The much, much-awaited five-door Maruti Suzuki Jimny is yet again spotted testing in India, this time in the Leh region of Ladakh Union Territory, along with the Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara and the Mahindra Thar. Although unconfirmed, we believe that Maruti Suzuki India will showcase the five-door Maruti Suzuki Jimny at the upcoming Auto Expo 2023, with a possible launch later next year. It was back in 2019 when Siddharth first broke the news of the Maruti Suzuki Jimny coming to India but as a rebadged Gypsy, which we believe could still be the case.
Also Read: Exclusive: Maruti Suzuki To Bring The Jimny Mini SUV To India; Likely To Be Rebadged As Gypsy
The five-door Maruti Suzuki Jimny will be based on the same platform, and will share powertrain, transmission, and components with the global Jimny Sierra, but will be more significant. In proportions. The new Maruti Suzuki Jimny will be sold through the NEXA retail channel and will have a premium positioning, to help separate it from sibling Maruti Suzuki Brezza, which continues to sell through the Maruti Suzuki Arena retail channel.
With the five-door Maruti Suzuki Jimny, the company will look to take on the compact SUV segment, by offering two distinct options to buyers. The larger, practical, and roomy new Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara will be at the higher end, which would also work as a chauffeured ride. And the option for those seeking a sporty, individual choice will be the Jimny. The car will carry a relatively high local content, so expect pricing to be relatively aggressive - higher than the Brezza, but likely lower than and at par with the Grand Vitara depending on the variant in question.
Also Read: Five-Door Variant Of Suzuki Jimny Spotted Testing In Europe; Here’s What We Know So Far
The Maruti Suzuki Jimny will target two segments of buyers - the hardcore off-roader (with a soft-top 4WD variant) and the urban user (with optional 4WD and a 5-door hard top). Globally the car sports the AllGrip Pro part-time 4WD system with a low-range transfer gear as standard. The new Maruti Suzuki Jimny will also use the same 1.5-litre K15C Dualjet petrol engine that goes in the Grand Vitara and Brezza.
The new car will offer a 5-speed manual transmission as standard, with the option of a torque converter automatic on a few top-end variants. The automatic is the same gearbox we see on the Maruti Suzuki Brezza too. The company may also introduce the Jimny in India with the SHVS or mild hybrid system as standard - though this remains unconfirmed.
Photo credit: Instagram/indiancarfundamentals
