GEARHEAD
Jimny genius
The Suzuki Jimny mini-SUV is a brilliant little car for its form and function
Suzuki Jimny in Kinentic Yellow and Bluish Black Pearl 3
Depending on who or what you are, 20 years could be a very long time or a mere blip on the radar.
For a nonagenarian like Mahathir Mohamad, the past two decades must have been a short break for him before becoming Malaysia’s prime minister again.
For his presumed successor Anwar Ibrahim though, 20 years would have felt like a long and turbulent ride on the Ferrari World roller coaster during an Arabian sandstorm.
But if you were the Suzuki Jimny, 20 years was what it took before you got a full model change and was re-born as the fourth-generation car. You didn’t go to jail or get socked in the eye but you did spend an extended period in a lay-by as the third-generation version.
Most vehicles have a product lifecycle of about five or six years. But the Jimny owner who bought his ride in 1998 would have had to wait for his infant son to grow up, enlist for national service, then finish serving before he could replace his ultra-compact SUV with a new model.
It would have been worth the wait though.
Like a brown bear that looks cuddly and docile but is really a scary wild animal, the new Jimny combines two contradictory qualities – cute and rugged; this stylish little SUV is also a full-fledged off-roader.
Although essentially four wheels attached to a colourful metal box, it is looks much more distinctive than the softer-edged model it replaces.
Powertrain
What remains the same is the Jimny’s body-on-frame construction and all-wheel-drive capabilities.
The powertrain is basic – a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated four-cylinder petrol engine that drives all four wheels through a four-speed automatic transmission.
This is the classic Japan Domestic Model combo from the previous decade, down to the tall gear lever with its O/D Off button on the side to keep the ‘box from shifting up to fourth gear.
But like those JDM powertrains of old, the Jimny has excellent fuel economy. Partly because there’s variable valve timing, partly because it’s a featherweight at only 1,110 kg, and mostly because it runs in two-wheel-drive around town.
A small shift lever beside the parking brake proves that the 4WD Suzuki Jimny is no soft-roader – the lever switches the transfer case from 2H (rear-wheel drive) to 4H (4WD high gear) or 4L (4WD low gear).
In 2H, the small Suzuki is an acceptable cruiser. This tall car with rigid axles all-round and fat, knobbly tyres produces a ride that is slightly bouncier than a conventional compact crossover. But it so easy to drive and park.
The Jimny uses a steering box instead of the more precise rack-and-pinion set-up, which means the light steering can feel slightly vague when going fast. But it is hardly inaccurate and anyway, it suits the Jimny perfectly as some free play is necessary when driving over uneven terrain off-road.
Because what allows it to stand out from the crossover competition is its 4WD and low-range gears. 4H will get you across slippery grass and sand easily, while 4L allows you to conquer mud and ruts or clamber up steep slopes.
And because it is a light mini-SUV and not a big, heavy luxury SUV, it is a more nimble and sometimes more practical off-roader.
Features
To say the Suzuki Jimny isn’t a big car is like saying Peter Dinklage is not that burly.
At 3,480 mm in length and just 1,645 mm wide, it is small and boxy. But because it is well-proportioned, it doesn’t look that diminutive until you park it next to another car.
More importantly, it is tall at 1,725 mm, so its four occupants sit upright and despite its limited 2,550 mm wheelbase, rear head and legroom are actually good.
Also commendable is the fact that while the cabin has more plastic than a cosmetic surgeon’s favourite patient, it doesn’t look cheap. Also, wafer thin doors and rudimentary controls don’t mean a thing because it has so much character.
But it does come with the requisite safety equipment as standard, like front, side and curtain airbags, vehicle sway warning, lane departure warning, ESP, ABS, emergency stop signal, hill hold control and hill descent control.
There’s also cruise control, auto aircon and LED projector headlamps with washers.
Price
The Suzuki Jimny is banded B for neutral under VES. Prices start from S$107,900, with two-tone paintwork being a S$1,000 option.
With its bee-sting roof antenna, retro vibe and off-road capability, the Jimny is a refreshingly different kind of car.
It oozes so much charisma that you would happily spend the next 20 years with it.
Suzuki Jimny
Engine – 1,462cc inline-4
Gearbox – 4-speed automatic transmission
Max power – 100 hp @ 6,000 rpm
Max torque – 130 Nm @ 4,000 rpm
Top speed – 140 kmh
VES band – B (neutral)
Distributor – Champion Motors, tel 6631-1118
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