Maruti Suzuki will launch the much-awaited Jimny off-roader in just about an year, 3 and 5 door options will be offered
After years of waiting and longing for an update, Maruti Suzuki has, at last, informed that the much awaited Jimny off-roader will hit our shores by mid 2023, that’s in just over an year. The wait could be worth it has the upcoming SUV will be tweaked as per Indian desires.
Owing to Maruti Suzuki Gypsy’s long Indian stint, especially its role in the Indian army, even today, Indian off-road enthusiasts simply love the SUV. The now discontinued Gypsy was very light with a simple low maintenance free-revving petrol engine.
Gypsy fans colloquially say there isn’t a place in India the SUV hasn’t left its foot mark. It was the champion in many prestigious off-road rally events like Raid De Himalaya, Desert Storm, and Rain Forest Challenge.
To say few more words about the Gypsy’s desirability, even after Maruti Suzuki discontinued it, the Indian army was so reluctant to let it go placing special orders for thousands of units then. The army is so well versed in the Gypsy that they can now disassemble and assemble the SUV in minutes.
Like how Gypsy was for India, the Jimny is for the world with same level of respect and praise for its off-road capabilities.
Coming to the launch, the pre-pilot tests of the Jimny will start by next month end in India while the pilot trial for the 5-door model will start in January 2023. In the first phase, the SUV will have about 70 percent localisation which the company is expecting to increase.
It must be noted that Maruti Suzuki has already started manufacturing the 3-door model for the export markets and so focus will be more on refining the 5-door model further for our conditions. The company is aiming 75,000 unit production for the first few years.
The biggest update, however, is the introduction of diesel engines. While the board members haven’t given their approval yet, the company is working on an diesel re-entry with the Jimny. As the 5-door model would be mostly a people mover, diesel mills would suit it better.
While launch will happen by mid-2023, the SUV might effectively hit the roads only in the first quarter of 2024. While it will get 3 and 5 door options, the latter will also get the option of choosing between 5 and 7 seaters, something like the Tata Harrier and Safari.
Coming to the specifications in the know, the upcoming 3-door Jimny will be under 4 metres in length.
While the standard engine could be the 1.5-litre K15 that currently powers many cars of the company like the Ertiga and the S-Cross, Maruti Suzuki might also plonk the K12 motor to further bring down the SUV’s base price.
The Jimny/Gypsy platform is so light that it can even take a small 1-litre NA engine. In fact, the SUV first came with a 1-litre heart. Built on a ladder frame frame, it gets a low range transfer box and a 3-link rigid axle suspension with Suzuki’s Allgrip Pro 4 wheel drive system.
