Comparison: Maruti Suzuki Jimny vs Off-Road Rivals

Ever since Maruti Suzuki launched the Jimny, the off-road SUV segment has gotten even more exciting. But despite all the popularity, the biggest threat to Jimny’s reign comes from the Mahindra Thar and the Force Gurkha. Boasting a legacy of over a decade, the Thar and Gurkha have together played an instrumental role in evolving the hardcore off-road culture in India. Despite their exceptional off-road capabilities, the only thing that the two still struggle with is the everyday practicality to be a daily driver. This is precisely where Jimny aims to shine, with its practical 5-door setup and superb city-bred usability. Does the Maruti Suzuki Jimny truly manage to emerge as an undisputed winner? Let’s find out.

Maruti Suzuki Jimny vs Rivals: Dimensions

As far as dimensions go, the head-on comparison of the three SUVs paints a mixed picture with each offering its own set of advantages and disadvantages. Talking about the Maruti Suzuki Jimny, the SUV comes across as the most compact off-roader offering the lowest height and width among the three, which makes it quite a joy to drive especially in city traffic and congested roads. Despite a compact build, what works in favour of the Jimny is its wheelbase which is the longest among the three, translating to a more settled ride quality. The boot on offer is also much larger than what is offered on the Mahindra Thar but is lower than what the Gurkha offers. Ground clearance on offer is 5 mm higher than the Gurkha, but 16 mm lower than what the Thar offers. 

Coming to the Mahindra Thar, the SUV shares the same length as the Jimny but offers a considerably wider and higher stance. When compared to the Gurkha, the Mahindra Thar stands shorter but offers a slightly wider stance and a 50mm larger wheelbase. What works in favour of the Thar is its 226 mm ground clearance which is the largest of the three SUVs. 

Finally coming to the Gurkha, the off-roader comes as the longest and tallest among the three and offers quite a strong road presence. The wheelbase and width are somewhat similar to the Thar, while the ground clearance is about 5 mm shorter than what is offered on the Jimny. However, it is the boot space where the Gurkha truly dominates, offering a huge 500 litres onboard. 

Overall, the choice here comes down to choosing between a compact city-suited off-roader or an assertive and muscular one. If compact is your pick then the Jimny is truly promising while if you prefer muscle, then the Gurkha and Thar seem like the perfect pick.

Maruti Suzuki Jimny vs Rivals: Engine and Transmission

The engine and transmission comparison between the three SUVs is where the choice truly gets filtered out. When it comes to petrol powertrain, the Maruti Suzuki Jimny comes with a sole 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol unit that comes mated with either a 5-speed manual or a 4-speed torque converter automatic. Coming to the Thar, the SUV brings in a 2-litre turbocharged petrol unit that offers better power and torque figures when pitched against the Jimny’s petrol unit and comes mated to a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed torque converter automatic which again is better than the Jimny’s transmission options. 

However, what works in favour of the Maruti Suzuki Jimny is its impeccable fuel efficiency of up to 16.94 km/l which is better than what’s offered by both the Mahindra Thar as well as the Force Gurkha. Other than that it is the Mahindra Thar that truly shines in the petrol game with its turbocharged engine that offers superb driving dynamics and a punch of power at your disposal. 

So if you are looking for maximum efficiency then the Maruti Suzuki Jimny is a clear winner, but if what you seek is a tasteful blend of power, punch, efficiency and overall performance then the Mahindra Thar seems like the perfect pick.

Coming to the Diesel powertrain, the Mahindra Thar offers two diesel engines that include a bigger 2.2-litre diesel unit for the AWD versions and a smaller 1.5-litre unit for the RWD versions. The bigger unit comes mated to a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed torque convertor automatic returning a mileage of up to 15.2 kmpl for manual and 9 kmpl for automatic, while the smaller ones come with only a 6-speed manual on offer and mileage of up to 15.2 kmpl.

On the other hand the Force Gurkha despite offering a bigger Mercedes-derived 2.6-litre Diesel engine is still not able to match the power and torque figures of Thar’s exciting 2.2-litre turbo diesel engine. The Gurkha also misses out on automatic transmission and comes mated to a sole 5-speed manual. Despite such a promising package, it is a shame that the Gurkha’s engine is not able to match up with its competitors.

Thus, as far as the diesel powertrain goes, the Thar with its 2.2-litre turbo diesel engine is an undisputed winner.

Maruti Suzuki Jimny vs Rivals: Features and Comfort

The head-on comparison above shows how well Maruti Suzuki has incorporated onboard features on the Jimny. When pitched head-on against the Mahindra Thar as well as the Force Gurkha, it is clear that the Jimny emerges as a clear winner with a bigger touch infotainment system, premium audio system, headlight washers, and climate control. 

On the other hand, the Mahindra Thar catches up with several features onboard including a seven-inch touch infotainment system, cruise control, semi-digital instrument cluster and much more.

The Gurkha however, despite offering 7-inch touch infotainment, front and rear USB sockets, 4-speaker audio setup and LED headlamps, still offers manual AC, and misses out on cruise control, digital AC controls, and connected car technology.

