2 months ago
21
This volition beryllium a reappraisal of my 10,000 kms of owning and driving my Jimny Zeta Manual Transmission.
I volition not absorption connected the "Why Jimny" and "Alternatives considered" etc part, due to the fact that I was precise wide that I volition bargain the Jimny, period.
It was a substance of clip aft the car was launched, successful June-July 2023, to put for my finances and erstwhile the December 2023 discounts were announced, I decided to spell up with it.
Got the Jimny delivered connected Christmas Day 2023 successful Kolkata.
I volition effort to support this study brief, to the constituent and factual truthful arsenic not to discarded anyone's clip should they determine to work this.
Good points
Visibility
Excellent. In immoderate absorption that you attraction to spot retired of. Front, Lateral and Rear.
The driver's "eye point" is close successful the mediate of the windscreen and this gives a precise bully imaginativeness cone. This translates to superb precocious arsenic good arsenic little visibility arcs and you volition genuinely admit this connected long, nighttime drives.
The ample extracurricular rear presumption mirrors are precise boxy and utterly functional arsenic acold arsenic aesthetics are concerned.
The stylistic trade-off means you tin spot the borderline of the Jimny's rear tyres, a boon erstwhile going disconnected the roadworthy oregon astatine a much mundane level, erstwhile parking parallel to a precocious kerb, and you bash not privation to scrape the sidewalls of your tyres.
The clamshell bonnet which is intelligibly disposable from the driver's spot makes you spot the Jimny accurately done astir municipality metropolis gaps.
Feeling of Roominess
The JB-74 is fundamentally built to Japanese "Kei - Car" specifications. Thus its wide assemblage dimensions and compartment width was restricted by Japanese Kei Car legislation. Only the export exemplary Jimny Sierra 3-door's had a wider track, but aforesaid assemblage width, due to the fact that it was sold internationally.
Following successful its footsteps is the Jimny XL, (our Indian built Jimny), wherever again, the assemblage dimensions stay the aforesaid but lone the wide magnitude increases.
However Suzuki has precise cleverly managed to present the "feeling of roominess" peculiarly for the beforehand spot passengers.
The upright windscreen, the super-compact dashboard, which is stashed close against the beforehand glass, the level broadside panels, doorway solid and doorway pads and the wide tallness of the vehicle, dupes you into reasoning you are successful a larger vehicle. The beforehand seats person been pushed arsenic acold retired arsenic possible, laterally, resulting successful bully enarthrosis country betwixt operator and passenger.
Suspension
Long question suspension + precocious illustration 80-aspect ratio banal tyres riding connected OEM recommended 26 psi aerial unit makes for a marshmallow thrust astatine astir speeds beneath 60-65 kmph. The Jimny's thrust is precise plush successful a debased velocity environment.
Instruments and Controls
This is from the position of my car's variant, that is the ZETA Manual. I americium delighted that each indispensable controls tin beryllium executed by means of ample chunky knobs, ample toggle switches, large operation switches oregon elemental press-type buttons. No fancy gimmicks, nary deluge of screens. You privation to little the AC instrumentality speed? Just scope retired with your near hand, rotate the chunky instrumentality velocity contol knob and that's it! (even if you are wearing gloves successful winter, it is not a problem).
The orange, backlit analogue clusters for speedometer and tachometer are a soothing balm for sore eyes fed-up with staring astatine integer screens.
Fuel mapping and Throttle Calibration
This is precise good done. The banal throttle pedal calibration is smooth, lag escaped and powers up successful a linear curve alternatively than propulsion powerfulness successful "a fig of jerky steps". Trailing throttle responses are besides precise good. Suzuki has calibrated the "tip-in / tip-out" precise well. On steep descents oregon ascents, juggling betwixt clutch, throttle and gearshift - determination is perfectly nary request to provender successful unnecessary revs - you tin conscionable dial successful the close magnitude that is necessary.
Heating & De-misting
Surpisingly bully performance. My Zeta variant has manual de-frosting controls. Even past it worked precise good successful the wintertime months successful the hills. The rear windscreen de-mister is besides precise effective.
Wipers
The wipers whitethorn beryllium tiny but they screen the beforehand operator and rider visbility zones precise well. They bash not permission large, unwiped "dead zones". The beforehand wipers scope close up to the apical of the beforehand windcsreen. Thus if you person a dashcam stuck oregon adjacent the ubiquitous FasTag, you tin beryllium assured they'll stay wide and easy "readable"
Bad points
Suspension
It is the rear suspension that is the problem. While this excels successful a debased velocity environment, astatine immoderate speeds supra 60kmph, this becomes a liability. During cornering you volition consciousness arsenic if the beforehand and rear of the Jimny beryllium to 2 antithetic vehicles! If your Jimny is reasonably loaded and you effort to instrumentality long, left-hand curve, which whitethorn person immoderate undulations successful between, you'll find the rear suspension flopping distant with each the rigidity of a 7-day aged masala dosa!
I reckon somewhat stiffer damping volition lick this issue. Maybe conscionable 20% stiffer dampers, retaining the aforesaid OEM unfastened length, should lick matters. All aftermarket suspension kits disposable present are for 3-door and whitethorn not beryllium wholly suitable for our 5-door version. Once a decently tested and validated 5-door upgraded suspension kit reaches the marketplace it whitethorn beryllium worthwhile to instrumentality a look astatine it.
Body resonance
Strictly speaking transmission passageway resonance. If the revs autumn a small debased and you effort to lug it - (which 1 should not). This is simply a communal sick of rear thrust body-on-frame setup's and has plagued our Tata Sumo's, Bolero's, Tata Safari's and whatnot. In the Jimny it tin beryllium felt betwixt 1700-2500 rpm's successful 4th gear.
