Did The Maruti Jimny Prices Miss Their Mark?

Maruti shocked us when it announced that the Jimny is priced from Rs 12.74 lakh (ex-showroom)

The Maruti Jimny has been one of the most highly anticipated SUVs for India since it was first confirmed for the market years ago. While the fourth generation of the three-door Jimny globally premiered in 2018, Maruti insisted on only bringing us an extended five-door version and made us wait five years for it. After all that, the country's largest carmaker finally launched the lifestyle SUV this June and a lot of the public’s response on the interweb was far from welcoming. The problem? Its prices.

How high are the prices?

The five-door Jimny has entered the market with prices ranging from Rs 12.74 lakh to Rs 15.05 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). For a subcompact SUV that can only seat four and has a decent but not expansive boot capacity, those prices are certainly eye-watering. Even though Maruti stretched it out and added rear doors, the rear passenger space and overall practicality in the Jimny is less than that offered by typical subcompact offerings like the Maruti Brezza, Hyundai Venue and Tata Nexon. Most of those models are priced between Rs 8 lakh to Rs 14 lakh (ex-showroom).

But then, it's not competing against typical small SUVs. The Jimny is a niche offering for lifestyle enthusiasts who want a capable off-roader, not a tech-laden city-suited family car. So, is the pricing still a pain point if compared to an appropriate competitor, like the Mahindra Thar? 

Jimny's Arch Rival

The second-gen Mahindra Thar is also a sub-4 metre off-roader and it has dominated the affordable lifestyle SUV space since its launch nearly 3 years ago. Even though it's a three-door offering with no real boot, buyers directly compare it against the five-door Jimny.  

On paper, the Mahindra has these advantages over the Maruti SUV:

• Entry-level prices are lower by more than Rs 2 lakh.

• Offers choice of a convertible soft-top (like the Maruti Gypsy)

• Has more road presence thanks to chunkier proportions

• Offers more performance with its 2-litre turbo-petrol engine (150PS vs 115PS) and a better automatic transmission (6-speed vs 4-speed)

• Also gets the choice of diesel powertrains, the popular choice among off-roaders.

• Assured safety with 4-star rating from Global NCAP crash test 

Let's take a closer look at each of those factors to see if they make it hard for the Jimny to justify its pricing. 

Also read: Maruti Jimny Vs Mahindra Thar - Price Check

Why is the Thar so much more affordable?

What the internet is overlooking is that the Thar's more affordable variants only have a rear-wheel drivetrain. When it comes to the 4WD Thar variants with the petrol engine, the petrol-only Jimny which offers 4WD as standard is more affordable by nearly Rs 1 lakh, and by nearly Rs 2 lakh between the petrol-automatic options. 

Then there's the features list where the Maruti comes with a touchscreen infotainment unit, 6 airbags, a rearview camera, hill descent control and a TFT MID as standard. Its top trim also comes with auto LED headlamps with washer, a larger touchscreen, auto AC and rear power windows, none of which are available on the Mahindra Thar. Furthermore, once 6 airbags become mandatory, the price gap between the two SUVs will increase in favour of the Maruti Jimny.

Does less performance affect its capabilities?

Yes, the Jimny may seem underpowered in comparison and the Thar certainly offers punchier performance but the smaller engine is sufficient since its body is much lighter than that of the Thar. Fun fact: A Jimny loaded with 4 occupants is still lighter than a Thar unladen!

This makes it just as capable of conquering difficult terrains and the 4x4 system is also set up for the same. The transmission options may seem dated in comparison to the Thar, but these are proven worldwide and might even be cheaper to service and maintain thanks to Maruti's scale of business.

It is also worth noting that the Jimny, like the second-gen Thar, is also aimed at city buyers. While fuel economy is not their primary concern, it is a priority nonetheless and the Maruti Suzuki powertrain is more frugal. Furthermore, as the regulations clamp down on emissions and diesel engines in particular, a petrol powertrain is at a lower risk of being affected by such changes.

No fun roof option

The current generation of the Jimny never got a soft-top option so it's not an India-specific omission. However, it is clear that lifestyle vehicle buyers do like such options as even the Jeep Wrangler comes with a removable roof and doors.

While the fixed metal roof does reduce the fun factor, it has advantages over soft tops in terms of body rigidity and overall safety in case the car were to roll over while off-roading. 

Related: Revisiting The Maruti Gypsy, Predecessor Of The New Jimny

Is the Jimny safe enough?

The five-door Jimny has debuted in India and is yet to be crash tested by a well-known New Car Assessment Programme (NCAP). However, the three-door Jimny was tested by Euro NCAP where it scored a three-star safety rating (the tested car was also equipped with ADAS tech such as lane-assist and auto-emergency braking).

While the Thar did score higher in the Global NCAP test, it is worth noting that the testing parameters have changed since then and it may not score as highly anymore. In comparison, the Euro NCAP is much more thorough and factors in a lot more scores than just a frontal-offset and side-impact crash test.

We cannot say with certainty if the Jimny is as safe or safer than the Thar, but it certainly appears to be safer than the average Maruti.

So, is the Maruti Jimny priced fairly?

In our opinion, Maruti could have done better with the prices for the Jimny. Given the six-month-long wait since its unveiling, and with Mahindra introducing the more affordable rear-wheel drive Thar variants, the target consumer was expecting Maruti to flex its market dominance and introduce the Jimny with a more reasonable starting price.

As far as first impressions go, it was an unpleasant shock that the Maruti SUV arrived with a starting price of nearly Rs 15 lakh (on-road). The off-roader may be better equipped on paper than any competitor, it wasn't short on compromises either and the biggest issue was that it lacked the physical presence of its more affordable rival.

Also read: Maruti Jimny Variants Explained: Which Variant Should You Buy?

How should Maruti have priced the Jimny?

In our opinion, the Maruti Jimny should have debuted with an introductory price range of Rs 11 lakh to Rs 13.5 lakh (ex-showroom) at least for a limited number of early buyers. Mahindra is adept at this “early-bird”  strategy where it will accumulate a sizable order book for a highly anticipated product at competitively low launch prices for the first ten to fifty thousand buyers, before raising the rates over the next 12 months.

Compared to the Thar, the omitted cost of turbocharging, the old transmissions and smaller wheels/tyres should’ve allowed for the Jimny’s prices to be Rs 1.5-2 lakh cheaper.

Will this really affect the success of the Jimny?

If we could accurately predict such a thing, we'd have the ear of every carmaker in the world. It is too early to say if the Jimny's prices will affect the overall demand and popularity of the SUV, but they will certainly have an initial impact with some of the more budget-restricted buyers changing their plans. At its current price, the Jimny is, no doubt, an indulgence.

Perhaps, Maruti has played a different strategy altogether which could pan out to its benefit in the long run. By introducing the five-door Jimny at these prices, it will not be hiking the rates by a couple of lakhs in the first year or two, while the Mahindra Thar's prices are expected to keep rising.

Notes On The Jimny’s Business Case

We also asked our resident review expert, Tushar, to weigh in on the matter as he has spent some time with the Jimny and also had a chance to interact with Maruti’s representatives. Here’s what he had to add to the matter of the Jimny prices:

What do you make of the prices of the Maruti Jimny? Were you someone who changed their car buying plans or cancelled a booking for the SUV after the price reveal? Let us know in the comments below!

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