Maruti Jimny vs Mahindra Thar – Which Petrol Automatic 4x4 Is Quicker?

The Thar’s turbo-petrol engine is more powerful than the Jimny’s naturally aspirated unit. Let’s find out how that affects the performance figures in the real world

The Maruti Jimny was launched earlier this year as a prime rival to the Mahindra Thar, but came with smaller dimensions and a less powerful petrol engine. We recently had the petrol automatic 5-door offroader and put it through the same performance tests as the Mahindra Thar’s petrol-auto, to see how they compare. But first, let’s have a look at the specifications of both.

Powertrain Details

There is a big difference between the power and torque outputs of the Jimny and Thar, and that has played a role in its performance figures. Both the tested units had 4-wheel-drive. Also, unlike the Jimny which only gets 1 engine option, the Thar also gets 2 diesel engines: a 2.2-litre unit and a 1.5-litre unit.

Performance: Acceleration

The bigger and more powerful turbo-petrol unit of the Thar clearly shows an advantage in performance despite being much heavier. The light-footed Jimny, with its 1.5-litre petrol engine, is more than 5 seconds slower than the Thar in the 0-100 kmph sprint. 

Also Read: Maruti Jimny Manual Vs Automatic: Which One Is Quicker?

In the kickdown test, the Thar managed to go from 20 to 80 kmph in just a little over 6 seconds, while the Jimny, with its 2 fewer gears, took over 9 seconds to reach the same speed.

Performance: Braking

The Thar performed better than the Jimny even in the braking tests. Both models get disc brakes in the front and drum brakes at the rear, but the Thar managed to stop almost 4 metres (about the length of a Thar, interestingly)  ahead of the Jimny in the 100-0 kmph braking test. 

• Road Side Assistance

A similar result was seen in the 80-0 kmph test, where the stopping distance of the Thar was almost 3 metres less than that of the Jimny. It is worth noting that both cars were not tested together and these figures could have been impacted by different weather conditions. Also, both come with different types of tyres, with the Thar running on thicker all-weather treads that may have offered a small advantage in terms of grip.

Verdict

Based on the results of these performance tests, it is clear that if you want a more powerful and quicker off-road SUV, the Mahindra Thar should be your first choice. It performs better than the Maruti Jimny in both acceleration and braking tests, and also gets 2 diesel engine options. However, if you are looking for a more sensible option that can still perform well on off-road tracks, the Jimny would be a better option as it comes with the convenience of rear doors, a bigger boot, and better features.

The starting price of the petrol automatic variants of both Jimny and the Thar are similar. However, for this price, the Thar will come with a rear-wheel-drive powertrain. For the 4-wheel-drive Thar, you’ll have to pay more than Rs 1 lakh over the Jimny, which can be had for under Rs 15 lakh.

Read More on : Jimny on road price