Suzuki Jimny SZ5
Discussion
Gummi said:
Such a cool little car! I'm seriously considering getting one of these to repalce my Z4C. How is it in the motorway and can you get a bike in it?
How many miles do you plan on doing in it? My milage would be about 12k per year, much of it schlepping up and down the M40.
I've not been on the motorway yet, although done some dual carriage way. It'll happily sit at 60/65mph no probs and not really that unhappy at 70mph, although you are over 3000rpm by then.How many miles do you plan on doing in it? My milage would be about 12k per year, much of it schlepping up and down the M40.
Edited by Gummi on Friday 14th February 15:02
Edited by Gummi on Friday 14th February 15:02
I'd say it is no worse than my 2017 Smart ForTwo was, or most hatchbacks I've been in tbh. But I accept it is not a motorway cruiser and is far more happy on country lanes.
Great car, you will love it. We’ve had ours for 12 months/15k miles and it’s been great. We contacted the dealer in December 2018 and was fourth on the waiting list (the dealer had 3 available for the first 6 months). Somebody dropped out and we were allocated a silver base model (we really wanted black) for March delivery; we then got a call in January to say they had a black one in stock for immediate delivery if we wanted to go ahead, which was perfect.
The lack of a 6th gear is annoying when travelling above 60, but I am happy just sitting at 65 on a motorway with it. As previously mentioned the residuals will be rock solid for some time to come as it has now been confirmed that Suzuki UK will only get a small allocation for the next year due to emission regulations, and a commercial variant will follow (exempt). We’ve had a change in circumstances since buying ours (a Vizsla puppy) and with the rear seats down and a dog cage it’s not very practical.....a Skoda Fabia estate beckons unfortunately....!
The lack of a 6th gear is annoying when travelling above 60, but I am happy just sitting at 65 on a motorway with it. As previously mentioned the residuals will be rock solid for some time to come as it has now been confirmed that Suzuki UK will only get a small allocation for the next year due to emission regulations, and a commercial variant will follow (exempt). We’ve had a change in circumstances since buying ours (a Vizsla puppy) and with the rear seats down and a dog cage it’s not very practical.....a Skoda Fabia estate beckons unfortunately....!
Fabulous car
I live in rural Leicestershire and the roads are rubbish round here and there’s lots of field roads. I’d happily buy one of these and keep it for an eternity.
In the next village there is a little Isuzu dealer and they do a roaring trade in D-maxs there are shed loads of them round here. Ideal for the rural life and the farming community.
If there was a local Suzuki dealer these would do very well indeed here.
I live in rural Leicestershire and the roads are rubbish round here and there’s lots of field roads. I’d happily buy one of these and keep it for an eternity.
In the next village there is a little Isuzu dealer and they do a roaring trade in D-maxs there are shed loads of them round here. Ideal for the rural life and the farming community.
If there was a local Suzuki dealer these would do very well indeed here.
300bhp/ton said:
Can't wait to get it off road, but think I'll wait until it is a little drier out. I'd like to underseal the car before getting it muddy.
Definitely a good idea if you're planning on keeping it long term. I had to replace the boot floor on mine after it rusted through. It's now happily serving time on the farm as a sort of UTV/Side by side runabout. I suspect this iteration of JImny will be the last unfortunately. Or at least a proper Jimny with solid axles and a ladder chassis.
I really love the Jimny. It is such a cool car. This one is a lovely colour and is used properly off road.
https://youtu.be/ZjeU1vEALRM
https://youtu.be/ZjeU1vEALRM
Master Bean said:
I really love the Jimny. It is such a cool car. This one is a lovely colour and is used properly off road.
https://youtu.be/ZjeU1vEALRM
I see what you did there https://youtu.be/ZjeU1vEALRM
Master Bean said:
I really love the Jimny. It is such a cool car. This one is a lovely colour and is used properly off road.
https://youtu.be/ZjeU1vEALRM
Many thanks. https://youtu.be/ZjeU1vEALRM
300bhp/ton said:
Gave it whirl off road today. Lots of fun, highly capable. But will need to address a few areas in due time.
Moderator edit: no YouTube links please.
The new Jimny is a brilliant car. I’d have a base model in either this colour or white on steelies.Moderator edit: no YouTube links please.
Edited by jeremyc on Saturday 22 February 18:56
BTW who’s is the boat tail Alfa Spider in the background?
This great! My sister in law was casting for new car options and I recommended this doe to her active lifestyle but she said it was too loud on the commute. The next month she got a job to which she could walk - bah!
