Road Test: Suzuki Jimny

I read recently that four women were arrested by the religious police in the Red Sea city of Jeddah. Why were they arrested? Was it because they were driving dangerously? Were they driving a Suzuki Jimny in a land where only Land Cruisers and Range Rover Vogues rule the roost? It turns out the women were arrested and taken into custody for driving. Yes, driving. They all had an international driving licence, but they are banned from driving locally.

As harsh as that sounds, the idea has merit. In fact, I’d happily be in charge of banning certain drivers in South Africa. I’ll start with taxi drivers. Then, anyone wearing a hat and drivers of smokey Toyota Tazz’s. Then anyone in the right hand lane for no apparent reason. Followed swiftly by people who can’t stop at robots without creeping forward. Happily, I would not ban Suzuki Jimny drivers, because they at least have chosen a car that has a degree of integrity about it. The Jimny is not pretending to be anything other than what it is. What it is, is the cheapest 4×4 in South Africa. And it has a real history too.

Suzuki four wheel drive cars trace their roots back to 1968. After some fiddling about, Suzuki produced their first proper 4×4 in 1970. It was air cooled and packed a full 359 cc, two-stroke, two-cylinder engine. It was very, very slow. Lots of development time and money later, we are now presented with the oddly named Jimny 1.3 4×4.

Staying true to its roots, the Jimny has been altered remarkably little over the years. But it does have a new 1.3-litre 16-valve petrol engine with variable valve timing; a freshened-up dashboard and minor trim updates. But, in essence, the latest Jimny appears to be much the same as it’s ever been. So does that automatically make the Jimny hopelessly outclassed and not worthy of consideration against its more modern competitors? Nope. Far from it, in fact. This is a ‘proper’ 4×4 for a bargain price. It’s not short on equipment either. It’s got air-con, remote central locking, alloy wheels, electrically-operated mirrors and windows, low range ‘box and a CD-player.

All this does not completely disguise the Jimny’s on-road shortcomings, however. It lurches alarmingly on mildly winding roads and causes you to clench your buttocks in an unseemly way when cornering at over 60 km/h. Its high centre of gravity (1 705 mm in overall height) and short wheel base sees to that. Having said that, the coil-sprung suspension does a decent job of maintaining control; you’d have to be a bit silly in order to get into very serious trouble normal conditions.

Compared with a brand new supermini, the Jimny’s performance is, well, gradual, as it reaches 100 km/h from standstill in 14.1 seconds. Its handling is compromised, its gear change is ‘notchy’ and ride quality is thrashy, but all of that’s to be expected, because this is a 4×4 of the old school. Fear not, however, as the Jimny has some major advantages when the going gets rough.

Armed with some rudimentary braai equipment and two teenaged sons, I set off for Melkbos 4×4 Centre on the West Coast. The mission? To see if we could get the Jimny stuck in the thick sand, just like we managed to do in the horrid Hummer recently. After deflating the tyres and removing items that would concuss passengers, we set off around the sandy track. Wow, this little Jimny really is an impressive off-roader. Select low-ratio all-wheel drive (via dashboard-mounted buttons) and make the most of its eager nature and almost unstoppable feel. Even with its normal road tyres in place, the Jimny performed some impressive feats, despite its lack of low-down torque, just 110 Nm at 4 100 r/min. We were amazed at just how capable it was, even in the most inhospitable terrain.

The car was a practical machine in other ways too. It is not spacious, but it is still a reasonable four seater, with a small boot area for bits and bobs. Treat it as a two-seater though and you’ll be rewarded with a very useable and practical load lugger.

The Jimny isn’t – and never has been – the 4×4 for everyone. It’s too small for many buyers, while others aren’t prepared to accept its on-road compromises, despite the latest version being pleasant enough to use on a daily basis. The 300 km round trip to the off-road centre was achieved without backache or mutiny from my passengers. It’s the very fact that the Jimny doesn’t try to be the perfect transport for every buyer that makes me appreciate this long-serving workhorse all the more. It’s an eager and energetic little rascal, ready for hard work and when the time comes to tackle tough terrain, it will rise to the challenge without protest.

Jimny’s attract a very loyal following and understandably so. No other 4×4 on sale today offers the same level of off-road ability, charm and value for money that this little Suzuki provides at the turn of a key. We can only hope that its eventual successor doesn’t go the ‘crossover’ route in order to appeal to a more general audience. The thought of ‘those women’ driving Jimny crossovers in Jeddah will not move their very worthy cause one jot forward if they do.

What we like…

• It’s honest nature.
• Bullet proof mechanical construction.
• You won’t get speeding fines.

What we would like…

• Constant evolution. No Jimny Cross-overs please.
• A bit less choppiness on normal roads.
• A louder stereo to drown the drive-train noise.

Richard Webb is the publisher of Blower, South Africa’s longest running car magazine and contributor to SACarFan.

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