Suzuki Jimny

The vibe of simplicity in the exterior of the Suzuki Jimny has been carried forward on the inside as well, where this compact off-roader features an all-black theme for the dashboard, door panels and fabric upholstery. Like the exterior, the interior of the Jimny also has a few squared-off design elements that make the cabin stay true to the purpose of making the Jimny feel like a proper off-roader. 

While the Suzuki Jimny has a three-spoke steering wheel with contrast chrome accents, the instrument console behind it has a quintessential off-road-specific design. Finished in gloss black, this instrument console has a two-pod design, with the squared pods having rounded analogue dials for the speedometer and tachometer. There is a small LCD screen between these squared housings, that shows the fuel gauge, engaged gear, odometer, trip meters and MID. 

The cabin of the Suzuki Jimny does come with assist grip handles for all four passengers and a large grab handle on the co-passenger side of the dashboard. The centre console also looks nice with a large infotainment system at the top and rounded dials for the climate control in the lower half.

Features and Technology

The Suzuki Jimny is a sub-compact SUV which covers many of the essential equipment, but there is a scope for more on offer. Both the variants of the Jimny have a tilt-adjustable steering wheel with audio and Bluetooth controls, while cruise control buttons are also available in the steering wheel of the GLX variant. 

Other features common to both the variants of the Suzuki Jimny are all-four power windows, two speakers at the front, a 9-inch touchscreen infotainment system with off-line navigation, front and rear assist grips and a front 12V power outlet. The additional features in the GLX variant of Jimny are automatic climate control, two additional speakers at the rear and an additional 12V power outlet at the back. 

Boot Space and Storage

The compact dimensions of the Suzuki Jimny do make it an effortless mountain goat, but that also means that this vehicle is severely short on cabin and utility spaces. With the rear seats up, the boot space of the Jimny is a meagre 85 litres, which goes up to 377 litres after folding the rear seats.

There is also a severe lack of small storage spaces in the cabin, as apart from the small closed glovebox, a couple of small bottle holders and thin door pockets, there are no places to store your knick-knacks in the Jimny.

Pros:

•  Functional grab rails and assist grips
• Large touchscreen infotainment system
• Decent boot space after folding down the rear seats

Cons:

• Lack of storage spaces in the cabin
• No driver seat height adjustment
• Hard plastics across the cabin

Like its predecessors, the fourth-generation Suzuki Jimny has a boxy and upright stance with almost a squared body profile. While the dimensions of the Jimny are small, the heightened bonnet and high ground clearance do give it the essence of a proper four-wheel drive SUV. Measuring 3,650mm long, 1,645mm wide and 1,725mm tall, the Jimny is compact for an SUV, though. 

At the front, the Suzuki Jimny carries a neo-retro persona with its rounded headlamps, which come with LED projectors and small LED pilot lamps, along with headlamp washers below them. These headlamps, along with small amber turn indicators placed beside them, are a part of the wide fascia, which is finished in a matte black theme and has five rectangular slats with honeycomb mesh inserts that serve as the primary grille of the SUV. 

The front bumper of the Suzuki Jimny also has an off-road-oriented design, with tapered edges on the sides that give it excellent approach and departure angles. This front bumper has trapezoidal housings for the rounded halogen fog lamps on the sides and a rectangular air dam in the middle with honeycomb mesh inserts.

From the sides, the Suzuki Jimny proudly exhibits its three-door design, with the compact off-roader also having a clamshell bonnet, flared and blacked-out wheel arches and angular pillars. The rear profile of the Suzuki Jimny also has a squared profile, with the off-roader having a tailgate-mounted spare wheel that gives it an old-school character. The rear bumper of the Jimny also has an off-road-specific design and comes with rectangular halogen tail lamps on the sides.  

Pros and cons:

Pro: Traditional upright stance and boxy profile

Cons: No LED tail lamps

Suzuki claims a maximum fuel efficiency of 16.94 kmpl in highway conditions and 16.39 kmpl in city driving conditions. However, in the real-world context, the Jimny delivers 11-12 kmpl in the city and 14-15 kmpl in highway conditions. 

Pros and cons:

Pro: Impressive highway fuel efficiency

Con: Real-world city efficiency could have been better

Built on a rugged ladder-on-frame chassis, the Jimny comes with Suzuki’s AllGrip Pro four-wheel drive system as standard. With three-link rigid axle and coil springs at both front and rear, this sub-compact off-roader from Suzuki has proven its mettle in off-road driving conditions, giving it the status of a legendary off-roader.

The 15-inch wheels with slim-looking 195/80R15 tyres might look under-sized, but they are perfect for an off-roader vehicle of this size, with them coming with off-road-specific tread blocks. However, the boxy stance and high ride height make the handling of the Suzuki Jimny slightly unnerving, especially as the speeds rise. 

Pros and Cons:

• Pro: Excellent off-road driving capability
• Con: Body roll at higher speeds

Powering the Suzuki Jimny is a tried-and-tested 1.5-litre four-cylinder naturally-aspirated petrol engine, which churns out a maximum power output of 101 bhp and a maximum torque output of 130 Nm. This engine feels refined and torquey in the earlier RPMs but starts feeling out of breath as the speeds rise, while also sounding slightly gruffier at higher RPMs.

Talking about transmission choices, while the GL variant is being offered with both a 5-speed manual and 4-speed automatic, the higher-spec GLX variant is exclusively available with a 4-speed automatic transmission. 

Pros and cons:

Pro: The engine feels refined at higher RPMs

Con: Lack of power at higher RPMs

The standard safety features which are present in both the variants of the Suzuki Jimny are dual front airbags, three-point seat belts, ISOFIX mounts for child seats, ABS with EBD, electronic stability program, hill hold control, hill descent control, engine immobiliser and reverse parking sensors. There are a couple of additional safety features in the higher-spec GLX variant, including a rear parking camera and brake assist. 

Pros and cons:

Pro: Standard ESP, hill hold control, and hill descent control 

Con: No rear airbags and ADAS

Competitor Comparison

The Suzuki Jimny is a unique offering in the sub-compact SUV space, as there is no other sub-compact SUV in the Philippines car market to offer a three-door configuration, four-wheel drive and compact dimensions like the Jimny.

However, at its price, there are a few other sub-compact SUVs one can buy in the price range of Jimny, which might lack four-wheel drive but offer more practicality with additional rear doors and more cabin space. These alternatives include Kia Seltos, Hyundai Creta, Toyota Yaris Cross, MG ZS, Geely Coolray, GAC GS3 Emzoom, Nissan Kicks e-Power, Changan CS35 Plus, Chevrolet Tracker, KG Mobility Tivoli and more. 

Conclusion and Final Verdict

At first, for the prices at which it is being offered, the Suzuki Jimny might look senseless to many, for this compact off-roader is short on space, features and practicality. The engine and transmission also feel lazy at times, while the body roll at higher speeds is prominent.

However, at the same time, no other sub-compact off-roader is as full of character as the Jimny. It is the only sub-compact SUV which is offered with a traditional four-wheel drive system, which is a reason enough for those people who wish to have a compact and affordable vehicle for conquering difficult and unexplored terrains. The effortlessness in the off-road driving ability of the Suzuki Jimny is what makes it very desirable, despite its steep pricing.