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Suzuki Jimny SZ4 road test report

SZ4

Mini 4x4s don’t get much smaller than the Jimny. With much of the height of its bigger rivals, the Jimny has the ride and off-road ability of a more sizeable competitor yet with all the impracticalities of a supermini. An ideal solution for those that want a Land Rover but don’t have the budget to match. If you want a traditional SUV for a fraction of the price, you would be hard pressed to find better; as it is built to last with low running costs and a city car-sized price tag.

Road Test Reports Says 2.5 star rating
A front-facing image of the Suzuki Jimny SZ4

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FAYE SAYS

Performance Performance - 3 stars

The Jimny is a car I had heard great things said about, a capable off-roader, dependable and hardy. True enough, it does not let you down although performance-wise it not fast or exciting, it does exactly what you hoped it would: it copes with off-road conditions without being the size of a military vehicle. I guess I am avoiding answering the question of performance properly because you might be disappointed and yet I think to understand that this is actually a great little car, you need not to be deterred by the poky 1.3 litre petrol engine. Yes OK, 0 to 60 in 14.1 seconds and a max speed of 87 is dull, while 81 lb of torque at 4,100 revs isn’t great, it could be worse if you opt for the automatic which offers a top speed of 84 and 0-60 in a staggering 17. 2 seconds. Just don’t let this put you off.

Ride & Handling Ride & Handling - 3 stars

I found myself aiming for the big craters in the road to see how it handle and I was not disappointed, yes you still feel them, in the same way you sense you’ve just trodden on a snail. The Jimny has a capable attitude to rough road surfaces although off-road is where it really shines, able to compete with the bigger boys in the 4x4 market without costing anywhere near as much. Having said, that like all tall vehicles, there is a fair amount of body roll to contend with but this is hardly a vehicle you opt for if you want something you can throw into the corners. It might look like a toy but it is a proper grown-up 4x4 vehicle.

Build Quality & Reliability Build Quality & Reliability - 4 stars

Like I say, the Jimny has had some rave reviews from its buyers, especially from those who wanted true off-road capability at a knock-down price. That is why small 4x4s like the Jimny have proven such a hit with those like me who keep horses (if you keep horses yourself, you’ll understand why you won’t have much left to spend on a car). Like its big sis, the Grand Vitara, it is a car that will serve you loyally through harsh winter after harsh winter, with scarcely a repair or replacement part ever needed. If you opt for the newly introduced top-grade spec SX4, you’ll get part-leather interior, which I would recommend to help keep the dog hairs, horse hairs, mud and all other manner of filth you are likely to drag in, easy to remove again. Incidentally, the Jimny accessories options include partition grille which can be used as a dog guard along with options for bicycle carrier, stainless steel muffler, chrome front-piece grille piece, roof rack and roof box. The interior is of a simple nature, again easy to maintain and wipe down, while the central console is a typically stylish affair I have come to expect from Suzuki. The exterior design is forgivably dated, since it the model was first introduced in 1998 yet remains smart enough. The SX4 also comes with air con and leather steering wheel trim. The best thing about is that the Jimny is ready for the 6 am starts, sub-zero temperatures and poorly-maintained country roads when you are. It really is that tough.

Safety & Security Safety & Security - 3 stars

Front fog lights, power steering and selectable 4 wheel drive should help make unpredictable country driving that bit safer. The Jimny is not Euro NCAP tested so there is no official account for its crash safety; however with side impact protection beams, ABS with EBD, driver and front passenger airbags, seat belt pretensioners and collapsible steering column, you shouldn’t have much to worry about. Security-wise, it is fairly basic with central locking as standard and rear privacy glass on the SZ4 model.

