HEAD VS HEART

The new Jimny isn't going to be for everyone, but those who buy it will not regret that decision for a second

- Pablo Chaterji

All right, it’s finally here, in the flesh, so rejoice all ye off-road junkies who have been praying at Maruti Suzuki’s altar and hoping for your dreams to be realised. The Jimny is among us, packing five doors instead of the usual three, made in India for the world and itching to be let loose on the most hostile terrain you can think of — Mumbai’s Elphinstone Bridge during peak traffic hours. If you think that’s a joke, you’ve never experienced said bridge at said times — but jokes aside, Suzuki’s iconic off-roader (around since 1970) is now in its fourth generation and seems to have lost none of its cred, at least on paper. It’s the spiritual (and mechanical) successor to the legendary Gypsy, which when introduced here in 1985 was essentially a lengthened Jimny SJ30. Fun fact: my father directed the first TV commercial for the Gypsy in India; we also owned a soft-top Gypsy for a number of years, so I can claim to be a bit of a fanboy. The new Jimny has some rather large shoes to fill, given the Gypsy’s cult status, so l was very keen to find out if it walks the walk.

It certainly doesn’t hurt that the Jimny looks as striking as it does. ‘Good looking’ may be a bit of a stretch, but this is a car that will make you smile every time you look at it, from pretty much any angle. It started out as a box 53 years ago and it’s now… still a box, but a cuter and more cheerful box you’ll be hard-pressed to find. I’m glad that Suzuki decided to not mess too much with a tried and tested design base and go all rounded edges; some things are best left as they are.