The NEW Suzuki Jimny - Giant Killer

SUZUKI JIMNY

The ALL NEW Giant Killer

Forget the up and coming new Land Rover Defender, when Suzuki announced their new and totally updated Jimny, it was this that suddenly became the most anticipated 4x4 for the year, and for good reason.

From the outside it looks like a trendy little 4x4 that cuts a dash through a busy city centre and rural villages, but what it is isn’t as straightforward as you might think.

The Jimny is the only authentic off-roader that’s small and lightweight, but still retains the core off-road performance desired by professionals. That’s right, I said professionals. Everything about the new Jimny is built for professional use in mind, from the scratch and stain-resistant instrument panel, to its strong ladder chassis. The Jimny is to many, what the Unimog is to the forestry service, or a Wolf Defender is to the MOD - it’s a working 4x4 that’s uncompromising in its functionality and design.

There you have it, the new Jimny is actually more of a working 4x4 than urban trendy cruiser, bet you weren’t expecting that.

So, what hasn’t changed? All the best bits! Coils all around, a low ratio gearbox and a ladder chassis. Size wise it’s still small, it has a wheelbase of just over 88” and an overall length of 137”. It’s wider and taller, but 30mm shorter than the previous model, not that you’d notice.

On the road Before I begin, let’s reiterate a few things - it’s a proper 4x4 that’s designed for rugged and demanding off-road use, it isn’t a SUV with 4x4 capability that’s only suitable for a gentle green lane, or a sprinkling of snow whilst doing the weekly shop.

The Jimny is, was and always will be, an authentic 4x4 off-roader that will handle the harshest of conditions whilst making you look good, so if you’re used to driving 4x4s like Series Land Rovers, Defenders or G-Wagens then you’ll feel right at home. If on the other hand your daily ride is a small hatch or a largish family saloon, then you’re in for a surprise.

The new model has a 1.5 litre naturally aspirated four-cylinder

engine which is up from 1.3 litres in the previous car. It won’t set your heart racing, but it’s good enough. Having said that, get it up to 70mph, and the revs rise to 3,500rpm which creates a bit of a din, not from road noise, which is fairly well muted, but rather from the engine and gearbox.

I personally believe that Suzuki have dropped the ball here as the new Jimny only comes with a choice of either a 5 speed manual or 4 speed automatic gearbox (sadly I didn’t get to test the latter). It would be such a better ‘car’ if they’d fitted a 6 speed manual box - 5 years in development and no one realised this? It actually makes me a little bit angry as it’s such a cracking 4x4 that’s let down by something so obvious.

Don’t get me wrong, the 5 speed unit is smooth to change with good low end ratios, but you will find yourself reacfhing for the gearstick for that higher gear more often that you think. Speed wise, you’re better off sticking to around 50mph, this is where the little Zook appeared to be happiest.

Keeping on the negatives, the tyres are tall and skinny which equate to a slightly unsteady drive when faced with wet and twisty corners - wider rubber would transform its on road prowess I reckon.

Despite my moans, it drives much better than the previous model, which is no surprise given the amount of development time it’s had. It didn’t wallow too much around corners,

the steering is well balanced and it stopped well too. As I mentioned, stick to between 50-60mph and it will serve you well, but just remember when you’re bombing around corners that it’s on tall skinny tyres!

Off-road The Jimny incorporates the four essentials for serious offroading - a ladder frame chassis, 3-link rigid axle suspension with coil springs, a part-time 4WD system with a low range transfer gear and, of course, let’s not forget about Suzuki’s ALLGRIP PRO.

There isn’t really much to write about here, if you’ve ever been off-roadin a Jimny you will be acutely aware of how capable they are, whether that’s in standard form or modified.

Slotting the transfer box into low box (that’s right, no silly buttons to press, you get a proper gearstick) and edging towards the off-road course at Stoneleigh Show Ground, my main concern was that the course would be safe and nonchallenging. Thankfully I was wrong. Although a short course, it consisted of steep hills, long descents, ruts, mud and tight turns. Honestly, my photos don’t do it justice. Even though the course was challenging, it wasn’t challenging enough to trouble the little Jimny.

Another thing I did pick up on, both on and off road, was how good the steering felt. Apparently this is down to a new

steering damper on the front suspension that minimises steering wheel vibration and kickback; it certainly worked well whilst traversing some of the gnarly holes off-road.

The ample 37º approach, 28º ramp breakover and 49º departure angles allow the Jimny to climb over obstacles and steep hills without scraping its bumpers or underbody. Of course, I expect new owners to fit larger tyres and suspension lifts pretty much the moment they leave the showroom - I know I would!

