Maruti Jimny 4X4 vs Maruti Grand Vitara AWD: A Battle Off The Road

When we talk about an off-roader or go-anywhere vehicle from the Maruti stable, the Jimny is the obvious first thought. However, we often overlook another AWD offering from Maruti: the Grand Vitara. Now, you might argue that the Jimny’s robust 4WD drivetrain is superior to the Grand Vitara’s AWD system. But how does one tell the difference without pitching them side-by-side? That is what we decided to do, by testing both SUVs on a series of off-road obstacles, to find out how well they stand to what they claim.

Challenge 1: The Rock Crawl

Crawling over a rock bed is a matter of having ample ground clearance and a suspension tune that does not let the underbody get damaged. Luckily, both the Jimny and Grand Vitara made it easily to the other side of this obstacle. However, the Jimny did offer more freedom to the driver with a higher ground clearance, whereas the Grand Vitara had to be driven a little carefully, to save the bumper lip from scraping on the rocks. 

Challenge 2: Climbing The Hump

In this obstacle, the SUVs are required to climb a steep hump from a deep pit to the top. This challenging segment of the trail demands not only proper traction from the tyres but also sufficient torque from the SUVs to tackle the steep incline. We tested both Jimny and Grand Vitara on this track in different driving modes and varying course conditions.

Dry weather: When the conditions were dry, the incline was less about the grip, and more about the engine’s capability to pull the car up. The Jimny was able to reach the top in rear-wheel-drive mode without much struggle and only some wheelspin. We then attempted this challenge by switching the Jimny to 4-High, engaging the front axle too for better grip. With the 4x4 engaged -- the climb up the hill was as easy as driving down the road. 

The Grand Vitara is a front-wheel-drive SUV by default. To lock it in AWD, you need to switch to Snow mode and then lock the AWD. With this engaged, we attempted the course. In the approach, you need to be careful and drive slowly because the bumper might scrape, and then quickly build momentum to start the climb. Halfway through, the Grand Vitara’s engine started dropping revs and stalled. It did not have the required torque to get the car up the hill. In our second attempt, we had to slip the clutch to keep the revs high and with that, the GV made it up the hill.

Wet Patch: The wet conditions posed a significant challenge for both SUVs, particularly the Grand Vitara. The tyres could easily lose grip, leading to loss of traction.

This time around, we put the Jimny in 4-Low, for a slower and more controlled approach. While there was still wheelspin involved, there was enough traction to keep the SUV going. The Jimny, once again, made it up the hill in a single attempt. 

On the other hand, the Grand Vitara was a challenge. While the all-wheel drive (AWD) system was giving it enough traction even on the slippier slush to make it up, the engine was continuously cutting down the revs and stalling. After two attempts, we had to jump the clutch multiple times to keep the revs up, and with that the Grand Vitara somehow passed the challenge.

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Challenge 3: Down The Hill

The downhill challenge essentially evaluates the hill descent control feature, particularly when the path is wet. Thanks to its compact size, managing the Jimny was considerably easier than the Grand Vitara. The Grand Vitara’s approach angle is not the most impressive and hence needed more caution with this challenge. 

We observed that despite engaging the HDC (hill descent control), both cars were still sliding and struggling to maintain control due to the steep and wet incline. The brakes were locking up, causing both SUVs to slide and tilt a bit. However, both of them went safely down the slippery slope. 

Challenge 4: Nature’s Speedbreaker

The term "speedbreaker" here isn't simply about reducing speed and crossing over. These humps are substantial enough to present an articulation challenge for both SUVs. Along this route, there were two specific bumps: one being too narrow, which one side of the car needed to go over, and the other being a hump that demanded all four wheels pass over it.

For this challenge, we engaged the Jimny in 4-High, allowing it to smoothly overcome both bumps with minimal strain on the engine. The rear wheel shows a great degree of articulation here, helping the Jimny to easily go over this bump. The Grand Vitara, on other hand, was again locked into snow mode to distribute power to all four wheels. However, it encountered difficulty on the first bump, repeatedly stalling. It successfully surmounted the obstacle after a few attempts and more momentum, all without scraping the side skirt. The second bump was just like a big speedbreaker, and so was hardly a bother for the Grand Vitara. While it did bottom out, the soft mud meant there was no reason to worry. 

Challenge 5: The Step Up 

This challenge consisted of a very slippery incline which had two steps. To add to the challenge, two sizable rocks were present on either side of the course which were capable of causing serious damage to the vehicles. So while this obstacle needed momentum to overcome, choosing the right line and not letting the SUV slide was equally essential. 

Starting with the Jimny, the first two attempts were slightly slower, to understand the line. But the incline was so slippery that the car would just slide down. Finally, utilising momentum, the Jimny somehow navigated and overcame the challenge, coming very close to the boulder on the right side.

The Grand Vitara, with its big size, was not just losing traction on that wet surface but was also sliding towards that big rock. After a few tries, we decided to abandon the attempt as we were certain that adding momentum would end us hitting the boulder. 

Challenge 6: The Slush Pit

Slush pits are risky to begin with, more so when they are completely filled with water. Surprisingly, both SUVs went through it unbothered. In fact, this is where the Grand Vitara’s AWD system shines, by providing the right amount of power to each wheel to keep it more stable and continue in a straight line. 

Verdict

So, the verdict is simple: the Jimny proves to be a superior off-roader than the Grand Vitara. But that was never the question. The question was: how close can the Grand Vitara AWD come to the Jimny. And in that regard, the Grand Vitara has earned our respect.

The Jimny is equipped with a proper 4X4 drivetrain, sharp approach, departure and breakover angles, and its light weight adds more to its hardcore off-road capabilities. However, the Grand Vitara is a regular family SUV with all-wheel-drive capability. So for it to come to a course like this and so closely follow the Jimny is commendable! 

However, the Grand Vitara could have done even better with a few tweeks. Firstly, swap the regular highway tyres with all-terrain tyres, and the AWD system will be able to provide much better traction. And secondly, it needs a better engine. Even when the AWD delivered enough traction to the wheels, the engine just fell flat and there was a noticeable shortfall in engine power to climb inclines. Get these right, Maruti, and you’ll have another very capable off-roader in the fleet.