Transmission "slap" and whine
You consciousness this connected an incline erstwhile you merchandise the clutch successful the little gears. The propellor shaft takes a infinitesimal to rotate with a "khhut" dependable and past a grating noise, (from the transportation container innards), arsenic the torque is channelised to the driven wheels.
Brakes
The Jimny's brakes has been overmuch maligned and lambasted. But it is not that bad. There is simply a method to braking the Jim, particularly downhill. While successful hatchbacks, peculiarly European hatches, the archetypal brake wound is precise beardown and past arsenic you spell connected pressing the pedal the brake biasing takes implicit and unit is regulated beforehand and back; successful the Jim it is the opposite. Initial pedal consciousness is underwhelming. After the archetypal press, slacken disconnected a spot and past support connected pressing the b-pedal and the brakes commencement to wound and rather smoothly astatine that too. Thus, erstwhile you are rolling downhill, DO NOT RIDE the b-pedal successful the Jim arsenic you would bash successful immoderate hatchback. Give a steadfast push, slacken off, fto Jim stitchery momentum earlier you propulsion the mediate pedal again later. This quality induced "cadence-braking" volition basal your Jim successful bully stead and you volition not tally retired of retardation oregon booster vaccuum.
Headlamps
The ZETA comes with halogen headlamps. The main beam is pathetic. It is advisable to upgrade to 100/90 watt halogens with a relay to amended visibility.
Fog lamps
The banal fog lamps are a gag and astatine 19watts each it is expected to beryllium so. The lens is made of immoderate dubious integrative and the full fog lamp portion feels incredibly flimsy. You tin bargain Gen-1 SWIFT's, (2005 SWIFT), OEM fog lamps. These are 55watts each, made by Hella, has borosilicate lenses and are a nonstop acceptable into the Jimny's fog lamp pods. With this and the 100/90watt halogens, you volition not request immoderate fancy LED setup, (which are useless anyways successful rainfall and fog)
Rear spot cushion
I deliberation Suzuki has designed the rear spot for kids till possibly 11-13 years of age? Apart from deficiency under-thigh support, the cushion itself is beauteous severely made and immoderate big sitting connected it for thing much than a mates of hours volition not beryllium comfy - astatine all.
Cabin Air Filter
Located down the glovebox this becomes incredibly soiled each 3000 kms! and has to beryllium changed.
Bug Magnet
The level nose, upright windscreen and road speeds mean that Little Jim chomps distant astatine each the insects, bugs, maggots, flies that tries to transverse its path. During dusk and evening clip its worse! Now I cognize wherefore Suzuki has fixed a 4-litre sized windscreen washer tank! The Jim is simply a vegetarian's nightmare!
Other observations: Good and Bad
No dormant pedal successful Manual Transmission variants
Can beryllium uncomfortable during agelong hauls. I person fitted 1 which is disposable successful the aftermarket. Works well.
Window sill arsenic armrest
Yes! The Jim is perchance 1 of the fewer cars wherever you tin rotation down the driver's broadside window, peculiarly successful the hills, remainder your elbow connected the model sill and conscionable pootle on enjoying nature!
Questions & Questions
From non-Jimny owners. From substance pump attendants, From Cops. From Army unit (they are obsessed). Questions volition scope from: How overmuch does it cost, substance efficiency, 4-wheel thrust ability, Gypsy lineage, "cute car" etc. If 20% of each these radical bought the Jim, its income would not beryllium languishing similar it is now!
Angry Thar Owners
I person nary animosity against immoderate Thar owners. And bash not mean to either. But one person noticed a funny thing. Whenever I propulsion up beside a THAR, the respectable gent becomes precise upset. Mind you, I bash not race, marque obscene gestures oregon perpetrate immoderate nuisance: its thing astir the Jim that awakens the Thar owner's "green-eyed monster from within! I person had aggregate instances of Thar's trying to contention me, (I bash not, successful information one spell adjacent much slow), trying to propulsion maine into the median divider, accelerate furiously past maine and adjacent successful 1 instance: rima sarcastic comments astatine me, (again I did not react). I person nary thought why! Maybe they bash not similar my face!
Summary
In the past 10,000 kms the Jim has not failed maine once. It has done transverse state trips and immoderate mild disconnected roading. Apart from upgrading the tyres to 215 conception AT tyres I person not modified the conveyance successful immoderate way.
The car has seen its scheduled services astatine 1000/5000/10,000 kms. Apart from this I person changed the motor oil, (OEM grade), astatine 2200 and 5000 kms.
Got the beforehand brake pads cleaned, (emery insubstantial & calliper pin greasing) and wheels rotated astatine 10,000 kms. Alignment was fine. Steering is tilted towards the close from Day - 1. Let it be. I'm utilized to it and firmly judge successful the dictum: "If it ain't broke, don't hole it"
The Jimny is an acquired taste. It is decidedly not the effortless, cleanable car peculiarly for archetypal clip car owners.
The Jimny volition marque you work. It volition marque you thrust a car. By pressing Pedals and buttons and levers and each 
Despite its imperfectness, it has a beauteous simplicity and beguiling quality that volition endear it and marque it an intrinsic portion of your life. It is hardy, perfectly functional, precise mechanical and reliable. It has nary pretensions and volition beryllium by your side, similar your faithful canine and haul you retired of occupation should you get stuck successful the muck.
It has character. And that is not recovered successful galore cars successful today's world.
To me, an aged antheral successful his fifty's, my Jimmy Boy is my status vehicle. Once I retire, I'll scoot disconnected successful it to the Himalayas. In a woody cottage. Ane ne'er travel backmost to town.
Thank you Jim!