Space & Practicality Space & Practicality - 2 stars

I’m not very tall (5ft 7in) and although Suzuki say the rear seats fold flat, I had to remove the head rests to do so, once the position of the front seats taken into account. The further back you need your driver’s seat, the more difficult this claim is to substantiate. The back seats are not easy to get, only the passenger side has sliding access. To climb in behind the driver, you need to separately fold the seats forward with one lever and move them forward with the bar under the seat to get in. Once you are in though there is more room then you would expect, with armrests, storage for small items and cupholders for rear seat passengers as a nice extra touch. The seats are all very comfortable but with no opening to the rear windows, things could get stuffy in the back in warmer weather. Steering wheel and driver seat height isn’t adjustable and there is no five door option, so things could feel cramped for taller passengers. The small boot will fit a couple of bags of horse feed in it and will fit a couple of bales of shavings with the split-fold seats down when it can hold up to 324 litres. Don’t go thinking you can tow a horse trailer with this one though; kerb weight is a mere 1148kg! However there is an option to have added a roof rack and roof box for further storage if need somewhere to put your hat. The heavy doors on each side and on the boot are another great added feature for when you are out and about in the fresh air; you can rely on them not to swing out of control.

Ownership & Value Ownership & Value - 3 stars

I have to say there seems to be a massive discrepancy between reviews of the Jimny from many of the motoring journalists and the reviews from car consumers. While it may at first sound that like a lot of journalists that I have criticised this car harshly, but I have to state that I remain on the side of the car buyers who have sung its praises. If you can overlook the hack-based snobbery in favour of the warm-reception from real car buyers, the Jimny is a decent enough alternative to the off-road incapable crossover SUVs or an daunting standard size 4x4. It is a no-nonsense vehicle that you make unreasonable demands of and not receive a complaint from. No too much to ask for is it? If you want a 4x4 you can park at the supermarket without using those extra-wide bays; this is the car for you. It’s a cute pocket-sized off-roader likely to appeal to the difficult to please, who want the safety, imposing feel of a 4x4 without the hassle and expense that comes with most of them. You can’t really fairly compare the Jimny to any nearest competitors, most of them offer much more room inside but cost nearly twice as much. Take for example the Toyota RAV4 at a starting price of £19015 or the Honda CR-V from £19725 compared to the Jimny at £10,490 for the entry level 1.3 JLX or the SZ4 we drove for £10,990. The difference is staggering, we are talking supermini money. Nearer rivals include the Kia Sportage from £14,395, the Hyundai Tucson from £14430 or the Daihatsu Terios from £12, 725 but even they are well and truly under-cut by the sprite-like Jimny. If you don’t mind compromising on space for a good price, then this is a great little vehicle with real 4x4 feel. Insurance wise, the Jimny sits in group seven for the JLX model or group nine for the SZ4. Fuel economy is reasonable at 39.2mpg (combined) with emissions of 171g/km meaning it sits in tax band H at £175 a year. It is not for everyone, but for fairly small it is a practical and cheap solution for off-roading and rougher country lanes.

Submitted: 05/08/2009 12:00:29

RICHARD SAYS

Performance Performance - 1 stars

The power (if you can call it that) comes from a 16v 1.3-litre petrol engine, the only choice available with the Jimny, and performance on roads can best be described as problematic. The car suffers from an almost complete lack of acceleration, and while it’s official 0-62mph time is 14.1 seconds it however feels far for more sluggish. Driving the Jimny from the off you quickly go through gears one to three, which takes you fairly smoothly up to about 30mph, at this point things slow down and fourth and fifth gears are seriously underpowered, providing a real lack of anything remotely described as ‘oomph’. On motorways driving the car is also an underwhelming affair, with the car unable to hit 70mph without a fight – cruising between 60-65mph is about what you feel comfortable with, with the engine battling away at around 3000+ revs! Official fuel economy figures give 37.2mpg (combined figure) so economy isn’t the cars strong point either and with a pretty small fuel tank you’ll be seeing your friendly petrol station attendant more often than you would like. The dash also includes three buttons to switch between 2WD, 4WD, and 4WD-L, the 4WD-L is the low setting of four wheel drive and is suitable for off-road slopes. During the test drive we didn’t take the mini-4x4 off road but by all accounts the performance improves dramatically – so as an offroader with occasional road use the car succeeds.