Great write up and pictures, these are future classics for sure, especially with the new Defender's, ahem, 'looks'.
Great write up and pictures, these are future classics for sure, especially with the new Defender's, ahem, 'looks'.
lovey cars so wanted one, test drove one of the first in the uk, was ready to buy one, but then took one for a spin, all was well until i took it on the dual carrage way above 65.mph .. was, such a shame i think i cried as i wanted one so bad, but it just was useless above 65mph.. for what i needed it was never going to work but as a town car/runaround nothing cooler IMO utterly brilliant will get one in a few years for that purpose, but it seems with the stop of production to the uk, these little gems are gonna hold their money really well..
Edited by andyj007 on Friday 28th February 21:40
Living with a Jimny – The 2 week Road-test Review
I have had my Jimny for two weeks now. Yes, that’s right, it is mine. Undoubtedly this review will be slightly biased. However, having now spent 25 hours or more seat time and over 650 miles covered. I suspect I’m well placed to offer an initial opinion. Remember many motoring journalists may only get a few hours or a day with a vehicle to review it.
I’ll dive straight in and say it is an extremely pleasing and satisfying vehicle to pilot. It isn’t 100% perfect, but no car is. However, it is getting rather close for me, with only a few minor niggles or complaints.
This is purely an ‘on-road’ review at this stage. The vehicle will be going off road, but it has been far to wet and muddy to get something I own completely filthy off road. Therefore, an ‘off-road’ review will be following this article in due course.
The Jimny is an Ivory Chiffon SZ5 5-speed manual. Therefore, comes with all the toys offered in the UK for the Jimny. The interior is a very pleasant place to be, the seats are squishy, but very comfortable. They are also heated and will cook your behind, they really do get rather toasty. My previous daily driver, a Smart ForTwo Prime Sport of 2017 vintage also had superb heated seats, that also heated the lower portion of the seat back. Unfortunately, the Jimny seems confined to only heating the seat base. A shame for certain, but certainly not a deal breaker.
There is ample headroom in the Jimny, not that I worry about such things, being more akin to Richard Hammond in height than that of most average Britons. And there is also ample elbow room, provided you are of a regular girth. The Jimny’s external width is quite narrow, and therefore so is its interior. Large people may end up at rather close quarters to each other.
The rest of the cabin is airy and generally a pleasant place to be. The door trims are simple plastic but fit the character of the car. The dash top is of a very nice stippled material. Which would have gone well in other places in the interior. However, the interior is my only real complaint. Not in its materials though. Just a general lack of cubby storage. For instance, there is small tray below the dash in front of the gearstick. Conveniently placed near the only USB port. Hooray, somewhere to place your smartphone. Yet, alas no. The tray is fine for a decade old iPhone 5, but a modern larger phone does not fit. Come on Suzuki, how can you make such a basic error! It is unforgivable, well almost.
While on this subject, the lack of USB ports is also somewhat of a shame. There is a 12v power outlet next to the USB port and a second 12v socket in the boot, which will be handy for a cooler/fridge when out laning or similar. But in a modern car, you are likely to want maybe four or five USB ports; smartphone, passengers smartphone, iPad (for mapping duties when overlanding/laning), dashcam and so on. My only other niggle with the interior, which some might sight is petty are the sun visors. They leave a large gap between the left edge (right hand drive car) and the interior mirror. Allowing that pesky low sun at this time of year to easily shine right past.
The rest of the interior carries no complaints, the Jimny comes reasonably well specced with Cruise Control/Speed Limiter, Climate Control, leccy windows, heated mirrors and central dashboard touchscreen with in-built Navigation, DAB radio and Apple CarPlay support.
In terms of driver focused interior components. The steering wheel is a work of art. Thin rimmed, nice grippy material and very comfortable to hold and rotate. Lots of room for your fingers and easy to reach controls. It must be one of the nicest modern steering wheels I’ve had my hands on. Mercedes-Benz, please take note. I recently drove a brand new GLA and my lasting impression is what a ghastly, uncomfortable, horrid steering wheel it had, with absolutely nowhere to put your fingers!
The gearbox in the Jimny is a joy to behold too. The standard gearknob may not look all that pretty, but in the hand, it is comfortable to use. The gearbox itself is also one of the sweetest I have stirred. It makes you want to shift cogs, even if you don’t need too. The pedals are also well placed with sensible grippy pads, something I’m sure I will appreciate even more when off road and driving with muddy boots. The handbrake is also placed exactly where you hand lands, allowing you to easily use it without the need to look down to find it.
