By Jimny, Suzuki’s new retro 4x4 proves practical and fun

Published on 11 December, 2021

Overview

I HAD no intention of taking a blocky, small 4x4 commercial on a test drive. But I was prevailed upon to try it for a few days, so I did.

And I found driving the Suzuki Jimny was on the one hand like stepping a bit back in time and, on the other, enjoying the little motor for what it was: a practical, if unusual and different sort of way to get you, and/or your business, from A to B.

I asked Suzuki who would bother buying one because I haven’t come across too many like it for some time.

And apart from the obvious – small businesses, the likes of forestry commission users – they said private buyers are happy to run the car as a two-seater with a large cargo area.

The set-up is something like this, there are two seats up front that are ‘fenced’ off from the cargo area via a strong mesh partition grille.

That rear enclosed space struck me as being ideal to carry, among other things, properly tethered pets. (I managed to get a large, awkward office chair in there).

The only problem (well there are a few to my way of thinking – more of them anon) is that you might have to wait a while to pick one up as they don’t make that many of them at the one factory in Japan that supplies the model.

As the Suzuki man told me: “Basically we take as many as we can get for UK and Ireland as demand is very high.”

The Jimny, in one guise or another has been with us for decades, but the ‘proper passenger’ version – which was hugely popular – had to be taken off the market due to tighter CO2 regulations.

A pity, because it had a certain quirky allure as the three million or so Jimny buyers worldwide would attest.

So we’re left with what I suppose most people would see as being an outdated vehicle.

Obviously, some still see it as a sort of a retro-fashionable thing to have.

Also contributing to that high demand (comparatively speaking of course) is the fact that for its size, it has the practicality of a small commercial 4x4 van, as well as the relatively low price of having such technology on board.

Indeed it has the potential to be a great bit of fun off-road thanks to the lever facility that lets you shift between four-wheel drive (4WD), a lower-range 4WD and ordinary two-wheel drive.

It’s all basic stuff nowadays, with a solid beam axle and coil-spring suspension to enhance off-the-tarmac driving.

No, I didn’t take it off-roading – unless you call scaling the heights and running the gauntlet of wheel-rim-crunching kerbs in a Dublin city centre high-rise car park as qualifying for inclusion as such.

Luckily it’s tidy, if blocky frame and higher driving position, afforded a good vantage point to avoid the worst of the spiralling high-rise risks.

And there was no worry about trying to find it amidst all the shapes and sizes of other parked cars.

The Jimny stood out like a four-sided barn door that had just been painted white and with a full-sized spare on the back door.

It was a grand little thing to drive around the increasingly hostile city centre roads and lanes, often drawing looks, smiles and nudges from those crossing at the lights.

But where there was a bit more speed involved on more open roads, it was rumbly and unrefined.

Put it this way, it wasn’t the smoothest car to drive I’ve had this year. For some people, I guess, that may be part of its attraction.

Petrol consumption wasn’t great either. I’d have to say that it seemed to amount to a good deal more than the 7.7-litres/100kms officially claimed as the best it can do.

I agree it is not the greatest proposition on a number of fronts, but I couldn’t help myself liking the little motor and was glad I took the opportunity to drive it.

‘Charm’ is too strong a word to describe what it has going for itself. ‘Off-beat’ is a better description. Whatever it is, it’s a bit of practicality and fun – whether you buy it for private use or other purposes.

Sadly, after all that, I have to end on a negative note.

I mentioned drawbacks. Apart from the few just alluded to, the major criticism I’d have would be how terribly cramped it would be for the two passengers upfront if either or both is more than 5ft 9ins.

For me, there was little or no room to adjust the seating or steering wheel to eke out a few more centimetres. That would definitely put me off.

However, if that were not an issue, I can see how someone could find use for, and fun with, Suzuki’s latest 4x4 offering.

Suzuki Jimny commercial 3dr SUV: €20,995 (with options €21,365), 1.5-litre petrol engine, manual gearbox, road tax €413.

Special features: ALLGRIP Pro selectable 4WD, low ratio transfer gear, Hill hold, Hill descent control, full-size spare wheel, cruise control, manual air con, front fogs, high beam assist automatic headlamps, electric door mirrors, DAB digital radio with CD player, two speakers, 15ins steel wheels, black wheel arch mouldings, some driver assists, mesh partition.