Ride & Handling Ride & Handling - 1 stars

The utilitarian Suzuki Jimny is a tough old ride to get used to; rather than soaking up the bumps and potholes of the road you’ll be made to feel every single last one of them, as the beam axle suspension literally bounces you over them; traffic calming road humps take on a sinister appearance for the little 4x4, and you quickly learn to take suitable avoidance measures. It’s bouncy suspension, high ride position and relative narrow chassis are not comforting during cornering, with the car heavily leaning at moderate road speeds – thankfully the engine isn’t capable of propelling the car to speeds where this could lead to serious problems! As with the engine, the ride and handling have been designed with offroading in mind, so if you’re into “green laning” and want something cheap then the Suzuki Jimny is the perfect choice, just don’t expect a comfortable ride on-road.

Build Quality & Reliability Build Quality & Reliability - 4 stars

One of the major positives for the Suzuki Jimny is that they are built to last; they’re uncomplicated, unfussy, and fashion-free – and strangely I couldn’t help feel a certain warmth to the miniature look and style of the vehicle, like some kind of throwback to the 1980s the Suzuki Jimny is a relic of a bygone age where function overrode style, where people took more store in how long something would last rather than whether it was the right colour – Paris Hilton wouldn’t be seen dead getting out of one of these and that warms the heart. Anyway. Inside the cabin expect function to outshine style again, with tough, durable plastics the order of the day, the gear stick is a particular highlight in this regard and looks like its come from a minibus. The SZ4 has a higher specification than the other Jimny variant (the JLX) and for the addition £500 you can expect such luxuries as air conditioning, part-leather seats, leather steering wheel trim and rear privacy glass – although don’t expect rear windows that open. All these “extras” cannot lift the interior to anything other than ‘functional’ in description.

Safety & Security Safety & Security - 3 stars

As you would expect from a vehicle built to play off road, the Suzuki Jimny chassis has a reputation for durability and toughness, so much so that Suzuki haven’t significantly altered its construction in over 20 years. The chassis is extremely rigid and is designed to withstand impact from any direction, while the Jimny also benefits from braking that incorporates ABS with EBD (Electronic Brakeforce Distribution). Driver and front passenger airbags come as standard, with the thin doors reinforced with side impact protection beams. No Euro NCAP scores are available on the Suzuki Jimny, however it does appear to be a tough little nut.

Space & Practicality Space & Practicality - 2 stars

I suspect the designers and engineers of the Suzuki Jimny didn’t factor in accommodating males of average height or above – anyone approaching six feet, or taller, will have zero chance of sitting in the rear seats – that isn’t such a big deal there are countless models on the road today that call themselves 2+2 seats where the same grizzly problem makes an appearance, however there aren’t that many cars where these same adults would struggle in the front of the vehicle – however the Suzuki Jimny is one such car. Being a shade under 6’ 4” the drivers seat simply couldn’t go as far back as to make it comfortable, there was also precious little space between right leg and electric window controls – precious little space meaning no space whatsoever, the controls pressing into the side of the leg a constant reminder of not having sufficient space to get comfortable. Boot space is pretty sparse, measuring 113 litres – with the rear seats folded down this improves to 286 litres, however the seats don’t fold flat.

Ownership & Value Ownership & Value - 4 stars

The SZ4 is the range topping version of the Jimny, and has a £500 premium over the JLX, however the retail price of the car remains under £11,000 so it really is in a league of its own when it comes to 4x4 ability for a low, low price, perhaps the only real competitors to the Jimny are the Daihatsu Terios which is over £2000 more, and the 4x4 version of the Fiat Panda, which is slightly cheaper but doesn’t have the same offroading capability that the Jimny offers. All Jimny’s are covered by a Suzuki three-year/60,000 mile new vehicle warranty. Does the Suzuki Jimny have a market in the UK? Absolutely, however it should only be considered if you’re petite, genuinely after an offroading 4x4 and want a no-frills tough vehicle. If it is a small road fairing car you’re after look elsewhere.

Submitted: 05/08/2009 12:32:40

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