The boot is laughably small on these. But this should come as no surprise to anyone. The Jimny has two rows of seats and a longitudinal mounted engine. All packaged into a vehicle that is only 140” in long. Fortunately the rear seats fold down quickly and easily. Offering up a fairly large load area for such a small vehicle.
Enough of the interior, what is it like on the open road? Well, I have read many a review and comment posted across the inter-web. And I often see people saying things like skittering over bumps, rolling in corners, uncomfortable, crashy suspension and other such stereotypical nonsense many 4x4’s get associated with. However, I must wonder if some of these people have actually been in the vehicle they are claiming to be reviewing? As my personal experience couldn’t be further from this.
To give a little parody to this, on the day I collected my Jimny I also drove my then 2017 Smart ForTwo as well as a brand new Mercedes GLA200 (had 26 miles on the clock). Out of the three vehicles, the Jimny is easily the most comfortable and I’d argue rode nicer than the GLA did. The Mercedes was shod with massive alloys and low-profile tyres and every imperfection in the road, and I do mean every. Was transmitted into the cabin with a very audible “thump”. Which was felt throughout the entire car. The Jimny positively glides over the same roads. Yes, some may accuse me of being biased and having a personal stake in the Jimny. But at the end of the day, all I can do is report my findings and offer my opinion. And based on this, I’d rather ride in the archaic live axle vehicle, if comfort was a concern, despite popular opinion found across the internet.
I admit there are some rare occasions where a particular road surface does give a particular sensation, most likely due to the short wheelbase combined with live axles. However, I would still say the ride comfort is still very, very good. And if you are complaining about it, then you’d not like over 90% of the cars on the roads either. There really is nothing wrong at all with how they ride.
So, what about the handling I hear you ask? Well, here again I may be labelled as biased. Although, I’d much prefer to use the term experienced. I have grown up with 4x4’s. My first “car” was a Defender 90 way back in 1997. And since then I have owned a good number of 4-wheel drives from Land Rover and Jeep and driven many more besides. While not wanting to sound big headed, I suspect many people less familiar with off road vehicles simply don’t grasp that a live axle vehicle will feel somewhat different in the corners compared to a vehicle running independent suspension at each corner.
In direct regard to the Jimny, I have found it to be most pleasing and exciting out on the country roads. It handles really well and is a huge amount of fun. From the inside it certainly doesn’t feel like it is leaning and rolling excessively or uncontrollably. Which completely baffles me when people claim that it does. I’ll go as far to say, that I have enjoyed driving it as much as any sports car I’ve been in. In reality you won’t be making the same kind of progress or speed. But you’d never know you this from the driver’s seat unless looking at the speedo. You truly feel like you are flying along. For anyone experienced with how well a Defender 90 can tackle British B-roads, the Jimny drives in much the same way, but feels lighter and more nimble.
The steering may lack feedback for some, but the rest of the chassis communicates well and will reward a smooth driving style. To which the wonderful gearbox compliments this experience tenfold.
The engine is rather a peach too, on paper a 1.5 litre naturally aspirated inline 4 with only 100hp or so, doesn’t sound all that much. But it is super smooth, very characterful and will pull from nothing. Sub 1500rpm kind of nothing in any of the 5 forward gears.
With plenty of mid-range punch and will, unlike many modern turbo units happily, rev out to the red line. Obviously with only 100’ish bhp on tap, even for a vehicle weighing just over a tonne, the Jimny is never going to be a rocketship. That said, it actually has a respectable power to weight ratio when you look at certain sporty hatchbacks and sports cars from yesteryear. But here the Jimny has another party trick, the engine makes a surprisingly nice rumble above 3500rpm, one of the nicer sounding inline 4’s I’ve encountered. The engine has wonderful character and eagerness. This eagerness makes you believe and feel that it is accelerating far quicker than you actually are. Which is rather ideal out on the public roads and simply adds to the already high levels of fun. This is truly a vehicle to make you smile, while remaining at fairly sane and legal speeds.
On the subject of speed, the Jimny is no motorway cruiser. While it will happily sit at motorway speed; 70mph is nearing 3500rpm on the tacho and wind noise picks up too. However, sit at 60-65mph and it is very comfortable. But you need to change your mindset to simply not care about other cars buzzing past you. In reality you’ll probably get where you are going in almost the same time anyhow. And more than likely you’ll be doing it with a bigger smile on your face than most.
Do I recommend the 4th Generation Jimny? Absolutely!
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