Maruti Jimny drives in at Rs 12.74 lakh

 PUNE: Maruti Suzuki, India’s biggest car maker, on Wednesday introduced the much-awaited Jimny SUV, with prices starting from Rs 12.74 lakh for the entry-level Zeta trim and going up to Rs 15.05 lakh for the top-end Alpha trim at pan India showroom.

Customers can also opt for the Jimny via Maruti's subscription programme for a monthly fee of Rs 33,550.

Significantly, the company has already received over 30,000 bookings and the deliveries will start from mid-June in a phased manner.

The Jimny joins a growing segment of lifestyle off-roaders in India, and although not a direct rival, it will see competition from the Mahindra Thar (Rs 10.54 lakh - Rs 16.77 lakh) and Force Gurkha (Rs 15.10 lakh) for its price and positioning.

The off-roader Maruti Jimny is based on a rugged body-on-frame design. The car offers a ground clearance of 210 mm.

In terms of design, the Jimny 5-door looks like a stretched version of the 3-door Jimny. It has short front and rear overhangs with approach and departure angles of 36 degrees and 47 degrees, respectively.

The Jimny comes with a 3-spoke steering wheel and a conventional twin-pod analogue instrument cluster. The centre console houses a 9-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity.

The Jimny is powered by a 1.5-litre K-series petrol engine which comes with Idle Start-Stop technology. The engine develops 105 HP and 134 Nm of torque and is mated with either a 5-speed manual or a 4-speed automatic.

Maruti claims a fuel efficiency of 16.94 km/l for the 5-speed manual version and 16.39 km/l for the 4-speed automatic version.

The Jimny is equipped with a 3-link rigid axle suspension.

As far as off-road gear is concerned, the Jimny gets Suzuki’s AllGrip Pro 4WD system with a manual transfer case and low-range gearbox with ‘2WD-high’, ‘4WD-high’ and ‘4WD-low’ modes.

The Jimny is equipped with 6 airbags, ABS with EBD and Brake Assist, ESP, Brake Limited Slip Differential, Hill Hold Control, Hill Descent Control, ISOFIX, and Rear View Camera.