Maruti Gypsy
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The Maruti Suzuki Gypsy is a
four-wheel-drive A four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 ("four by four") or 4WD, is a two-axled vehicle drivetrain capable of providing torque to all of its wheels simultaneously. It may be full-time or on-demand, and is typically linked via a transfer case provi ...
vehicle based on the long wheelbase Suzuki Jimny SJ40/410 series. It was built at Maruti Suzuki's
Gurgaon, India Gurgaon (), officially named Gurugram (), is a satellite city of Delhi and administrative headquarters of Gurgaon district, located in the northern Indian state of Haryana. It is situated near the Delhi–Haryana border, about southwest o ...
plant. It was primarily built as an off-road vehicle with selectable 4WD. It was extremely popular with the
Indian Armed Forces The Indian Armed Forces are the armed forces, military forces of the India, Republic of India. It consists of three professional uniformed services: the Indian Army, the Indian Navy, and the Indian Air Force.—— Additionally, the Indian Ar ...
and the Police & Law enforcement in India. Official production came to an end in 2018 due to stringent emissions and safety standards. However,
Maruti Suzuki Maruti Suzuki India Limited is a publicly listed Indian subsidiary of Japanese automaker Suzuki Motor Corporation. It is the largest automobile manufacturer in India, specialising in small cars. The company was established by the Government ...
has not dismantled the production line and is still producing the Gypsy in batches specifically for the
Indian Armed Forces The Indian Armed Forces are the armed forces, military forces of the India, Republic of India. It consists of three professional uniformed services: the Indian Army, the Indian Navy, and the Indian Air Force.—— Additionally, the Indian Ar ...
, providing spares and service owing to the significant number of vehicles still in service within the Armed Forces and Law Enforcement.


History

Maruti Gypsy was introduced in the Indian market in December 1985 with the 970 cc F10A Suzuki engine and while sales were never very high it became very popular with law enforcement. It was codenamed MG410, which stood for "Maruti Gypsy 4-cylinder 1.0-litre engine". Initially, it was only available as a soft-top; but a bolt on hardtop was later introduced to the public after the aftermarket hardtops became popular. It instantly replaced
Premier Padmini The Premier Padmini was a four-seat saloon manufactured in India from 1964 to 2001 by Premier Automobiles Limited, a division of the Walchand Group, under licence from Fiat and marketed initially as the ''Fiat 1100 Delight'' — and from 197 ...
as the quintessential Indian
rally car Rallying is a wide-ranging form of motorsport with various competitive motoring elements such as speed tests (sometimes called "rally racing" in United States), navigation tests, or the ability to reach waypoints or a destination at a prescribed ...
due to its performance, reliability, tunability and the go-anywhere capability. The carburetted F10A engine made and was mated to a four-speed gearbox. The 4WD transfer case had two speeds. It had a freewheeling mechanism on the front axles made by
Aisin is a Japanese corporation that develops and produces components and systems for the automotive industry. Aisin is a Fortune Global 500 company, ranked 359 rankings. Aisin is a member of the Toyota Group of companies. Aisin was founded in 1965 ...
to unlock the front axles from the hub when 4WD is not used; It reduced rolling resistance, thereby improving
fuel efficiency Fuel efficiency (or fuel economy) is a form of thermal efficiency, meaning the ratio of effort to result of a process that converts chemical energy, chemical potential energy contained in a carrier (fuel) into kinetic energy or Mechanical work, w ...
. However, many owners of the Gypsy who constantly complained about the poor fuel consumption never knew about this novel feature. The two major complaints of the vehicle in the civilian market were poor fuel consumption and poor ride quality especially in the rear seats. The suspension was indeed harsh with live axles and leaf springs all around. It features almost no creature comforts, like power-windows and power-assisted steering. In July 1993, Maruti Suzuki introduced the "widetrack Gypsy" codenamed "MG410W" replacing the MG410. Both front and rear track of the wheels are increased by 90mm (from to for front wheels and from to for rear wheels) and these Gypsys are instantly recognizable by the pronounced painted fender flares. This is to mitigate an international allegation that Suzuki SUVs are very susceptible to rollover. Maruti eliminated the
Aisin is a Japanese corporation that develops and produces components and systems for the automotive industry. Aisin is a Fortune Global 500 company, ranked 359 rankings. Aisin is a member of the Toyota Group of companies. Aisin was founded in 1965 ...
freewheeling hub on this model since it was sparingly used by MG410 owners. In April 1995, a catalytic converter was fitted to the Gypsys sold in the metro cities to comply with newly introduced emission standards. In June 1996, Maruti Suzuki added the engine from the Esteem. The new engine was the all-aluminium eight-valve G13BA engine displacing 1.3L and made . This engine was carburetted unlike the US market G13BA engine. It was mated to a new five-speed gearbox. It was codenamed "MG413W" and called the "Gypsy King". The F10A-engined 4-speed MG410W continued in production as a base model until 2000. The visual differences of the Gypsy King compared to the MG410W are the pronounced bulge on the hood and a completely different grille design with horizontal slats à la the 1.3L Suzuki Jimny/Samurai JA51. Front seats received head restraints and fabric upholstery. In March 2000, Maruti Suzuki introduced the 16-Valve MPFI G13BB engine and power was increased to . The MPFI Gypsy King received a brake booster as well. The Gypsy was exported to countries like Chile and Kenya. Within Europe, it is most often found in
Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...
. In contrast to
Suzuki Jimny The is a series of four-wheel drive off-road vehicle, off-road Mini sport utility vehicle, mini SUVs, manufactured and marketed by Japanese automaker Suzuki since 1970. Originally belonging to the Kei car, kei class, Japan's light automobile t ...
, the Gypsy is available either with four bucket seats or rear bench seats and a sizable trunk. Currently, the Gypsy is available as a "soft top", "hard top" and as an "
ambulance An ambulance is a medically-equipped vehicle used to transport patients to treatment facilities, such as hospitals. Typically, out-of-hospital medical care is provided to the patient during the transport. Ambulances are used to respond to ...
car". In India, it is widely used by the police and military forces. In fact, the MG413W model is now the mainstay of the Indian Army. In civilian use, the Gypsy is a popular choice as a low-cost SUV and is a common sight at rally and autocross events. As quoted by Autocar India, "There is nothing that can touch a Gypsy off the road, except perhaps an Arjun battle tank. The trouble is that everything else does better on the road - the ride from the archaic leaf springs all round is horribly bumpy and the interiors are utilitarian as well. Gypsy in a loaded condition (>200 kg load) is more comfortable. And available with only two doors, its inconvenient too." The price of a new Maruti Gypsy, if purchased in
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
, is US$11,250 (6,00,000 INR in 2012). As a 4x4 at this price point, its only Indian competitors are sold by
Mahindra Thar The Mahindra Thar is a compact SUV manufactured by Indian automaker Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd. It was introduced on October 4, 2010 and replaced the Mahindra Major. Background Named after the Thar Desert, Thar was first introduced in 2010 as a m ...
and
Force Gurkha The Force Gurkha is a compact SUV produced by Indian manufacturer Force Motors. The original and second generation Gurkha are produced as two-door SUVs with options of a removable hard or soft top. Standard equipment includes mechanical differe ...
. As of 2010, the Gypsy is only available against an order with an advance payment and a waiting period of over 3 months. This has led to the creation of a strong market for used Maruti Gypsys. In addition to the above refurbished Gypsies retrofitted with Nissan or Isuzu diesel engines are also available in some parts of India, although this practice is still limited to unorganised market and there are some issues with RTO registration with retrofitted engines. Production of the Maruti Gypsy for civilians stopped in March 2019. However Gypsy is still in production for defence. Bookings from civilians were taken till December 2018 and were delivered by March 2019.


