Maruti Jimny First Drive Review - Off-Road, City & Highway Drive

Note: If you prefer watching the review in Hindi instead of reading it in English, then you can play the following video:

Can Maruti Jimny Be Your Main Car? | First Drive Review | May 2023

Maruti Suzuki Nexa Jimny - City Commute

We drove the Jimny around the Dehradun area, mainly on single lane mountain roads. The first thing that strikes me after sitting in this car is that its driving position is quite confidence-inspiring. Speaking about the frontal view, I can clearly see the bonnet from here, which makes it easy to predict its extremes. Despite its compact dimensions, it gives you the impression of a commanding driving position.

The side view is also clear due to the lower front windowline, and despite the boot-mounted spare tyre, the rear windscreen provides acceptable visibility. The outside rearview mirrors are wide, so the overall outside view is good, making it easy to drive around in the city with easy visibility.

Speaking of the ease of driving, I have to mention that the steering wheel is a bit heavy at both slow city speeds and while parking.

The Jimny's engine produces a maximum power of 105PS and a peak torque of 134Nm. It gets a 5-speed manual transmission or the older 4-speed torque converter automatic. It also has a drivetrain mode selector lever, which includes options for 2H (2-wheel drive High), 4H (4-wheel drive High), and 4L (4-wheel-drive low ratio). For driving on normal roads with no need for 4-wheel drive, the mode to use is 2H.

We drove it with the automatic transmission, and while doing speeds of around 50kmph, the engine was spinning at 1500rpm. Driving it at relaxed city speeds, I found the gear shifts smooth, and the powertrain feels tractable. However, if you try to accelerate quickly, you will feel that this engine lacks outright performance.

Despite running on a ladder frame platform, we didn't find any major drawbacks while using it for city driving. It feels relatively composed at these speeds and doesn't pitch excessively when braking hard. Within the city, it handles bad roads very well and feels reasonably cushioned and soft. While driving it, you wouldn't complain about rough roads either.

However, we feel that if the seats were more supportive, the drive would be more comfortable. Currently, the underthigh support and lower cushion of the seat are a bit lacking, and I think they should have been more generous.

For general use, we found the bottle holders and phone storage to be insufficient. The doors only have storage for files or papers, and you can place your phone in front of the gear lever in the centre console. There are 2 more cupholders towards the rear.

From a driver's perspective, notable features are:

• Vanity mirror
• Tilt-adjustable steering wheel
• Auto AC
• Power windows
• Touchscreen with wireless smartphone connectivity
• Steering-mounted controls
• Cruise control
• Auto headlamps
• Power mirrors with power

Considering its estimated price, we believe it should have had features like a height-adjustable driver seat, auto-dimming inside mirror and telescopic steering adjustment. We briefly used its audio system, and we are satisfied with the output as it does its job alright.

Overall, we think the Jimny is a comfortable city car if you're okay with a slightly heavier steering setup. Due to its small size and generous cladding, you will feel confident moving around your city, even in narrow lanes. Now, let's see if it is also comfortable for your family or not.

Maruti Suzuki Nexa Jimny - Family Ride

Whether you sit in the front seat or the rear seat, you will have to climb a little into the car. It's not so high that you need a side step or grab handle, so it is practical in that way.

Now let's talk mainly about the rear seat because we have already seen that the front row is relatively comfortable for city commutes.

Adjusting the front seat according to a 5-feet 8-inch driver, I have enough knee space here, and there is also space to keep my feet under the front seat. Talking about the space on offer here, there is more than adequate headroom for me because the roof is almost horizontal. This is a great advantage for people who are tall or wear a turban. But the question is whether you should spend more time here or not?

Before I discuss the comfort here, I want to clarify that this car is a 4-seater, so legally only 2 passengers can sit in the second row. The rear seat is of the bench type, and in terms of width, two people can easily sit here. While on the move, we spent some time in the rear seat, and we feel that the underthigh support is a bit lacking. This seat has a 2-step recline, and in the most relaxed position, the seat back angle is comfortable. There are adjustable headrests for rear passengers, and there are power window switches on the doors as well as on the front centre console. Sitting in the rear seat, the cabin doesn't feel very spacious, although the view out is good from here.

For rear passengers, especially those who are not very tall, the seat will be comfortable at city speeds, but for long distances, the support is lacking and the ride may feel bouncy. From the perspective of passengers, we felt that the door pockets, rear centre armrest and rear AC vents are the two main missing features.

Now there's one more important point worth discussing, and we believe that it will be a point on which every family member will have an opinion - the LOOKS.

On a personal note, if I see someone driving a Jimny, I would think that it is their secondary car, and they must have bought the Jimny because they want their car to stand out, and they have the money to do that.

In terms of its exterior design, the most notable elements are:

• Front grille
• Round headlamps
• Headlamp washers
• Black rugged bumpers
• Thick cladding
• Tires with large sidewalls
• Wheels on the extreme ends
• Boot-mounted spare tire
• Tail lamps integrated into the bumper

What are your thoughts on the design of your Jimny? Let us know in the comments section. If you want to see a detailed exterior or interior walkaround of the Jimny, a video is already live on V3Cars, and the link is in the description. Now we will take this car on the highway.

Maruti Jimny 4WD Petrol - Highway Drive

It is possible to use the Jimny as a daily commuter. Let's say you have a nuclear family that has also approved of the Jimny. Now, the biggest question is whether you will be able to comfortably travel long distances in it, even if it's only occasionally. This is a very unusual question for a car that will cost well above Rs. 15.0 lakh on-road. Because, from pretty much any car in this price range, we expect good highway driving manners and comfort.

This question is important because the Jimny has a ladder frame platform and it comes with a 4-speed automatic transmission. On paper, it is not a very promising combination for highway runs.

While driving it at 100kmph, the engine was revving at 3000rpm, which is fine because it is not noisy, and the NVH levels are well contained. However, as soon as you press the accelerator for a quick change of pace, the powertrain feels underpowered and the engine seems stressed.

So it is easy to cruise at a relaxed pace but not for enthusiastic driving. At higher speeds, you can feel body roll even while cruising and it doesn't feel composed over expansion joints or road undulations. As a result, you won't feel very confident at high speeds.

It is worth noting that the Jimny has a boot space of 219 litres, which can accommodate weekend luggage for four people. Having driven the Jimny in the city, on the highway, and considering various use cases, let's sum up this review and see how good of a prospect the Jimny is for any car buyer.

Maruti Suzuki Jimny - Verdict And Buying Recommendation

When we first saw the Jimny, we thought it could potentially replace conventional B2-segment SUVs. We knew there would be some compromises, as it is a 4-seater and more expensive because it has 4-wheel drivetrain.

After driving this car, we realised that apart from being a fairly capable off-roader, it is also usable as a city car. However, we found it uncomfortable for highway use, even for occasional road trips. So, if you are considering the Jimny, we recommend buying it for recreational purpose with personal city commuting.

Here’s a look at the ex-showroom prices we are expecting for the 2023 Nexa Jimny:

To learn how we arrived at these numbers, you can visit our expected price article, which explains the logic behind these calculations:

Maruti Nexa Jimny Expected Price Calculation (Variant-wise) - With Logic