It. Is. Here! After the two-door version of the 4x4 SUV was unveiled at the Auto Expo in 2020, the Maruti Suzuki Jimny is finally here in India, being unveiled in a 5-door avatar, and bookings for the SUV are now open. Maruti Suzuki also took the wraps off an all-new Baleno-based SUV called the Fronx at the Auto Expo 2023.
The Jimny that will be sold in India is the fourth-gen of the SUV sold globally and it continues to feature a design that places emphasis on its utilitarian form rather than pure aesthetic appeal, and the Jimny’s rugged appearance is bound to find a lot of takers. The LED headlamps get headlamp washers and you get the 15-inch alloy wheels, with the choice of either steel or alloy wheels. The 5-door Jimny is 340mm longer in wheelbase than its 2-door counterpart and India will be the first market in the world to get the 5-door Jimny. The Jimny retains the traditional SUV ladder frame underpinnings and gets a sideways-opening tailgate with the spare wheel mounted on the tailgate.
On the inside, the interiors are all-black with silver inserts and a lot of the elements are familiar to what we’ve seen on other Maruti Suzuki cars like the Baleno and the Swift. The interiors sport a rugged design overall. In terms of features, you get automatic climate control and the Jimny gets a 9-inch touchscreen infotainment system with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, along with an Arkamys sound system. In terms of safety, the Jimny gets 6 airbags and a Brake Limited Slip Differential (LSD), ESP with hill hold and hill descent control, and ABS with EBD.
Powering the Jimny is the 1.5-litre nat-asp K15B engine from the earlier Ertiga, and power will be sent to all four wheels via a 5-speed manual or a 4-speed torque converter automatic transmission from the old Vitara Brezza. The engine produces 103bhp of power and 134Nm of torque, with the Jimny being offered with a transfer case and low ratio that will effectively double that torque output.
We were expecting Maruti Suzuki to take the wraps off a Baleno cross-hatch at the Auto Expo, but instead, we have the Fronx, a Baleno-based compact SUV. This is an all-new product, and the design of the Fronx is reminiscent of the larger Grand Vitara rather than just being a redesigned Baleno. You get DRLs for the headlamps and 16-inch alloy wheels, same size as the Baleno’s and the Fronx also gets an end-to-end LED tail lamp, with the overall design being that of a contemporary-looking SUV.
The interiors get a dual-tone colour scheme and the design of the dashboard is reminiscent to that of the larger Grand Vitara's, albeit in a shrunken-down size. The dashboard gets a matte-like metal finish and high gloss silver inserts and the cabin is feature-loaded with a 9-inch infotainment system, cruise control, a HUD and wireless charging along with a 360-degree camera. In terms of safety, the Fronx is underpinned by Suzuki’s HEARTECT platform and the compact SUV gets 6 airbags, ESP with hill hold and rollover mitigation, ABS with EBD and brake assist and ISOFIX mounts
Powering the Fronx are two engines – the tried and tested 1.2-litre K-Series nat-asp engine, and the all-new 1-litre turbo-petrol Boosterjet engine with direct injection, which also features smart hybrid tech. We first saw the Boosterjet engine in the short-lived Baleno RS and it can be had with a 5-speed manual or 6-speed AT with paddle shifters. The 1.2-litre engine meanwhile can be had with a 5-speed manual or an AMT. The 1-litre turbo-petrol makes 99bhp of power and 148Nm of torque, while the 1.2-litre nat-asp engine makes 88bhp and 113Nm of torque.
Prices for both the Fronx and the Jimny haven’t been revealed yet, but it is likely they will be launched before the festive this year, while bookings are now open for the SUVs at Nexa dealerships.