My previous vehicles have included a Grand Vitara 2.0, Polo GT TSI and currently a Mitsubishi Outlander.
BHPian prateekswarup recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
I’ve almost completed 6k in my Jimny MT Alpha White. Hence, I thought it was a good time to write in a mini-review of the same.
My previous vehicles have included a Grand Vitara 2.0, Polo GT TSI and currently a Mitsubishi Outlander.
Prologue
I have followed the Jimny launch with keen interest but did not bite the bullet once the prices were announced. However, with the Thunder Edition and yearly discounts, I finally took the plunge and bought one on 24th Dec’23.
Usage Till Now
As soon as I bought it, I took it with 4 adults and 1 kid to Mashobra in Himachal for 5 5-day trip. Post that it has been my daily driver for the office commute in Gurgaon (~11kms one way).
In the last week of Mar’24, I recently completed a 2,000km road trip to Spiti Valley from Gurgaon. We were 2 adults and a boot full of luggage along with water, petrol jerrycan, the works.
Initial Impressions
My Jimny is stock – no changes in tyres, no accessories except the rear defogger wire protectors. I wanted to have a pristine driving experience for a bit before I started looking at mods.
The one change that I have made is adding a GAN tuning chip to the OBD port that gives better performance & drivability.
Putting down a few points after 6k of driving
- Initially, I felt that the gears were a little hard, but the gearbox-clutch has smoothened out post 3.5k
- The suspension setup is lovely and is a boon in Gurugram’s pot-holed roads. In the hills, it has taken the bad roads with aplomb. At high speeds, on speed breakers or cornering you do feel the rear step out a bit and initially it was a bit unnerving but now I’ve understood it better.
- Engine braking is really good and the more one drives this in the hills, the more you begin to start using the same.
- The high-rev nature of the engine puts a smile on your face. I kept the revs above 2k on my hill drives and hardly ever felt the loss of power. There were patches and steep inclines where you needed to shift to 1st to get momentum, but almost all the other cars in our convoy also struggled. This is where I feel a little more torque would make the Jimny outstanding.
- The stock tyres are adequate. On rough roads around Kaza, I did get sidewall puncture. Other Jimny’s in the convoy had 215s Contis and 235 Yokos and they fared better. But for now, even with river and snow off-roading, the stock tyres felt adequate. An upgrade to 215s is on the cards in the near future.
- Cabin storage for small items is abysmal. I managed to put some soft foam sheets on the front door pockets to help slide in a phone without rattling and damage. Cupholders get used. The front grab handle with the leatherette wrap also helps in holding the passenger phone. Apart from these changes, I do feel the need to add more storage options to the front.
- The rear seat belt warning is a pain. I do not want to tamper with airbags deployment and keep them buckled in when not in use.
- Boot storage is adequate and swallows up 2 mid-size suitcases and 2-3 duffle bags with ease.
- Traction control is quite aggressive
- Auto-start-stop in the hills can get intrusive. In city traffic, it’s easy to use.
- I love the size and footprint along with the commanding view of the road. It is small enough to get through most gaps, narrow hill roads and offers a very old-school SUV experience. I learnt my driving on a Gypsy and it has a similar feel.
Letting a Few Pictures do the talking:
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