Suzuki Jimny 2019 Review

The new Suzuki Jimny has only just been released in Australia, but it's the latest in a long line of compact Suzuki four-wheel drives that can trace their history back to the LJ10 of 1970, and even earlier to when the company acquired Hope Motor Company, producer of a light four-wheel drive called the HopeStar ON360.

This fourth-generation Jimny sees the diminutive vehicle, an example of Japan's 'kei' class (or 'light automobile'), integrate a rugged part-time four-wheel drive driveline, a 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine and either a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmission, with a host of up-to-the-minute technologies and features.

The tech includes a 7.0-inch multimedia touchscreen with factory satellite navigation, Bluetooth connectivity and streaming, hands-free telephony with voice commands, and LED lighting, while standard safety features now include autonomous emergency braking (AEB), hill hold assist, lane departure warning, stability control, antilock brakes and switchable traction control.

All that, however, couldn't help the Jimny achieve better than a three-star safety rating when reviewed by ANCAP in January (2019), the car safety performance assessment program finding the vehicle underperformed in the areas of lateral impact protection, airbag inflation and the AEB's ability to detect cyclists or operate at night.

Suzuki says the ANCAP result won't put off buyers in the Jimny's target market, while we can say with some certainty that those who fall for the little SUV's charms will find themselves rewarded with a fun factor that's difficult to top, at the very least in terms of bang for your bucks.

The Suzuki Jimny retails for just $23,990 (plus on-road costs) for the five-speed manual model reviewed here – add $2000 more for the four-speed auto.

The model is covered by Suzuki's three-year/100,000km factory warranty, extendable to five years/140,000km if the vehicle is serviced exclusively through Suzuki's dealership network.

The model is also eligible for capped-price services for up to five years or 100,000km, with service intervals pegged at every 10,000km or six months, whichever comes first. The combined capped-price cost of those first five years of servicing is $2750, averaging out at $275 per service.

The vehicle can be run safely on 91RON unleaded.

The Suzuki Jimny holds significant appeal for solo drivers or couples hunting for a characterful compact SUV with genuine four-wheel drive ability at a budget-friendly price. With its boxy, original Willys jeep-like lines and diminutive dimensions, it turns heads and provokes smiles wherever it goes, yet for its size and price the Jimny is surprisingly well-equipped in terms of features.

It's also well-equipped to handle some rough stuff, with the driveline offering two-wheel drive along with four-wheel drive with both high and low-range gearing. The Jimny can switch from two-wheel drive to four-wheel drive (high range) on the fly, while – like most similar systems – it can only be switched to low range from a standstill with the transmission in neutral.

While it has no locking differentials it does have switchable traction control, and it features live axles at each end with coil-sprung, three-link suspension at all four corners. Suzuki claims a reasonable-if-unspectacular ground clearance of 210mm for the Jimny, but very healthy approach, ramp-over and departure angles of 37, 28 and 49 degrees respectively.

While we spent the majority of our time on sealed roads, a daytrip to some local 4WD haunts revealed the little Jimny was well up for some off-road fun. It successfully conquered a rocky and shale-strewn climb up to a 700m peak, and at one point nonchalantly walked its way across a slippery-if-not-excessively-deep creek crossing.

You do have to be mindful of its ground clearance mind you, which is pretty limited as off-roaders go, and especially of its complete lack of underbody protection – an aspect we're sure aftermarket off-road specialists will be eager to address.

But it's low and narrow and so easy to thread through a tightly wooded track, while the Jimny just seems to make the most of the available traction and plug away, its 1.5-litre four spinning at 3000rpm as it scrabbles its way forward.

However, our test vehicle was fitted with what are essentially highway tyres and this test was conducted entirely in dry and dusty conditions – point it at a decent bog hole and its rubber, clearance and modest output will work against it. Still, at this kerb weight (1095kg) it shouldn't prove too difficult to recover (provided you've fitted some rated recovery points!).

Don't buy the Jimny if you plan on sticking exclusively to the bitumen, however, because as a road vehicle it's not about to set the world on fire. The rugged suspension delivers a fairly harsh ride on sealed roads– though it's perhaps not as stiff as that of some utes – and the performance is, shall we say, less than sparkling.

The 75kW/130Nm output is entirely sufficient to get the Jimny's mass moving, but it requires a heavy right foot and a quick left hand on the five-speed manual 'box to keep up the revs up and maintain momentum. There's simply not much poke below 3000rpm, which incidentally is right where the engine will be sitting at a steady 100km/h in top gear.

There's also a fair bit of body roll through the bends, although the brakes are quite capable when it comes to slowing the show.

The fixed rear seating is really a small-child-only proposition, and comfort isn't helped by the rather upright seat backs. The rear seats will take a couple of adults, but you better hope the journey ends before the novelty factory wears off – there's no seat adjustment and head and leg-room are limited.

With the rear seat backs in an upright position, there's still a limited amount of storage room – both in a tiny compartment that runs along the floor and in the space above it. There's room for two school bags and not much else – Suzuki claims the area has a capacity of 85 litres.

But, once again, to indulge such concerns is to miss the point of the Suzuki Jimny. For adventurous solo drivers, or couples, when the rear seat backs are folded forward there's a decent amount of storage room – 385 litres in total, says Suzuki.

In practical terms there's enough for everything needed for a weekend camping trip, although bulky items will need to go on a roof rack (a factory accessory).

Cabin storage is also at a premium. The door side pockets are really only sufficient for storing maps or a magazine, while the glove box is tiny. There is a small tray behind the front passenger grab rail, plus a slot to take a mobile phone (just next to the 12-volt and USB sockets) at the base of the centre stack, and a compartment for loose change just ahead of the twin cup holders in the centre console (which are in an awkward spot).

You won't buy a Jimny for its driver and front passenger comfort, either – front row occupants fare far better than those in the back but the seating is basic, with only four-way manual adjustment, and the steering wheel is only adjustable for tilt, not reach.

It's loud in the cabin, too, with plenty of road and engine noise. On the upside, however, the Jimny is easy to hop into or out of courtesy of its wide-opening doors and all-round vision is excellent.

While safety isn't perhaps the Jimny's raison d'etre, the model does feature a surprisingly good range of safety tech – a list the creators of the original LJ10 could only upon with wonder.

In addition to the basics like stability control (with switchable traction control) and antilock brakes, the Jimny also features autonomous emergency braking, brake-force distribution and front, side and curtain airbags. There's even a lane departure warning system (admittedly with fairly underwhelming visual alerts on the instrument panel) plus a hill holder, along with hill descent control for an extra safety net on tricky off-road descents, and a reversing camera.

The Jimny is so tiny and easy to maneuver that the reversing camera seems far more about pedestrian detection than easier parking, but the camera itself is positioned very low and the inherent distortion of the lens means objects behind appear far away, then rush up at the last second. It takes a little getting used to.

For city-based singles and couples with an outdoorsy lifestyle, the Jimny makes sense. It's a compact, easy-to-drive vehicle that blends funky and functional in equal measure.

Easy to manoever and park in the city, it's just as happy exploring the bush – and with a few modifications, primarily concerning underbody protection and all-terrain rubber, it's ready for more action than many may initially suspect.

It's easy to categorise the Suzuki Jimny in relation to the wider auto or even four-wheel drive market – it's in a class of one!

In a market awash with four-wheel drive SUVs and utes, there's simply nothing else available new today like the Jimny, and that alone adds to its head-turning appeal.

The Suzuki Jimny is a quirky little off-roader with plenty of flaws balanced by plenty of strengths – and we love it! We love its upright, square-edged styling and its thoroughly retro looks, and we love how it offers real off-road ability for a price that will appeal to a broad spectrum of buyers.

We love how it's something of a rolling juxtaposition, too – in many respects it's a true ladder-frame-chassis commercial, with a hard-wearing but basic cab interior, poor noise suppression, and a rough-and-ready approach to passenger comfort. However, this is tempered with a features list that includes things like a comprehensive multimedia system, safety features like AEB and a reversing camera, and LED headlights.

Yes it's noisy, it's cramped and its economy isn't as great as you might suspect of a lightweight like this with a 1.5-litre engine – we recorded an average of 7.7L/100km, which gives a safe range of around 450km from its 40-litre tank – but they are all aspects we're tipping won't put off buyers who can't resist this pint-sized fourbie's magnetic personality.

Affordable to buy, fairly cheap to run and so much fun (especially in the bush), we're tipping the Jimny is going to strike a chord with anyone who loves the compact 4x4 genre, and will attract a whole new generation of buyers for whom a new four-wheel drive was previously out of reach.

It's not without its faults and foibles, but the Suzuki Jimny is a feel-good machine that just makes you smile, and it's a worthy successor for Suzuki's long and illustrious line of mini-4x4s.

How much does the 2019 Suzuki Jimny cost?
Price: from $23,990 (plus on-roads)
Engine: 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol
Output: 75kW/130Nm
Transmission: Five-speed manual
Fuel: 6.4L/100km (ADR Combined); 7.7L/100km (as tested)
CO2: 146g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: Three-star ANCAP (2019)