2025 Suzuki Jimny
Discussion
I appreciate that this isn t a very Pistonheads kind of vehicle but I thought it might be of a little bit of interest to some.
Despite the love I had for my Fiat Panda 4x4 Cross winter car, I ve always really hankered after one of the latest Suzuki Jimny s but never actually did it whilst they were officially available in the UK. However, I recently got the chance to pick up a brand new import and decided to go for it.
The car is exactly as it left the factory but I did get the dealer to upgrade the tyres for me as I d read some pretty poor (snow) reviews about the Dunlop Grand Trek tyres that these are fitted with as standard. So, it now sits on BF Goodrich K03 s in a slightly bigger size (215 v 195 section) as I want it to be invincible in any weather/conditions.
It s finished in metallic Brisk Blue with a black roof and the standard spec is pretty high (for something so agricultural) and includes the following:
Heated Seats
Keyless entry & start
Powered folding mirrors with heating
Automatic gearbox
Rear parking sensors
Rear camera
Touchscreen infotainment
Navigation
Apple Carplay
Cruise control
Lane Departure warning
LED headlights
Auto lights with high beam assist
Headlight washers
Climate control
Sun protection glass
Speed limit display
It s universally known that these things are far from quick and power come from a 1.5 four pot petrol which develops a heady 102bhp. The auto is basically a 3 speed gearbox with an overdrive. Weighing around 1100kg, this is all more than adequate around town. However, on the motorway at 60mph, the engine is spinning at 3000rpm and anything much above that gets rather noisy without adding a lot of speed! Around a third of my daily commute is on the motorway and at rush hour speeds it s absolutely fine.
Being a Japanese import, the indicator & wiper stalks are the other way around but you soon adjust after switching the wipers on to make a turn a couple of times. ? The LED headlights are really good and some of the best I ve had.
The steering is very light and doesn t have a massive amount of self-centering effect which can catch you out a bit before you become more familiar with it and being a ladder chassis with solid axles does take some adjusting to it s very unlike any normal car in the way that it handles. Body roll is much better than you would think though and it doesn t roll anywhere near what you d expect. The Jimny is rear wheel drive in normal use and there is a manual lever to engage either 4 wheel drive in low or high settings and it also has Hill Descent Control.
Apart from engine noise in the higher half of the rev range, it’s all reasonably refined around town, B roads and country lanes. Something that did alarm me at first was the odd stone being flung around the wheel arches when they are dislodged from the tyres as there s very little in the way of sound deadening and it was very disconcerting till I realised what it was. Once again, build quality is very good for something so basic with no squeaks or rattles and I think it s very well screwed together. The seats are comfortable and despite its dinky size you still get a pretty high driving position meaning you are looking down on most other traffic.
I ve now done around 1400 miles since I collected it (on 18 miles) at the end of November and I love it. The amount of positive attention it receives is unbelievable and I ve had strangers (mainly women) approach me to say how much they like it. It s a bit like having a cute dog.
Despite the love I had for my Fiat Panda 4x4 Cross winter car, I ve always really hankered after one of the latest Suzuki Jimny s but never actually did it whilst they were officially available in the UK. However, I recently got the chance to pick up a brand new import and decided to go for it.
The car is exactly as it left the factory but I did get the dealer to upgrade the tyres for me as I d read some pretty poor (snow) reviews about the Dunlop Grand Trek tyres that these are fitted with as standard. So, it now sits on BF Goodrich K03 s in a slightly bigger size (215 v 195 section) as I want it to be invincible in any weather/conditions.