Keeping the revs to around 2,500 meant that we climbed everything with just the right amount of momentum and power. The occasional time when we lost grip it took less than a second for Suzuki’s ALLGRIP PRO to figure things out and send the power to the right tyres to get us moving again.

front seats remain comfortable and supportive, and slide them forward and I can actually get into the rear! The interior of the new Jimny is straightforward, practical and down-to-earth. Although on first look it’s a little busy, what with the 7” screen, but once you’re on the move there is little to distract you from driving.

Everything works and is well placed, and being a proper offroad working 4x4, the switches are big so that they can be used whilst the driver, or passenger is wearing gloves. With more upright A-pillars and flat clamshell bonnet, visibility up front is epic, while the dipped driver and passenger window

Interior Even as a 6ft 1”, 19 stone fat bloke, I didn’t find the driving position of the previous model too bad, my only problems were the lack of steering wheel adjustment, and the amount of slippery plastic on which nothing would keep still. I once tackled a 7 hour round trip to south Wales in one, and was mightily impressed by its on-road manners, all things considered.

The driving position is pretty much the same as before, though, thankfully, the steering wheel is now adjustable. The

lines expand visibility from the side windows. Rear seat passenger experience could be improved slightly by offering side opening rear windows, as it can get a bit stuffy in the back, I’m told.

Moving to further back, because the rear lamps have moved into the bumper you now get a wider rear door opening. Rear luggage space can be expanded from almost zero to 377 litres of openness by folding the rear seats down, which is 53 litres larger than its predecessor.

As you see from the photo, once the rear seats are folded the rear is pretty much flat all the way across. It’s a thing of practical beauty. The quarter trims and seats have been carefully designed to increase storage width, and the backs of the rear seats, as well as the rest of the floor are coated with plastic for easy dirt and stain removal. Look closely, and on each side just under the side windows there are 5 utility screw holes along with four luggage hook screw holes around the floor area for flexible usage of the luggage space.

Safety Stuff and gizmos Although the new Jimmy only comes with a Euro NCAP rating of 3, Suzuki have stuffed it with plenty of safety features and technology that helps the driver avoid accidents.

As well as Dual Sensor Brake Support (DSBS), you get Emergency Stop Signal, ESP, impact absorbing body, tyre pressure monitoring system, 6 SRS Airbags and a pedestrian injury mitigation body.

There’s also lane departure warning and weaving alert function to help the driver keep alert, and high beam assist which helps night driving by automatically switching the high and low beams. Have I mentioned traffic sign recognition monitors? Those are available to, as well as Hill Hold Control and Hill Decent Control.

The new Jimny comes in two flavours, SZ4 and SZ5. With the SZ4 you get CD Tuner, Bluetooth connectivity, cruise control and front fog lamps. Moving up a level to SZ5 adds 15-inch alloy wheels, LED Headlights, Climate Control, Navigation with Smartphone link, rear privacy glass, heated front seats and body coloured door handles.

Engine ’n’ gearbox As I mentioned above, the former 1.3-litre engine has been binned, and replaced by a 1.5-litre engine which delivers stronger torque than its predecessor, and churns out around 98bhp.

Manual - 41.5mpg combined - 90mph - C02 = 154 g/km

Automatic - 37.7mpg combined - 87mph - C02 = 170 g/km

One of the more surprising snippets is that there is no diesel version planned, though that shouldn’t come as a surprise as Suzuki have cut all diesel options from their line-up.

Colours There are six body colours to choose from, including a new colour developed exclusively for the all-new Jimny: a highvisibility ‘Kinetic Yellow’ which is designed to stand out in bad weather or on worksites. If I was going for one it would have to be the blue with blue/black roof.

SZ4 & SZ5 colours - Superior White, Silky Silver Metallic, Blueish Black Pearl Metallic

SZ5 ONLY colours - Kinetic Yellow, Chiffon Ivory Pearl Metallic, Brisk Blue Metallic - all SZ5 body colours feature a Blueish Black Pearl Metallic roof colour.

Conclusion Despite my frustration about the of the lack of a 6 speed gearbox, I would still have one in a heartbeat. I would fit a roof rack, slightly larger tyres, a mild suspension lift and you wouldn’t see me for dust. I’d be off exploring every green-lane in the UK.

Suzuki have done a stirling job, not only does it look great, but it drives well too. Unfortunately they do have quite a significant problem on their hands, and that problem is supply - they can’t make enough of ‘em!

The Jimny starts from £15,499 for the entry-level SZ4 rising to £17,999 for the top spec SZ5. If you want the 4 speed automatic, just add an extra £1,000 onto those prices.

Website: www.cars.suzuki.co.uk/new-cars/jimny