or signup to continue reading The is the little car that could for Suzuki. The three-door model launched with a bang in 2019, and long waits have persisted since. It was joined in late 2023 by the five-door Jimny XL and, although the wait lists haven't been quite as wild, it's been hot property as well.
What's all the hype about? On paper, it's hard to understand. Tiny in person, basic inside, and powered by a breathless 1.5-litre engine with no turbocharger, the only metric in which the Jimny outguns the horde of small SUVs charging up the sales charts is off-road ability.
.. which isn't a key concern for the average small SUV buyer.
But writing the little Suzuki off because it doesn't make sense on paper is completely missing the point. Despite its flaws, the Jimny remains a charming antidote to the same-sameness of modern cars. Just make sure you know what you're getting into.
.. Pricing for the Jimny range kicks off just about $30,000 before on-road costs.
The XL automatic on test here is the most expensive model in the lineup. Simplicity is the name of the game here. With an upright dashboard, basic instrument binnacle, and lots of hard plastics, this isn't a luxury car.
Then again, it's not meant to be. Suzuki has chased a rugged and retro feeling behind the wheel, and the Jimny delivers on those fronts. The view over the stubby bonnet is commanding, and everything you need to use regularly is within easy reach.
If you're tall it is quite tight sliding in under the steering wheel, but once in there's actually a surprising amount of room. I just wish the steering wheel adjusted for reach, rather than simply moving up and down. Infotainment comes courtesy of an aftermarket-looking 9.
0-inch touchscreen integrated into the top of the dashboard. Despite the tuner vibes it's actually functional and quick on the move, hooking up to wireless smartphone mirroring reliably. The reversing camera is very poor, but this isn't a big car.
With compact dimensions and a near vertical rear, it's still easy enough to park in tight spaces. Storage up front is limited. There are two cupholders between the seats, a phone-sized slot under the dashboard, and slim door pockets, but otherwise you'll need to use the open space in front of the passenger or the small glovebox.
Rear seat space is a mixed bag. On the plus side, you'll get an adult back there behind a small-ish adult up front, and you don't need to contort yourself to squeeze past the folded front seats as is the case in the two-door. It's not what you'd call a massive car, but this is usable for karting kids around or giving friends a lift to the train station.
.. provided you only need to carry three people atop the driver, rather than four.
Rear passengers don't get air vents or USB power, nor a fold-down central armrest. Top tether and ISOFIX child seat points feature on both rear seats, and the square rear door opening makes it relatively easy to load little kids. Boot space is a claimed 211 litres with the rear seats in place, expanding to 1113 litres with them folded flat.
The side-opening tailgate makes it easy to load awkward items, but it's still not a massive space back there. You'll want to fold the rear seats for a weekend's camping kit, for example, although the significant lip between the boot floor and seats may make loading harder. This isn't a rocket in a straight line, with two more doors and 100kg extra to lug around relative to the two-door Jimny with which it shares its engine.
With a naturally aspirated engine and a conventional four-speed automatic, the Jimny is a bit of a throwback. There's no learning curve here, you just put your foot down and it goes..
. slowly, unless you put your foot down. In news that'll surprise no-one, fitting an engine with 130Nm and tall gear ratios doesn't make for a rocket ship.
Then again, that's not really the point. Although it's a bit gutless, the Jimny is fun to drive in the city. It's tiny, so slim gaps and small carparks hold no fear, and there's never any danger of dinging a wheel or clipping your bumper unless you're being really reckless.
It's easy to see the corners of the bonnet, and the upright rear end doesn't hide vehicles in your blind spot like alternatives with coupe-style designs and massive pillars. The steering is quite slow, and it doesn't auto-centre as quickly as you might expect. That means you're busier behind the wheel than in most city-sized SUVs, although even your granny could still reverse park with one hand.
Relative to the slightly flighty two-door, the longer wheelbase on the XL makes for a more relaxed driving experience. It's better at dealing with pimply city streets, and feels more planted at highway speeds. Rather than being buffeted and bullied by crosswinds, constantly working the wheel to stay in the middle of the lane, the XL is more assured.
The engine is working hard at 100km/h though, while the narrow track, tall body, and upright sides mean this is still a car that requires constant attention on the open road. At a cruise it buzzes along just below 3000rpm with overdrive engaged, and as soon as you're headed uphill the transmission kicks down from fourth to third gear for more revs, more noise, and a bit more punch. It's down a gear on the manual, but the automatic Jimny does have a key advantage in the form of adaptive cruise control.
It does a solid job maintaining a gap to the car in front, and helps lessen the load in awkward mid-speed traffic. As for the off-road stuff? That's where the Jimny is happiest. It's easy to move from 2H, to high-range four-wheel drive, or into low-range four-wheel drive using the old-school lever near the driver's left knee, and the additional length of the Jimny XL hasn't undermined the underlying rugged goodness present before.
Along with solid approach, departure, and ramp-over angles, and a blend of mechanical and electronic (in the form of hill descent control) helpers, the Jimny has a natural advantage because it's light and small. Hulking, expensive LandCruisers and Patrols are already close to the sides of most off-road trails, leaving you very few options when it comes time to pick a line through tricky obstacles. The little Jimny gives you options.
Speaking of options, there's also a booming aftermarket movement allowing owners to take what's already a capable little off-roader and turn it into something altogether more hardcore. The Jimny XL is available in one grade with either a manual or automatic transmission. Sizzling Red and Chiffon Ivory can be had with a Bluish Black Pearl roof.
The Suzuki Jimny XL hasn't been crash tested by ANCAP or Euro NCAP. The three-door model has a three-star rating based on testing carried out in 2018, but it's made in Japan whereas the XL is made in India. The lack of a five-star safety rating hasn't been a hindrance to the two-door model, with long waits persisting.
It's unlikely to be an issue here either. The automatic gains adaptive cruise control, which works at speeds between 40km/h and 130km/h. The Jimny XL has a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty like the broader Suzuki range.
The Jimny XL doesn't redefine the formula set out by the two-door model, but it does make it easier to bring friends along for the ride. It's still a bit gutless in a straight line, and it doesn't have the polish of its more car-like rivals if you're after no-fuss transport for the daily grind..
. but that really isn't the point. Not only is it a talented off-roader, the Jimny has a cool factor nothing around the same price can replicate.
It makes you happy in a way a or just won't, and that counts for something. The XL isn't all that much more expensive than the two-door, and the extra weight doesn't blunt its performance as badly as you might expect. It was slow before, and it's still slow now.
If you can though, we'd recommend opting for the manual. It's better in a straight line, better on the highway, and more fun to drive in keeping with the Jimny's personality. Content originally sourced from: Advertisement Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date.
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