It s finished in metallic Brisk Blue with a black roof and the standard spec is pretty high (for something so agricultural) and includes the following:
Heated Seats
Keyless entry & start
Powered folding mirrors with heating
Automatic gearbox
Rear parking sensors
Rear camera
Touchscreen infotainment
Navigation
Apple Carplay
Cruise control
Lane Departure warning
LED headlights
Auto lights with high beam assist
Headlight washers
Climate control
Sun protection glass
Speed limit display
It s universally known that these things are far from quick and power come from a 1.5 four pot petrol which develops a heady 102bhp. The auto is basically a 3 speed gearbox with an overdrive. Weighing around 1100kg, this is all more than adequate around town. However, on the motorway at 60mph, the engine is spinning at 3000rpm and anything much above that gets rather noisy without adding a lot of speed! Around a third of my daily commute is on the motorway and at rush hour speeds it s absolutely fine.
Being a Japanese import, the indicator & wiper stalks are the other way around but you soon adjust after switching the wipers on to make a turn a couple of times. ? The LED headlights are really good and some of the best I ve had.
The steering is very light and doesn t have a massive amount of self-centering effect which can catch you out a bit before you become more familiar with it and being a ladder chassis with solid axles does take some adjusting to it s very unlike any normal car in the way that it handles. Body roll is much better than you would think though and it doesn t roll anywhere near what you d expect. The Jimny is rear wheel drive in normal use and there is a manual lever to engage either 4 wheel drive in low or high settings and it also has Hill Descent Control.
Apart from engine noise in the higher half of the rev range, it’s all reasonably refined around town, B roads and country lanes. Something that did alarm me at first was the odd stone being flung around the wheel arches when they are dislodged from the tyres as there s very little in the way of sound deadening and it was very disconcerting till I realised what it was. Once again, build quality is very good for something so basic with no squeaks or rattles and I think it s very well screwed together. The seats are comfortable and despite its dinky size you still get a pretty high driving position meaning you are looking down on most other traffic.
I ve now done around 1400 miles since I collected it (on 18 miles) at the end of November and I love it. The amount of positive attention it receives is unbelievable and I ve had strangers (mainly women) approach me to say how much they like it. It s a bit like having a cute dog.
Edited by MarkJS on Monday 9th February 18:56
Looks a lot like mine, a 2022 jimny commercial.
Nice. Get an armrest to go on the drivers seat, it makes it way more comfy.
Jimnystyle do loads of good bits.
I also put bilstein dampers and springs all round and extra camber bushes in the front arms, that made it much more stable and the steering self centres better and feels more "sturdy".
3 years in on mine and love it as much as day one.
Nice. Get an armrest to go on the drivers seat, it makes it way more comfy.
Jimnystyle do loads of good bits.
I also put bilstein dampers and springs all round and extra camber bushes in the front arms, that made it much more stable and the steering self centres better and feels more "sturdy".
3 years in on mine and love it as much as day one.
These are so cool. I've got a Panda too (169 4x4) and I still lust after the Jimny, but I do suspect the Fiat makes a lot more sense for me (5 doors and more road-biased).
What's the Jimny like if you try to drive it quickly on the road? Despite being pretty basic, my Panda actually handles quite well and doesn't get too unsettled on lumpy roads.
What's the Jimny like if you try to drive it quickly on the road? Despite being pretty basic, my Panda actually handles quite well and doesn't get too unsettled on lumpy roads.
MajorMantra said:
What's the Jimny like if you try to drive it quickly on the road? Despite being pretty basic, my Panda actually handles quite well and doesn't get too unsettled on lumpy roads.
Basically you don't.I have a lot of want for one of these after having borrowed one, but they do drive like the specs suggest and similar to any other utility ladder framed solid axle vehicle with tall sidewall.
Initially the tyres squeal as they start to fold over, then the body leans alarmingly, followed by an even more marked folding of the sidewall and then 'grips exits the chat' and you slide whilst feeling you are leaning over at a 45 degree angle.
It all feels very alarming, but it's quite giggle-inducing once you get used to it.
