Suzuki’s latest-generation Jimny is quite possibly the best new off-road capable 4WD introduced here in years. Ashley Lucas explains why.
It’s distinctive looking, its boxy, it's retro, it's funky; whatever way you look at the new Jimny from Suzuki, you either like it or hate it. While the rest of the world have built vehicles that all look so similar it’s hard to tell them apart, not so Suzuki with the new Jimny. Its unique squared off body is a breath of fresh air from the current crop of new vehicles, but looks alone are not the only changes to this fourth generation Jimny.
The new Jimny still has a traditional ladder frame chassis with the 2,250mm wheel base the same as its predecessor. The body is wider by 45mm and shorter by 30mm but at 1,720mm tall its 40mm taller as well. It continues to use live rigid axles front and rear with three-link coil springs, but the front housing has been upgraded and strengthened for off-road use (and some of us know how weak the previous diff housing was off-road, don’t we Don?)
There are disc brakes at the front and drums at the rear plus all the usual safety features we now expect like ABS, EBD, hill start assist and hill descent.
Simple, functional, fun!
That bold square body shape reflects simplicity and functionality as well as adding to driver appeal and safety with good all round visibility. More upright A-pillars and the flat bonnet allows for better frontal vision, especially off-road. While that square box of a body might not be to everyone’s taste, it is already attracting a cult following here and overseas.
It is still a small vehicle and getting into it does tend to place you a little closer to your passengers than normal despite the extra width. The leather covered steering wheel is tilt adjustable and has audio selection, cruise control function, speed limiter and hands-free phone control. The seats are bigger and higher offering more comfort and are fully adjustable manually with recline, while the rear seats have a 50/50 split. There is not a lot of boot space with the rear seats but once folded down it does have good space.
The dash is modern and functional with nice large chunky dials for the air conditioning while the electric window switches are below on the centre dash along with traction control and hill descent switches. It took a little while to get used to having the switches there but it stops them getting wet and filled with mud when off road and open windows. Probably helps too with interior width space as well. There is a seven-inch entertainment touch screen which also includes handsfree calling in the middle of the dash which at first looked like they had slapped a iPad screen in as an afterthought.
Nippy and manoeuverable
Having the new Jimny on test for a few days it was certainly nippy and manoeuvrable around town although the ride was a bit bouncy. Handling was nice, and while I was happy with the set-up, Editor Ross felt it needed more damping or firmer anti-roll bars as turning into a corner on the road it sits quite nice and flat until at around the apex of the turn it takes on a bit of a lean. However stiffer suspension would compromise the off-road ability and suspension flexibility and we couldn’t have that in a Jimny that really wants to deliver off-road!
The four-cylinder engine which now measures 1462cc is naturally aspirated with double overhead camshafts and variable inlet camshaft timing. Despite the increase in capacity it is 15 percent lighter than the earlier engine and produces a 20 percent increase in power at 75kW at 6000 rpm and 130Nm torque at 4000rpm, the latter an 18 percent increase up from 110Nm. With a curb weight of just 1,110kgs for our test vehicle the power to weight ratio is obviously impressive.
Available with either a five-speed manual or four-speed auto it now has what Suzuki terms an ALLGRIP ‘Pro’ selectable transfer case with three driving modes; 2WD high, 4WD high and 4WD low. What might be seen as a backward step is the return to a good old fashioned manual lever directly connected to the transfer case for all wheel drive selection rather than the modern electric dial or button. Whether it was a cost reducing reason or demand from users it is a welcome and desirable change. It might take up a bit of space inside but the ‘feel’ of it moving into four wheel mode gives confidence and security. Good ‘onya’ Suzuki.
The big test
The big test, as far as readers of NZ4WD magazine are concerned, of course, is how well does it perform off-road? Have the changes been to the detriment of its off road abilities? To find out we chose the Woodhill 4WD Park just north-west of Auckland. The 4WD Park has a good mixture of clay and sand tracks with some good hills and off camber sections to test any vehicle and driver for that matter.
Eager to get going we set off without checking or lowering tyre pressures taking to some of the clay areas where trees had been logged. The 195x80x15 Bridgestone Dueller tyres might look narrow, but they are great off road cutting through the slop on top and finding traction. If they did lose grip then the traction control kept the Jimny moving.
The approach angle of 37 degrees and departure angle of 49 degrees is great off road and the ground clearance has been increased from 190mm to 210mm giving it excellent off road credibility. The ramp-over is a reasonable 28 degrees with the turning circle a mere 4.9m giving great manoeuvrability amongst the trees.
Pressure situation
Driving some of the tracks the ride was occasionally harsh when the tyres went over a hard edge or tree root but this was more due to not airing down the tyres before setting off. With the Jimny been so light the recommended tyres pressures are 26psi front and rear for normal loading of two people. Loaded the rear increases to 29psi. So when I did check the tyre pressures I was somewhat stunned to find them inflated to 38-39psi!
The plus side is that the Bridgestone Duellers are a good off road tyre for an HT tyre as they provided excellent traction off road at such high pressures.
Driving off-road the engine does need some revs and lacks the real low down torque of big four-wheel drives, especially diesels, that just idle everywhere. Our test vehicle was an automatic so revs were required to override the torque converter and get moving but in the tight spots the throttle was responsive and steady enough to keep good control.
Fitted with hill descent downhills were always under control which might not have been the case previously, especially in automatics which tend to lack good engine braking. The hill descent worked well with it holding back the vehicle on the steep descents while also being nice and quiet in operation.
There was a big sandy downhill that had a real off camber to one side that Editor Ross was a little hesitant in taking the Jimny down. It had the potential to put the roof into the bank if things went wrong but encouraged to give it a go the Suzuki proved more capable than it has been given credit to. And this was the theme throughout the day off-road. Unlike Thomas the Tank Engine who was renowned for the power of positive thinking, saying “I think I can, I think I can...” the Suzuki Jimny comes straight out and says “I know I can!” and does so.
While we didn’t have to make use of them, the Jimny has chassis mounted recovery points front and rear should the need arise that are easily accessible.
I enjoyed the Jimny off-road as a four-wheel-drive vehicle and was impressed with the prowess and competence of this pint-sized 4WD. Suzuki should be commended for staying with or returning to the basics. While some don’t like the looks and I am not overly in awe with the black roof option on the two toned models, I liked the overall package, not because it might be thought as retro but because looks like a proper 4WD offering good all round visibility, especially off-road. Given that Suzuki can’t produce them fast enough to meet demand, then so do a lot of others.
Thank you to the Woodhill 4WD Park for our test venue. For details events and operating days see www.aucklandoffroadadventure.com/
