The anti-crossover off-roader; Suzuki Jimny JLX 1.3 MT
Tree huggers and big corporations alike love to talk about having a small carbon footprint. And for good reason — just take a look at the natural calamities afflicting our planet, most of which have been brought about by man’s unstoppable tendency to consume or hurt nature.
So what do you do if you love Mother Earth but love to explore it while on board a motorized fossil fuel-burning contraption? You do it with the smallest possible footprint you can manage. And that’s where the diminutive Suzuki Jimny seems heaven-sent.
“Retro-new” styling
Man has been exploring the world’s jungles on foot, on horses, and more recently on off-road vehicles like the venerable Jeeps, Land Rovers and Land Cruisers since the 60s and 70s. These pioneering SUVs are the inspiration of the Suzuki Jimny, albeit on a four-fifths scale. The Jimny even has vertical bars on its grille that are the design signature of the iconic Jeep.
It confidently eschews the sleek aerodynamic car-like styling of modern crossovers and resolutely goes for the upright and boxy shape of those seminal off-roaders. And it’s the reason the Jimny still looks fresh and undated even if it has been around for 20 years (the current iteration debuted in the Tokyo Motor Show in 1997) — much like the timeless Jeep Wrangler, Land Rover Defender and Mercedes G-wagen. But it does have modern touches like small body panel gaps and seamless joints where metal and plastic meet — and even an available automatic transmission (my test unit had a five-speed manual).
Basic yet functional and surprisingly spacious cabin
The Jimny is short and narrow so Suzuki classifies it as a four-seater. Those four occupants will be pleasantly surprised to find generous leg and headroom, though, despite a truly diminutive 3,545mm overall length and 2,250mm wheelbase. What they won’t find is a feeling of luxury, as the Jimny is unapologetically Spartan in that it doesn’t offer plush leather and thick carpeting (but neither does a new and much more expensive Toyota FJ Cruiser). Besides, true off-roaders should be able to withstand being driven across a river — with water up to the driver’s waist — and be hosed down inside and out after.
How does it drive?
In a nutshell, the Jimny can and will take you literally to any corner of this Earth without breaking a sweat. In fact its tiny size (and proven 4x4 drivetrain) will allow you to squeeze through a lot of spaces that might stop a bigger and tougher SUV in its tracks.
Just don’t expect it to take you anywhere — on or off the road — breathtakingly fast. That’s not what the Jimny is all about. It’s powered by a mighty mite of a 1.3-liter DOHC 16-valve fuel-injected petrol engine developing 81ps and 110Nm of torque.
Ride quality is reasonably comfortable despite the short wheelbase and off-road-worthy suspension comprised of proven three-link rigid axles and coil springs, front and rear. Pickups have worse rides than the Jimny’s.
Braking is via front discs/rear drums with ABS and EBD, which gives it thoroughly modern braking performance. Tires are sizable 205/70R-15’s — perfectly adequate for everyday driving and occasional off-roading. For hard-core off-roading, veteran drivers usually fit the little Jimny with big knobby off-road tires.
The Jimny’s other features include four three-point seatbelts, defogger, side impact beams, keyless entry, power windows/door locks/side mirrors, and a 2DIN audio system with two speakers.
All things considered, the Jimny is the perfect starter off-roader for those who often travel solo or with just one or two passengers, especially with its very affordable price of P790,000. Crossovers might be better of you plan to drive exclusively in the city. But if you plan to do any form of trekking or off-roading, nothing can touch the Suzuki Jimny.
