Maruti Jimny Goes Topless For Forest Safari In Rajasthan
Not only does this Jimny ditch its roof, it can even seat more passengers than the standard road-going Maruti SUV
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When it comes to guided tours of the wild, national parks and sanctuaries employ purpose-specific vehicles to ferry around the tourists. Usually, they will use modified versions of an old Mahindra Thar or Bolero, or even a Maruti Gypsy, altered for more visibility and extra passengers. Now, there’s a new choice of vehicle for a forest safari in Rajasthan - the Maruti Jimny.
Images of this chop-top Jimny surfaced online thanks to Harvijay Singh Bahia, a rally-enthusiast, on his social account. He was able to spend some time with this new safari vehicle, which is still being tested before being deployed into use to ferry around tourists at national parks. Let’s see everything that’s been changed for the purpose.
Spot The Differences
The most obvious change is that the Jimny has no roof and only the A-pillar and windscreen remains. It has been fitted with an extra row of seats mounted on the tailgate, acting as a perch for better visibility while exploring the wilderness. Additional wood and steel structures can be spotted all around to reinforce the chopped-up Jimny and provide structural rigidity under load. Some of the new framework around the body also incorporates steps for easier ingress and egress, especially for the third row.
What might look like rollover bars are simply chunky grab handles for the perched row of seats at the back. This Jimny no longer offers any protection from the elements, not even any windows.
Based on the halogen headlamps and steel wheels, we identified that this safari vehicle is based on the base-spec Maruti Jimny. However, it does get a unique paint job in a shade quite close to military green, which is not available in the standard model.
Jimny Powertrain
The Maruti off-roader is only available with a 1.5-litre petrol engine (105 PS/ 138 Nm) with 4WD as standard. It does get the choice of a 5-speed manual or a 4-speed automatic transmission. You can read our first drive impressions of the 5-door Jimny here.
Also read: Maruti Jimny Extreme: Customised To Look Bigger & Bolder
We’re curious to know how these modifications affect the ride quality of the Jimny, especially compared to the tried and tested Gypsy and jeeps. So, if you’re among the lucky people who gets to go for a safari on one of these, do share your experience in the comments section below.
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