It does look a bit like the G-wagonShot by Abhishek Benny for evo India

Maruti Suzuki Jimny launched, prices start from Rs 12.74 lakh

Jimny comes as a spiritual successor to the Gypsy and is in direct competition with the Mahindra Thar and the Force Gurkha

Maruti Suzuki has launched the Jimny 5-door, with a starting price tag of Rs 12.74 lakh. It comes in two variants namely Zeta and Alpha and the prices go all the way up to Rs 15.05 lakh (ex-showroom). Launched first in 1970, the Jimny is right now in its fourth generation and comes to India in its 5-door version.

Maruti Suzuki Jimny exterior

At first glance, you would notice the boxy design of the Jimny. Proportions-wise, it's a bit like the Gurkha, but unlike it, the Jimny comes in a 5-door variant only. The front sports a 5-slit chrome grille between the round headlamps. One neat feature that other off-roaders in this class miss out on is the headlight washers. Below that you will find a blacked-out bumper with inbuilt fog lamps and an air intake. The bumper is angled at the sides to improve offroad abilities and comes with an approach angle of 36 degrees. The side continues the boxy design with black wheel arches. There are both alloy and steel rim options and both of them come in 15-inch sizes with 195-section tyres. The back also gets a blacked-out bumper and here you get a departure angle of 47 degrees.

The Maruti Suzuki Jimny comes in six different coloursShot by Abhishek Benny for evo India

Maruti Suzuki Jimny interior

The Jimny is meant to conquer all kinds of terrain and that’s why you get an upright A-pillar and a flat hood to increase visibility. The instrument cluster is reminiscent of the Gypsy with two analogue dials housed in separate squared-off blocks with a small digital screen in between. Other bits in the interior are also similar to other Maruti cars and the Jimny gets the steering wheel and the 9-inch infotainment system from the Grand Vitara with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. You get a reverse parking camera and a four-speaker system. But on the lower Zeta variant, you get a 7-inch touchscreen system. The material used inside is hard plastic so you don’t have to worry about it getting damaged and you can just wipe it off once it gets muddy. The front power window switches are fitted in the centre console which also has the 4x4 lever. The boot space is 219 litres and if you fold the rear seats, it increases to 332 litres.

The interior will remind you of other Maruti carsShot by Abhishek Benny for evo India

Maruti Suzuki Jimny powertrain and chassis

You get Maruti’s 1.5-litre K15B 4-cylinder engine producing 103bhp and 134Nm of torque. Maruti offers both variants with a 5-speed manual and a 4-speed automatic transmission option. Maruti claims a mileage of 16.94km/l with the manual and 16.39km/l with the automatic. The Jimny gets the AllGrip Pro drive system with a low-range transfer case and an LSD to transfer power.

Jimny is just under four metres in length and comes with a ground clearance of 210mm sitting on a ladder frame chassis. As for the brakes, you get disc brakes in the front and a drum brake system in the rear. Maruti has also fitted the Jimny with features like hill-descent assist and hill-hold control along with an LSD.

With the rear seats folded, you get a total boot space of 332 litresShot by Abhishek Benny for evo India

Maruti Suzuki Jimny price and rivals

Prices for the Jimny start at Rs 12.74 lakh for the Zeta MT variant and go up to Rs 15.05 lakh if you choose the Alpha AT dual-tone variant. The Jimny comes as direct competition to the Mahindra Thar and Force Gurkha. Prices for the 4WD Thar start from Rs 13.87 lakh and the Gurkha costs Rs 15.1 lakh (ex-showroom). It's important to note that the Thar also offers an RWD variant, prices for which start from Rs 10.54 lakh.