Long before other
Suzuki luminaries such as the
Swift and
Grand Vitara, there was
Jimny. More accurately, there was the
LJ series of
off-road cars based on imported
Jeeps, which later morphed to
Jimny. The
Jimny brand has been around since 1970, and
the new car which was launched in Mzansi in late 2018,
replaces one that has been in the market since 1998.
From what I experienced while driving it,
Suzuki has hit a gold mine again. In fact,
sales figures confirm this: during. the past three months, Jimny has averaged about 110 units a month. I should probably get the bad news out of the way first.
One, the all-new
Jimny is
certainly not a family vehicle.
It either carries four/five people or two with luggage, not both. For anything larger than two average sports bags or backpacks, you need to
fold the rear seats flat. Fortunately, they can do this easily. So it’s extremely
compact.
Two,
the 4-speed automatic is archaic, as functional as it is in traffic.
Three,
it is not open-road friendly. The suspension is soft, geared for off-road driving, and feels wobbly at higher speeds. Luckily
top speed is only 150km/h. Do not take sharp curves fast.
For the good news. The
Jimny is extremely attractive to the eye. In fact, to both eyes.
The two main headlights – halogen standard – dominate the front end, alongside the 5-slat grille.
The second part of that grille takes foglights and a black bumper. Sure,
Suzuki could have given it the modern colour -coded treatment, but this is
Jimny.
A born off-roader. Side views show just how small
it is – at 3.62 metres long, with the rear passengers practically touching shoulders while sitting on the rear wheels, thanks to the
1.6m width.
Ground clearance is some 21cm, while
standard wheels are 15-inch steel types.
There is an
alloy option available as well.
Jimny is also
deliberately boxy or dinky, giving it
a strong and masculine look in a world where SUV's are going for the softer demeanour. On the
side-opening rear door is the
spare wheel.
Suzuki SA sells
two trim levels for the car, namely the
GA and the higher-spec
GLX. Buyers can choose between
three dual-tone and
five single-tone colours, including my favourites,
Kinetic Yellow and
Brisk Blue Metallic. There are
two transmissions to pick from, which is the
5-speed manual and the aforementioned
4-speed automatic with “overdrive”.
Both specs come standard with the patented ALLGRIP PRO mechanical 4×4 system, which
can shift the car from 4×2 to 4×4 to 4×4 low range using the
old school “baby” gear lever. Paired to these boxes is a
naturally aspirated 1.5-litre motor,
replacing the older 1.3-litre.Maximum power is 75kW at 6 000rpm, while
torque is rated at 130Nm at 4 000rpm. These figures may look short, but they are quite adequate for daily driving. I drove both
manual and
automatic and felt the
manual worked better under normal road conditions, while the
automatic excelledin the bush and forest. And this is coming from a fan of the
automatic.
Speaking of
off-road,
Jimny is perhaps the
most brilliant off-road vehicle I have driven this year. It is exceptionally capable. With an
approach angle of 37-degrees and a
departure angle of 49-degrees, one is constantly being dared to get off the tarmac and explore, even if it only means climbing on suburban pavements or open public spaces. I have driven it through a dense and mostly wet
Mpumalanga forest, where the car really immersed itself with nature, taking on steep hills, driving uphill over wet pebbles, dipping into mud, and so on. Not once did it complain or fail.
Strides have also been made to the car’s interior, especially when it comes to current features. These include a
new 17.8cm touch screen infotainment system with Bluetooth,
USB, and auxiliary connection among others. Yes, it also plays the
radio. Standard is
air conditioning,
power steering,
ABS,
Hill Descent control,
ESP and
front airbags. These are all standard in the
GA. The
GLX adds items like
cruise control,
LED lights,
electric windows and side mirrors, amongst and others.
The little
Jimny will not be everything to everyone, especially those looking for space and/or speed. But
it will certainly be all things to buyers looking for
a very compact, reasonably-priced new urban SUV
with exceptional 4×4 off-road capabilities and a modern, tight cabin. I would certainly recommend it to
them.
