I have a small 4×4 itch to scratch (ie, small 4×4), and since the SJ’s and most of the Fourtraks have now completely rusted away im left looking at a Jimny.
I used to think they looked a bit.. daft. Now I think that in the right colour I could just about be seen driving one. Trouble is, they are supposed to be crap to drive on-road – but a blast off-road. My annual mileage is around 16k..

So what are they really like to own? Can you adjust the steering wheel and drivers seat height yet or are these still fixed? Can a 6 footer fit?

Are there any other small 4×4’s in the same ball park price and performance wise? The Panda is possibly an option but I think I prefer the Jimny looks (shock/horror).

Would be great to hear of your experiences.

No opinion on them, but Diahatsu Terios is another option.

That said, saw a white Suzuki on here once with the right wheels and it looked ace!

Surely a vitara would be a better option, with more choice and more comfortable.

Quick edit: Terios is a good shout

I’ve had a coupe, they are great fun off-road and pretty capable. I wouldn’t buy one unless I intended to use it off-road but they aren’t as bad inroad as some would have you believe (I expect it depends what your used to driving). Fuel economy isn’t great but isn’t awful, around 25-30mpg depending on what tyres I was running at the time. In the interest of full disclosure, I did manage to roll one of them on the road.

Other points would be buy pre 2001 (x reg or older) for cheaper tax and buy a hard too with the DOHC engine for a cam chain rather than belt.

Me. Wife bought it new in 04 and I had it as a hand me down in 09. Green, the only colour for a 4wd.
Seat and wheel dont move but seems fairly roomy.
Some will say that they are crap for motorways. No idea why. They do 70 and exceeding that is the same as leaving a skip on the pavement or dog turds on a cycle track, Twoootish at the least. T5 and Audi drivers reckon that they are not the quietest on the motorway but thats because they won’t turn their Coldplay junk or Nicola Sturgeon up a touch. The roll a bi but nothing like an old Disco yet still have firm suspension on potholes.
A Panda is not a close alternative as the Jim has both 4wd and a low box. Same set up as a Series Land Rover RWD or 4wd high then 4wd low.
Seems as capable as my 110 off road baring in mind it runs on roady tyres. Vibes at about 45 seem common, especially on the brakes. Off thought to be drop links but usually badly balanced tyres. Mines a keeper.

We had them at work – the suspension is uncompromisingly hard and consequently the handling on-road is diabolical. Fuel consumption in the 1.3 petrol is awful but off-road they are surprisingly capable – don’t go for wide, alloy wheels, the narrow steel ones are what you want. I’d buy one! I’m 5’11” and could get comfortable. The back seats are useless.

Mine does about 37mpg commuting 28 miles A roads with 50 limit plus 3 to 5 miles stop start.
Rear seat is quite comfy if you take the front one out. Seat fine, room dire.
I beg to differ about handling. Its no go cart but its good enough for our roads and speed. Great for rural driving where you can shove it up a bank or park where you want. Avoid red, the paint seems to be even worse than the reds for fading.
Don’t think Daihatsu has a low box, may be wrong. If you want that then there is no alternative.

My mother has one and loves it, has had from new and it’s now about 7 yrs old. She is 84…

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My lad had one as a first car, XReg,1.3. It was surprisingly good. He’s a big unit and fitted ok. He used it off road for shooting, hooning and ferrying. It was very capable offroad. They’re lighter than Landrovers et al so can be skipped over stuff the heavy beasts bog down in. It needed a bit of welding. The floor rots around the boot, and round the light fittings so check, or know someone who can weld. He took the rear seats out and boarded it out to carry all his stuff round.

Onnroad it can best be described as “adequate”. With a following wind downhill he could just about break the speed limit on a motorway, and as he’s away at Uni in Shropshire he lost the will to live driving back to Yorkshire, so got rid. He made £200 on the sale.

Oh, and the “tends to roll over” reputation belongs to the SJ series, not the Jimny. They have a rear end step-out if you corner enthusiastically.

I had an ex-press demo Jimny in 2000, for four years and 40,000. It had ABS and A/C that was not available in the first production models.

It has been the only 100% reliable vehicle I have had (driving since 1985) and I would probably still have it, but sold it to finish my mortgage when I got a company Pinin.

It could go through (accidently) three feet of water with the doors not leaking. The wading depth in the manual says ‘the height of the exhaust’ (eighteen inches IIRC).