New Zealand

In 2013 Suzuki New Zealand introduced the Gypsy King into New Zealand badged as the Suzuki Farm Worker 4x4. Although sold as a Suzuki, with Suzuki script badges on the bonnet and tailgate, the Maruti Suzuki logo badge can clearly be seen in the centre of the radiator grille. The vehicle is powered by the G13BB 1.3-litre 16-valve engine producing at 6000 rpm and of torque at 4500 rpm, and mated to a five-speed all synchromesh gearbox and a high/low two-wheel-drive/4 wd transfer box. The Farm Worker is available in four slightly differing styles all based on the lwb softtop platform with a maximum payload of 500 kg: two having a rear window and fibreglass bulkhead, and two having canvas roofs with foldable front windscreens. No hardtop versions are available. As its name suggests, the Farm Worker is intended for farm work only and is not able to be road registered, and therefore not able to be driven on public roads, due to the vehicle not meeting current New Zealand crash protection regulations. Suzuki New Zealand stopped listing the Farm Worker on their website in August 2016.


Technical data

Maruti Suzuki MG413W "Gypsy King" Dimensions *Front track *Rear track *Kerb weight 985 kg/1, 040 kg* *Gross vehicle weight 1585 kg/1,620 kg* Engine *Type G13BB MPFI 16-valve gasoline *Cylinders 4 *Displacement 1298 cc *Maximum power @6000 rpm *Maximum torque @ 4500 rpm *Transmission type Five forward (all synchromesh), one reverse *Transfer gearbox Two-speed *Type constant mesh *Transfer gear ratio High : 1.409; Low : 2.268 *Suspension Front and rear leaf springs with double action dampers Brakes with booster *Front Disc 250 mm *Rear Drum 220 mm *Tyres F78-15-4 PR 205/70R15 Capacities *Fuel tank *Engine oil


References


External links

* - Maruti Suzuki Gypsy official website {{Cars in India
Gypsy {{Infobox ethnic group , group = Romani people , image = , image_caption = , flag = Roma flag.svg , flag_caption = Romani flag created in 1933 and accepted at the 1971 World Romani Congress , po ...
OEM Suzuki vehicles Off-road vehicles Cars introduced in 1985 Cars discontinued in 2018