By Karl Peskett.
In 2007, a couple of intrepid explorers decided to see how far their little car could go. It was a 1984 Suzuki Samurai, and the pair ascended a volcano in the Chilean Andes, climbing to a height farther than any vehicle had ever reached.
Jeep had previously set the record for the highest altitude reached by a car, and promptly erected a sign to mark the occasion. But the pair driving the Suzuki surpassed the Jeep’s height, reaching the peak at 6,688 metres above sea level.
On the way down, they took the Jeep sign with them as proof. Such is the tenacity of the little Suzuki.
It’s this sort of heritage that Suzuki Australia is banking on for the latest iteration of its diminutive 4×4.
The new Jimny was launched last week, and we were invited to sample it on home soil. But there wouldn’t be any blacktop driving this time. Instead, it was a full off-road course to prove that the little off-roader has got what it takes to stay with the big boys.
It has been styled to look like a Jimny should, with plenty of nods to previous generations, creating a squared-off mini G-Wagen shape. It’s both functional and fun, and it won’t be mistaken for anything else on the road.
Sure, it may look unforgiving, with a lack of curves and crumple zones (which doesn’t help its three-star ANCAP rating), but it’s also unapologetic, which is why it gets so much respect.
The interior is fashioned in the same way – usable and functional. There’s an obligatory grab handle for passengers, and the grained finish of the dashtop and other plastics is scratch and stain-resistant.
In the centre is a 7.0-inch infotainment which has both Apple Car Play and Android Auto. Australian-delivered Jimnys get satnav and a reversing camera fitted as standard. The touchscreen uses infrared touch sensors so even if you’re wearing gloves it still responds.
There’s automatic climate control, cruise control, and Bluetooth included. But that’s where the electronics end. The rest of it is all operated manually.
The front seats can lay flat, and the back seats flip down to create a large load space. If you then remove the front seat headrests, you can fold them all the way flat to match up with the back – yes, you’ve just created your own bed.
Open the bonnet and you’ll find a new 1.5-litre engine which is more powerful but lighter than the outgoing 1.3-litre motor. It may only make 75kW and 130Nm but because it only weighs 1075kg in manual form, it doesn’t need that much power. And if you want an automatic, you can have that, too (it weighs an extra 15 kg).
Of course, having a low-powered engine in a lightweight car means it’s good on fuel, with Suzuki saying it does 6.4L/100km for the manual and 6.9L/100km for the auto.
As a proper SUV, the Jimny gets a ladder frame, and it has two extra cross members for reinforcement plus an X-style cross member for more rigidity. Connected to the chassis are two three-link rigid axles front and back.
And that’s why this thing has such good grip off road. When one wheel is being pushed up, the other is forced down, giving more push into the surface. And with our off road course, we can attest, it is extremely capable.
On 30 degree concrete inclines, it had no issues powering up and then using hill descent control to slow you on the way down. Even in deep ruts it wasn’t phased. We did river crossings, climbing up gullys, and heading down hills with one wheel dangling in the air. It’s hard to envisage a situation where it would become stuck.
In fact, you get a choice of trying it in four high and letting traction control help you up, or putting it in four low (which disables the traction control) and allowing its immense physical grip do the work. Either way, you’re getting up the hill no matter what.
We did find that on some of the moguls we went over that the suspension got into a bouncy rhythm, and the body control wasn’t quite as tight as hoped for, but that simply means it’s quite comfortable. And it’s worth bearing in mind that we tackled the course on road pressures, so even further gains are possible by letting the tyres down slightly.
Okay, there are negatives. The boot is tiny, the seat height isn’t adjustable and neither is the steering wheel for reach. But this isn’t a luxury machine. It’s a no-nonsense, cheap, four-wheel-drive which will take you virtually anywhere your heart desires. You just won’t be able to do it with five people on board.
It’s a truly impressive machine and easily the most capable off roader at this price point. In fact, you’ll have to pay double to end up somewhere near a Jeep.
But as the Chileans proved, that may not be worthwhile anyway. For the same price as one Wrangler you’d be better off with two Jimnys.