The best bit was ‘wiping the floor’ with my brother’s Freelander whilst offroad, mainly due to it’s superior ramp break over angle.

It could keep up with motorway traffic, but would be sphincter tightening in cross winds. I nearly hit the central barrier of the Chelmsford bypass after over taking a lorry in strong cross winds.

I am 6 foot, I could have worn a top hat inside, but my knees were very close to the steering wheel.

The gearing was very strange, a large gap between 3rd and 4th and a very small gap between 4th and 5th,

I had the stick shift for 4wd and low range, now they are push button.

I was nervous about buying a rigid axled rear wheel drive car, but soon got used to it, selecting 4wd when the surface looked slippery and remembering to deselect before reaching grippy surfaces. It could be tricky unselecting once on a good surface, sometimes I would only notice the change in surface (and lack of centre diff.) when turning and had to reverse to release it.

The air con (not climate control) could turn the car cold in seconds, I had to warn people that the pool of water I left behind on their drive was condensation.

There was ginger cat in Bures Hamlet that owed its life to the ABS.

The rear boot space (uncovered) could just manage my Pilots Case, or Brompton, but not both.

The plastic interior seemed to be made of the same sort of soft cheese as Dyson vacuum cleaners.

The clutch on my old 90 pickup is hurting my knee, if I cannot free it up, then another Jimny is on the cards.

If someone makes fun of the Jimny’s offroad ability they clearly do not know what they are talking about. Ask them what their approach, exit and ramp break over angles are, only the 90/110 defender was better.

What is your budget ? Older Rav4’s give a 4×4 sense but aren’t really true off roaders, that has its benefits as they are more comfortable as a result. As above Vitara.

It could keep up with motorway traffic, but would be sphincter tightening in cross winds. I nearly hit the central barrier of the Chelmsford bypass after over taking a lorry in strong cross winds.

Not unlike bringing a Smart Fourtwo home from Cornwall on one of the windiest days of last year, approximately 200 miles! It still (according to my satnav, not the speedo) managed the uphill stretch on the M4 up to the Tormarton junction at 95mph…
Crosswinds and very large trucks though, not a happy combination…
I’m reading this thread with interest, I’ve toyed with the idea of a Jimni for ages as a replacement for my aged Octavia, annual mileage about 5k, occasionally on motorways, mostly local roads, and a lot of those narrow, muddy and full of chuck holes, and I very, very rarely carry more than one other person.
The only thing that puts me off is the fuel consumption of the petrol engine, used as I am to the mileage I get fro my 1.9TDi.
Apparently it’s possible to put in the 1.7TDi used in Vauxhalls, Astra and Vectra, which is an Isuzu unit.

5000 miles per year? I’d have a V8! Fill yer boots

Great advice above, thanks guys. Glad to hear it’s a popular choice despite its road manners. Surely the sign of a good (off road) car

@ Fozzie – It could keep up with motorway traffic, but would be sphincter tightening in cross winds

Many years since my SJ413, but I sure do remember the white knuckle drives across the Forth Bridge in strong winds. I recall no such scares with the Vitaras that followed.

The Jimny replacement is seemingly just round the corner – early spy shots from Japan and strong hints from Maruti Suzuki India, point to late 2017 or early 2018.

The current one has appeal for it’s single minded unfettered design ( perhaps more so with the LR Defender’s demise ) ; the next model is said to retain the the ladder frame and low ratio box ( perhaps mixed with hints from recent Ignis ).

If they screw it up the old one will become more desirable ; if they do a really good job, the old ones could be available to play with for a lot less.
I definitely can see myself falling for a new or an old Jimny – once the story is clear.

We considered one when we lived on the Holmfirth edge of Holme Moss and my wife commuted to Ashton (~8 years ago). It would have made perfect sense in the winter.

We tried to look at 3:
1) in a classic Autotrader viewing, it was on the dealer’s home drive, the engine was warm, he had ‘lost’ the service history and the front and rear number plates didn’t match.
2) a private viewing led to a test drive in which the dash and centre plastic console thing fell off and onto the owner’s knees.
3) we went to a dealer and had a drive of a newer one and hated it. It was gutless uphill and wobbled.

We decided we didn’t need off-road and would only need the 4wd for 3 months of the year so she got the train when it was icy and we bought a Swift instead.

Friends got one a year ago when they moved to the Lakes, the wife hated it, not surprising as the main car is a V6 Alfa 😆 it is rattly but trundles around the lanes no problem, now she loves it, it can go through flood water and copes with snow no problem. A little buro of a vehicle.

