Watch: Maruti Jimny pull Land Rover Defender, Mahindra Scorpio stuck in snow

3 months ago | 5 Views

Maruti Jimny may not have hit the kind of sales numbers like its rivals. It has not reached a cult position yet among off-road SUVs in India. But the five-door lightweight Jimny continues to impress, especially where more fancied 4X4 SUVs are seen struggling. One such recent incident was captured on camera when a Maruti Jimny SUV was seen pulling out off-road icons like Land Rover Defender and a Mahindra Scorpio SUV that were stuck in a thick snow patch. The video, most likely shot somewhere near Gulmarg in Jammu and Kashmir, has now gone viral on social media.

The video shows Maruti Jimny SUV bearing Gulmarg's registration numbers pull out the two SUVs one by one using just a tow strap. Why the incident is significant is that Jimny is a much more lightweight SUV than the two models it helped to rescue. While the Jimny SUV weighs a little over 1,000 kgs, the Mahindra Scorpio SUV weighs around 1,800 kgs and the Land Rover Defender weighs more than double the weight of a Jimny.

Heavy weight of a vehicle can sometime become the achilles heel for some of the most popular off-road SUVs while taking on rough terrains. Jimny, on the other hand, has the advantage of lighter weight that helps the SUV in such situations.

Maruti Suzuki had introduced the Jimny SUV, also popular as a capable off-road vehicle around the world where it is sold in a three-door version. The SUV comes at a starting price of ₹12.74 lakh (ex-showroom), while the top-end version costs ₹15.00 lakh (ex-showroom). 4X4 drivetrain comes as standard in Jimny SUV which rivals the likes of Mahindra Thar in the adventure vehicle segment in India.

Despite its capability and advantages in sticky off-road situations, Jimny has not been able to sell as much as some of its rivals do. After a promising start since its launch, the sales of Jimny has dwindled over the past few months. In January, the carmaker clocked less than 200 units of Jimny, whereas Mahindra sold more than 6,000 units of the Thar in the same month.