Overall, the Maruti Suzuki Jimny is a clear winner here, with several top-notch features over and above the Thar as well as the Gurkha.

Maruti Suzuki Jimny vs Rivals: Safety Features

When it comes to onboard safety all three SUVs offer a great package, with little differences that separate each one from the other. Starting off with the Jimny, the SUV gets a host of advanced safety features such as ABS with EBD, hill assist, rear parking sensors and camera and much more. But what makes the Jimny’s safety features stand out are the six airbags that are offered as standard across all variants of the Jimny. But with that said, the Jimny still misses out on a tyre pressure monitoring system that serves as a crucial offroad safety feature. 

Talking about the Mahindra Thar, the SUV does well with ample safety features onboard and boasts a 4-star GNCAP rating. However, the Thar still continues to offer only dual front airbags onboard, and misses out on a rear camera, which could have been included onboard considering the price. 

Finally coming to the Force Gurkha, the SUV much like the Thar offers a decent safety package but misses out on some crucial features such as a rear parking camera as well as hill assist. 

Therefore, as far as on paper safety specifications are concerned, the Jimny takes the crown.

Maruti Suzuki Jimny vs Rivals: Off-Road Capabilities

When it comes to ooff-road capabilities, the overall picture is rather surprising. Starting off with the Jimny, the SUV offers the lowest approach and break-over angle (36 and 24 mm respectively), which makes it a little less capable than the Thar and Gurkha, when it comes to climbing up steep terrains and driving over convex slope changes. But with that said, the Jimny does offer the highest departure angle (47mm) thanks to its high-placed rear bumper. Coming to the locking differential, the Jimny does well with Brake Locking Differentials but fails to offer manual or mechanic locking differential that offers slightly better control in case things go south. The turning radius however, is comfortable enough to manoeuvre the SUV in every situation. While the Jimny can go through shallow streams of water, there is no official word as to the SUV’s water-wading capabilities, which is a big disappointment considering the Jimny’s off-road use case.

Coming to the Mahindra Thar, the SUV offers impressive approach (41.2 mm) and break-over angles (26.2 mm), both of which are the best among the three SUVs, rendering the SUV impeccable climbing capabilities. The departure angle stands at 36 mm which is lower than Jimny but not the least. Based on the variant chosen, the Thar offers both brake locking as well as mechanical locking differential. Being a hardcore offroad SUV, the Thar also offers 600 mm of water-wading capacity without any snorkel onboard, making the Mahindra Thar a slightly better offroader than the Jimny. Not to forget that the Thar even offers the best ground clearance amongst the three SUVs, helping users achieve a stress-free offroad experience.

Finally coming to the Force Gurkha, the SUV sits in the middle with its 37 mm of approach and 25 mm of break-over angles. In terms of departure angle, the Gurkha hangs tight at 33 mm with its low-laying bumpers. But despite everything, what makes the Gurkha a tasteful off-road machine is its best-in-class water wading capacity of 700 mm with the aid of an external air-intake snorkel, in addition to the best-in-class turning radius of 5.6 metres along with manual locking differential that offers maximum terrain control, despite missing out on electronic systems. This makes the Gurkha a force to reckon with, especially when it comes to crossing streams and lakes.

While an off-road journey largely depends on both the driver as well as the vehicle, from the on-paper specifications, the Force Gurkha does emerge as the best off-roader from amongst the three SUVs.

Maruti Suzuki Jimny vs Rivals: Price Comparison

When it comes to the price comparison, the Maruti Suzuki Jimny comes with a two-trim lineup that includes Zeta and Alpha, both of which are spread across a total of 6 variants. On the other hand, the Mahindra Thar also comes with a two-trim lineup that includes the AX Opt and LX, both of which are spread across a total of 13 variants offering both 4×4 and RWD options. The Force Gurkha however comes with a single variant, namely the Gurkha 2.6 Diesel.

Thus, as for the Jimny, one can enjoy everything the SUV has to offer with the Alpha Trim which starts from Rs. 13.69 lakh going all the way up to Rs. 15.05 lakh, offering an exceptional value for money quotient. On the other hand, the Mahindra Thar offers more trims than the Jimny, thereby providing more choices within each variant spectrum. For the Mahindra Thar, the top-spec 4×4 trim can be brought home for a price of Rs. 14.56 Lakh which is about 87 thousand dearer than the Jimny. The Gurkha on the other hand offers no variant choices and is available with single trim that is priced at Rs. 15.10 Lakh which is 1.41 lakh dearer than the Jimny and about fifty thousand dearer than the Thar.

Thus, when it comes to bringing home a top-spec off-road SUV, then the Maruti Suzuki Jimny is the undisputed winner, especially when it comes to price.

Comparing the 4×4 upper mid trims of the Jimny and Thar, the Jimny again offers slightly better value for money, while the Thar itself is quite promising in this spectrum. However, with that said, it is also crucial to note that the Mahindra Thar is the only SUV among the three that is offered with RWD, making it highly affordable with RWD prices starting at Rs.10.54 lakh.