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Suzuki Jimny: Far From Discreet Roads
SUZUKI JIMNY
FAR FROM DISCREET ROADS
Words by Tommaso Mogge / Photos by Daniél Rikkard
It’s a day like any other but as soon as I get to the office I find it parked next to the entrance, in all of its glory. I abruptly interrupt everything I was saying to my colleague and start looking at it in a mixture of amazement, curiosity and joy for finally being able to get my hands on one of the most anticipated and expected models of recent years. It is not the latest supercar ready to devour the curbs of some racing track, but the new Suzuki Jimny, the last heir of that compact and legendary Japanese off-roader that together with the Land Rover Defender represents the most effective way to tackle self-respecting off-road trails.
Before yelling at your trustful reviewer, let me explain why I consider it one of the most interesting test drive of the year. For Suzuki, the Jimny is a real symbol, so much that many have not yet understood that it is not called Jimmy and is often simply referred as THE Suzuki! I’m not going to take you along a lesson in history, so far you probably have read a load to such an extent that it would pass as an extra dose of Xanax, but the new generation of the Japanese 4X4 replaces the model introduced on the market in 1998 and more generally the still further away ancestor born in 1970, later joined by the Samurai, then replaced in all respects as the sole uncompromising off-roader of the brand. This is a completely new version for some aspects, but for those who fear that the Jimny may have left its innate off-road abilities along the way, there is no need to lose your sleep, the desire to get dirty with mud has remained intact here. This is thanks to the body-on-frame and rigid-frame bridge, all combined with traction distributing power on the rear axle only during ordinary driving, with the special lever that allows to operate the all-wheel drive and the low range gears as well.
Another fundamental point useful for being at ease when the roads as we know them are only a distant memory is the car body itself, with a minimum ground clearance of 210 cm and practically non-existent overhangs thanks to the positioning of the wheels at the ends of the body, for a wheelbase of 2,250 mm and an overall length of just 3,645 mm (spare wheel hanging from the rear hatch included). On the Jimny, everything is designed to tackle impervious paths, so I would not find right to criticize a deeply multiplied steering system that, if in the city requires more movement during maneuvers, it penalizes driving on the motorway. Moreover, both the aerodynamics and the small engine, a naturally aspirated 1.5 cc four-cylinder with 102 horsepower are absolutely not designed for long distances, but rather to reach the end of a paved road and immerse yourself in nature, reaching areas that with 95% of the various SUVs and other off-road vehicles would be just a mirage.
In the cabin there is more space for driver and passenger, while at the rear the small bench can accommodate a couple of friends, not making life easy for getting on and off, but above all by giving up the possibility of loading stuff in the trunk. In fact, with the reclining seats (individually reclining), the Jimny reaches 377 liters of load capacity, otherwise you will have just 85 liters, almost entirely vertical and therefore barely for a couple of small backpacks. As for the dashboard, we have fairly rigid plastics – as it should be – but Suzuki has managed to combine elements that recall the models of the past, such as the analogue instrumentation behind the wheel, with the technology that is very often difficult to give up nowadays. In this context, the 7-inch touch display at the center of the dash provides an infotainment system with satellite navigation that does not affect the true essence of a hard and pure off-road machine. Finding the ideal seating position is simple thanks to the excellent visibility offered by the glasses all around, practically in an upright position, and by the excellent brightness of the passenger compartment on all four sides.
Finally the time comes to take the key, get on board and go where no other colleague can follow me. The 1.5 is quite noisy – even due to the limited soundproofing of the passenger compartment – and on secondary roads you often find yourself at the top of the speedometer, which significantly increases fuel consumption, with the petrol option currently as the only available for the new Jimny. The one I’m testing is equipped with a 5-speed manual gearbox (a 4-speed automatic is also available), with precise couplings and perfectly able to put me at ease when I leave the asphalt and begin to explore the wild. On a slippery surface and with only rear-wheel drive engaged, the Jimny seems to behave as a 500-horsepower Mustang, but just call into action the all-wheel drive system and you get all the safety and traction you were looking for. Low gears allow to climb on any mule track as I would never imagined, while among the numerous devices supplied for safety and driving assistance, Hill Descent facilitates in case you find yourself having to face steep downhill and need to avoid wheels locking.
The Jimny puts you in a good mood, it’s a car that doesn’t care about performance at all and despite having found the average consumption declared by the company (6.8 l / 100km) nothing short of optimistic, I enjoyed every kilometer and every day spent in its company. It arouses curiosity in people and when it happens to cross a Suzuki on the opposite lane, flashing lights are assured. I also had the chance to have a chat with owners of the previous model, people who do not even kept a keychain as it was once new. Monsters with springs twice the size, with war tires and stripped of every superfluous panel inside, people for whom the only option that counts is a winch to operate for coming out of holes five meters deep. As if I had been part of their big family, they were looking at those structural details that made Suzuki the queen of the off-road vehicles and that confirmed that the new Jimny has not lost its ability to devour rough trails, also becoming a great travel companion for when you find yourself in what is now the real jungle, the city. In this case, instead of the reduced gears, it will be enough to turn on the air conditioning, the radio and wait for the traffic to disappear, then coming back where no one can follow you. No one except the big Suzuki family.
SUZUKI JIMNY
Layout – front-engined, rear/all-wheel-drive
Engine – 4 cylinder 1.462cc
Transmission – 5-speed manual gearbox
Power – 102 hp @ 6.000 rpm
130 Nm @ 4.000 rpm
Weight – 1.165 kg
Acceleration – 13,5 sec.
Top Speed – 145 kph
Price – from € 22.900
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