The Made-in-India Maruti Suzuki Jimny is much costlier in South Africa. It’s interesting to see that South Africa gets many products from India. Up until now, only the 3-door version of the Jimny was available in South Africa, just like many other international markets. But now, for the first time ever, there’s a 5-door version, too. The decision to come up with a bigger version with two additional doors was made to enhance the practicality quotient. And even to make the SUV more relevant to markets like India. Also, both the 3-door and 5-door versions are manufacturerd here, in India. These vehicles are exported to South Africa, where buys seem to be warming up pretty fast to the bigger version.
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Maruti Suzuki Jimny Much Costlier in South Africa
In the South African market, the Jimny is on sale in two variants – GL and GLX. The retail prices of these models are R429,990 and R479,990, respectively. This roughly translates to Rs 18.78 lakh and Rs 20.97 lakh INR. For reference, in India, the Jimny comes in multiple trims with prices starting from Rs 12.74 lakh and going up to Rs 14.95 lakh, ex-showroom. Hence, there is a price difference of a whopping Rs 6.02 lakh on the top variant. Interestingly, there are no additional features on offer either. This is due to the high import duties on the Jimny. The South Africans have to pay a premium to import the 5-door Jimny from India. However, we must also mention that even the import taxes levied by India is over 100% for cars of a certain price range, essentially doubling the original cost.
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Specs
The Indian as well as the South African-spec Jimny is equipped with a 1.5-litre K15B petrol engine that gives out a decent 75 kW (103 hp) and 130 Nm of peak power and torque. You can choose between a 5-speed manual and a 4-speed torque converter automatic transmission. Power goes to all four wheels using ALLGRIP PRO 4×4 system. The hardware includes a low-range transfer case and locking differential. With a ground clearance of 210 mm and impressive approach, break-over, and departure angles of 36°, 24°, and 50°, respectively, this 5-door Jimny is an appealing choice for off-road enthusiasts.
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Author’s Note
The South African market imports a lot of cars from India. The overall mindset of the customers in both markets wanting cars at affordable price points and offering high fuel efficiency is similar. That is why many cars that are popular here even enjoy enough success over there. The Jimny is already an established name in the automobile world for a long time now. Its immense off-roading capabilities make it one of the best SUVs at its price range. That has been the reason for its mad success for decades in various international markets now. For instance, in South Africa, the 3-door version was already popular enough. Now, though, the 5-door version seems to be catching up, mostly due to its better practicality.
