The Mahindra Thar steering is heavier but in this 4×4 SUV, it is almost as light as my Ford EcoSport.
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I finally managed to get a test drive of the Jimny and came back pleasantly surprised.
Since my earlier post was about the interiors and seating, I will only cover the highlights of the drive.
What’s good:
- NVH levels are very good. The petrol engine is super refined and only when pushed do you get a whine from the drivetrain. Surprise was outside noise into the cabin was less. Usually, tinny Marutis, like Baleno, always have this feeling of the window open by a few mm. This was well insulated.
- Ride quality is sublime. It smothers anything you throw at it. Sharp joints, speed breakers, craters, nothing is felt. It doesn’t thud and with the suspension travel, you can simply glide over at whatever speed you want carefree.
- Steering was surprisingly decent. It does have a play and needs more turns lock to lock but it’s very car-like. The Thar steering is heavier and more nervous as speeds build up. This felt very good. It’s almost as light as my Ecosport steering and effort was similar, just that play was more and more turns lock to lock.
- City pep from standstill is good. You won’t feel wanting of power at low speeds when closing gaps in traffic.
- 4-speed AT is not tuned for mileage and will hold gears as well as redline. Rare for a Maruti where I have seen the gearbox behave too conservatively.
- City driving is easy, you can chuck it around and easily slot in gaps with less planning. With the Thar you are always weary of the width and even passing a car requires a lot more space vs the Jimny where you just slip through narrow gaps.
What’s not good:
- Outright acceleration is poor. No pushback into your seats and no urgency. Drive relaxed and enjoy the plush ride and refinement vs looking at outright pace. The Thar owns the Jimny when it comes to performance. Reaching 100kmph took its own sweet time. It got there but with a lot of huffing.
- Turning radius is large and you need to get used to it. For such a small car not being able to take a U-turn at one shot catches you by surprise.
- The ride quality has a downside and that is body roll. It’s prominent. On the NICE road ramp, you can easily see the car leaning and then understeering to the outer lane. Of course, this is for those who are coming from a compact crossover like me (Ecosport). If you have a Thar then this is better.
- The seats are not the most comfortable. Even though I mentioned earlier it was fine, when driving you feel it could have gone lower for the taller folks. It’s not uncomfortable but I felt I’m sitting 2 inches higher than I would usually.
- 4 speed AT is just acceptable. It’s fine for city use but really if you are planning for long trips then this will be frustrating.
Keyword: Pleasantly surprised with Maruti Jimny: 11 highlights of the test drive