My defender would do the same when it had 7.50 radial swamper tyres on it, but was slightly better behaved on its wider bfg mud tyres. Grip was something you read about, rather than experienced on wet tarmac
Edited by Nicks90 on Monday 9th February 22:31
Nicks90 said:
MajorMantra said:
What's the Jimny like if you try to drive it quickly on the road? Despite being pretty basic, my Panda actually handles quite well and doesn't get too unsettled on lumpy roads.
Basically you don't.I have a lot of want for one of these after having borrowed one, but they do drive like the specs suggest and similar to any other utility ladder framed solid axle vehicle with tall sidewall.
Initially the tyres squeal as they start to fold over, then the body leans alarmingly, followed by an even more marked folding of the sidewall and then 'grips exits the chat' and you slide whilst feeling you are leaning over at a 45 degree angle.
It all feels very alarming, but it's quite giggle-inducing once you get used to it.
My defender would do the same when it had 7.50 radial swamper tyres on it, but was slightly better behaved on its wider bfg mud tyres. Grip was something you read about, rather than experienced on wet tarmac
Edited by Nicks90 on Monday 9th February 22:31
The traction control can be annoying but does work quite hard to keep you on the road.
MajorMantra said:
These are so cool. I've got a Panda too (169 4x4) and I still lust after the Jimny, but I do suspect the Fiat makes a lot more sense for me (5 doors and more road-biased).
What's the Jimny like if you try to drive it quickly on the road? Despite being pretty basic, my Panda actually handles quite well and doesn't get too unsettled on lumpy roads.
The Panda had exceptional road manners for what it was and it was surprisingly good fun to throw around. The Jimny is a different kettle of fish but it’s also not the same type of vehicle and needs to be driven completely differently. I haven’t experienced any of the squealing tyres with folding sidewalls mentioned previously but you do need to be alert with anticipation if you’re going to start carrying higher speeds into corners with it but it’s still good fun in its own way. The biggest gripe I have is when you’re mid corner/bend and hit something like a sunken grate in the road which does upset the car with its solid axles & short wheelbase (that’s where the anticipation comes in). But, it composes itself quickly and you’d always try to avoid doing that in most cars anyway – the Jimny is just less forgiving. I’m still currently playing with the tyre pressures on the K03’s but haven’t gone as low as 24psi yet. What's the Jimny like if you try to drive it quickly on the road? Despite being pretty basic, my Panda actually handles quite well and doesn't get too unsettled on lumpy roads.
Screenwash said:
Isn t Mat Watson struggling to sell a couple of these?!
No. I’ve watched the videos and that headline is to draw traffic – it’s actually about how much he underestimated the work that was involved in being a car dealer/trader in general.
Regarding him actually selling Jimny’s, I’m pretty sure he’s doing very well as he’s just brought a new batch of 5 doors in from Japan.
Alex_225 said:
That is definitely a PH car OP! I absolutely love these, no they're not fast and they're not big and shouty but they are purposeful and they look really cool.
I live out in Gloucestershire and love the idea of having one as a runabout. Any pictures of the interior too?
Thank you! I’ll get some daylight interior shots as soon as I get the chance (might get some dark ones a bit quicker). I live out in Gloucestershire and love the idea of having one as a runabout. Any pictures of the interior too?
MarkJS said:
It’s a bit like having a cute dog.
Absolutely. I had one of the first new shape, which I was lucky to buy at list, then later on got one of the commercials. My wife and I loved them and regretted selling so I keep meaning to look at how easy/difficult a self import would be. I found them fun to drive around town and on B roads etc, but anything above 60mpg is a bit noisy given the lack of 6th gear. They get so much attention; I’ve never had a car like it!tim0409 said:
MarkJS said:
It s a bit like having a cute dog.
Absolutely. I had one of the first new shape, which I was lucky to buy at list, then later on got one of the commercials. My wife and I loved them and regretted selling so I keep meaning to look at how easy/difficult a self import would be. I found them fun to drive around town and on B roads etc, but anything above 60mpg is a bit noisy given the lack of 6th gear. They get so much attention; I ve never had a car like it!Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff