South Africans have come to love the Jimny but while it is fun to drive, it is severely underpowered
The Suzuki Jimny is an adored adventure vehicle in South Africa. The three-door variant was well received and became a real enthusiast’s car around the country.
While the Jimny might not contribute the amount of sales that the Swift or Fronx do for the manufacturer, it is still a car that many off-road enthusiasts want or dream of having.
The five-door Jimny has a longer wheelbase than the three-door but the body has not been re-engineered to accommodate the vehicle.
However, I still think the Jimny looks great and it’s also a vehicle that manages to look rugged and cute at the same time, no matter the colour.
It always gave me mini Land Rover Defender vibes, and still does, with the wheel on the boot, the way that the boot opens outward and the round headlights that resemble those of the old Defenders.
The interior could be slightly better. Suzuki gives you the same rugged look on the dashboard and pairs it with a seven-inch infotainment system that is very responsive.
But you get a very outdated instrument cluster and, for a vehicle that’s meant for adventure, the seats are not too comfortable. They are also only adjustable to slide forward or backwards, without the capability to recline. That was a slight disappointment for me.
It’s very clear that Suzuki has put effort into durability with the five-door Jimny, but in a time where a lot of manufacturers are giving consumers off-roaders, it could have done better with comfort.
In terms of driving, we did some off-roading and this is where the Jimny was at the peak of its powers.
You have the option to switch from a two-wheel-drive to four-wheel-drive on the fly and, off-road, the latter really serves its purpose. It makes the Jimny an effortless drive on all terrains.
On the road, where we spend most of our time, it was a different story. The five-door Jimny, like its three-door sibling, is a snail.
Powered by a naturally aspirated 1.5-litre engine, it produces 75kW of power and 130Nm of torque. It struggles to pick up speed and sometimes- you have to floor your foot to maintain speed.
While I can only imagine how nervous the three-door variant feels on the road, the five-door was very stable, but I struggled with how underpowered it was.
It even sounds like the small Jeeps that I used to drive around the house when I was a child.
I was driving the four-speed automatic Jimny. I suppose that the manual might feel a lot better on the road as dropping gears to pick up speed might help overcome the little power you are getting out of the vehicle.
All that pressing also brings your fuel consumption higher than the claimed figure of 6.4 to 6.8 litres/100km. I was averaging 8 litres/100km on the open road while sticking to the speed limit.
There was another small issue that I faced with the Jimny. With the long wheelbase and heavy steering, I found myself misjudging parking spaces. I often had to back out and then move into a parking spot at the second attempt.
Overall, the five-door Jimny is a solid and durable car that is great for the adventurer, comfortable and more than capable off-road. The interior makes sure that you know that you are in something rugged but it needs some work.
I can see why it has become such a loved vehicle in South Africa — we love things that are fun to drive.
However, the vehicle is not flawless by any means, especially on the road. Suzuki has much work to do to make this vehicle easier to drive on the tar.
The Jimny five-door comes in three variants: 1.5 GL MT priced at R429 900, 1.5 MT GLX MT priced at R457 900 and a 1.5 AT GLX priced at R479 900.