With the launch of the Jimny at the recently after the reveal at the 2023 Auto Expo, the Maruti has revealed its plan to go against the likes of Mahindra Thar and Force Gurkha. Jimny is extremely enticing and sure to give its competitors a run for their money once it gets launched in the Indian market. In this specification comparison review, we pit this new kid on the block against other two to find out which one comes on the top:
Dimensions
Force Gurkha is the tallest and longest in the lot although when it comes to the width, it’s the Thar that tops the comparison chart. Jimny edges past others in the crucial aspect of the wheelbase featuring 2590 mm of the distance between the centers of the wheels; however, with the smallest width of 1645mm, it does look tiniest among the three.
Engines
Mahindra is the only manufacturer here which offers both petrol and diesel engine options to customers. Maruti and Force, on the other hand, come with only petrol and diesel engine respectively. Manual gearboxes are available as a standard part of the equipment on all SUVs although the Gurkha is the only SUV which doesn’t have an automatic transmission option for buyers.
Off-road Credentials
Mahindra Thar boasts impressive credentials in terms of approach and ramp-over angles and also betters Gurkha in departure angle. Jimny has the departure angle steepest among the three though in terms of water-wading capacity, it’s Force Gurkha that comes on top with 700mm depth. Thar, in comparison, offers 650mm of water-wading depth. All SUVs in this comparison feature proper 4X4 capabilities with low-range transfer cases; making them a perfect choice for off-road enthusiasts. Differentials in the Force Gurkha get mechanical adjustments while in the case of Jimny, a limited-slip differential has been used for offering the desired transaction. Mahindra, on the other hand, uses an electronic differential on the front axle with the top-line LX diesel variant getting a mechanical differential on the rear axle as a paid option.
Features
Maruti has packed Jimny with an impressive list of features and equipment. And so has been done by Mahindra. Features like automatic climate control, electronically adjustable outside rear view Mirrors (ORVMs), and cruise control are available on these SUVs with Maruti Jimny even getting six airbags as a standard part of the equipment. Force Gurkha is sparsely equipped here and features manual AC controls and OVRMs and doesn’t even have the important feature of electronic stability control.
Price
All this makes all these off-roading SUV’s a bit pricey, but the Mahindra is more value for sure with a off-road friendly diesel engine. The Jimny comes with a higher price tag than what you expect from a Maruti and a lack luster petrol engine pulling a lot of weight remains questionable. The Force remains even more committed than these two when it comes to off-roading and the on-road behavior is always not that impressive given our past experience with it. The Thar has everything to be a highly considerable choice in its class right now.
