terrain tires.
With such offroad-focused design elements, the lifestyle SUV exudes immense road presence in the urban environment, which is generally filled with hatchbacks and compact sedans.
Information
With compact dimensions, SUV is more maneuverable
The Jimny has a length of 3,985mm, a width of 1,645mm, a height of 1,720mm, and a wheelbase of 2,590mm. With a ground clearance of 210mm, up to 1,210kg kerb weight, and overall compact dimensions, the SUV can tackle the city streets with relative ease.
Practicality
Car focuses on function over form
To tackle tough terrains, Maruti Suzuki has focused more on the function aspect of the Jimny over form.
It has a ladder-frame chassis and super short overhangs, enabling a 36-degree approach angle, a 50-degree departure angle, and a 24-degree ramp-over angle.
With rugged black cladding all around, customers don't have to worry about scratching bumpers or sides of the SUV while tackling narrow lanes.
Information
Equipped with legendary 'AllGrip' four-wheel-drive system
To make it easy for the Jimny to manage power on slippery surfaces, Maruti Suzuki has equipped the SUV with the legendary AllGrip four-wheel-drive system. It also gets electronic limited-slip differentials on both axles to avoid unnecessary wheel spin.
Performance
It draws power from 1.5-liter, K-series engine
Powering the Maruti Suzuki Jimny is a tried-and-tested 1.5-liter, K-series, inline-four petrol engine (codenamed K15B).
Unlike the K15C used in the Vitara Brezza, the unit on the rugged SUV develops 103hp of maximum power and 134Nm of peak torque.
The mill is mated to either a five-speed manual or a four-speed automatic gearbox to deliver power to the wheels in a smooth manner.