You need to decide if you want a proper off-roader like the Jimny or just a ‘soft-roader’ like the Terios, Rav4, etc.

As a proper off-roader, it ticks all the boxes (ladder frame, low-range gearbox, beam axles, coil suspension and excellent approach and departure angles, etc etc). I’m 6’2″ and 17 stone and have adequate room, more than I had with my old Defender.

I’m due another vehicle, and will defintiely be buying another Jimny. When I first got it I was new to the UK and just getting established, so looked at the Jimny as a stop-gap measure until I could upgrade to another Defender, which is what I drove in my previous country (Defender 90 Tdi County). For my purposes as a forestry consultant / surveyor it’s proved to be a lot more than just adequate, and a lot of the game-keepers are amazed at the locations they find me parked at. I could probably afford a recent model Defender now, but have come to prefer the Jimny for my purposes. I’ve become a big fan, but you also have acknowledge its limitations…

If you’re looking at a vehicle for majority on-road use, with the odd gravel road or snow day thrown in, I’d look elsewhere. The road manners are adequate at best. Light rear end means you’ve got to nurse it around corners/roundabouts when it’s wet, its brakes are below average, it’s thirsty for a 1.3L, its interior is spartan and noisy, and there’s not a lot of load capacity unless you render the rear seats useless. And it’s definitely not one for towing!

My biggest issue with the Jimny is its lack of central diff, so you shouldn’t drive it in 4wd on-road, unless conditions are really bad (wet roads don’t qualify). Also the front CVs are weak, so upgrading the t-box to one that has a diff (e.g. one out of a Lada Niva) puts excess strain on the front drivetrain and is an expensive workaround.

Given your stated usage, if you want a cheaper vehicle which still has some off-road ability but much better street manners, look at the earlier Suzuki Vitaras and Grand Vitaras. Or the other soft-roaders that have been mentioned above, you’ll be far happier. If you think you might be tempted by green-laning as a new hobby, then get a Jimny, put some proper tyres and a suspension lift on, and away you go…

As the owner of a ‘proper’ 4×4 I’d not fancy 16k a year in it. I think I’d settle for a Panda, you tube will shown how capable they are with decent compromise tyres, plus they look great.

I currently do around 18k – 20k a year in it, not a problem. But like I said, if it’s only tar roads or gravel, I’d look elsewhere. Jimny (much like a Defender) fills a niche, and if you’re outside that niche it’s not that great a car.

While I’ve listed quite a few downsides, another upside to the Jimny is that it’s very basic to work on, so saves a lot of money on garage repair bills.

Yeah, throw the Panda into the list along with the Terios etc, a better option given the OP, might suit his needs better

So how do I overcome the ‘want’ of a Jimny over the ‘need’?

Vitara or other soft 4×4 may well suit me better, but I find myself, convincing..myself.. that the green lanes and hilly roads around my house dictate that the 95% normal road driving i’d be doing be overlooked.

Curse that cute little bastard Suzuki.

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/suzuki/jimny/100543/new-2019-suzuki-jimny-suv-first-leaked-images-and-spy-shots

I see no front axle / diff housing.

Is that a spy shot from 1982. Looks terrible.

Can’t not put this up on a Suzuki Jimny post – it’s ‘fabulous’ step-brother and future-classic the X90.

Fiat Sedici?

Subsequent to this I did get to pick up a Jimny from a dealer in Kingsbridge, which I drove back home on the M5/M4, about 135 miles or so. Certainly not a sports car, but it was perfectly happy on the motorway at around 70, and it didn’t seem to be particularly scary overtaking trucks, but it wasn’t a very windy day, it certainly couldn’t be any worse than the FourTwo!
With my mileage being around 4-5000/year, I’d certainly consider buying one, I hardly ever need to use the back seats except for putting stuff on.

One of the nicest looking cars on the road I think.

New specifications are out.

http://www.globalsuzuki.com/automobile/lineup/jimny/

Still part time 4WD.

Slightly better approach angle (37, was 34, still worse than departure).

Slighty worse ramp break over angle (28, was 31).

A lot more electrickery to go wrong (DSDB, HBA, WA, LDW, TSR, HHC, HDC, BLSDTC).

Only 1.5 litre petrol for Europe.

fozzie

New specifications are out…

That looks like a proper 4wd. 🙂

Always did like them.

Thought Jimny, bought SX4

Do like the look of the new Jimny though

That looks like a proper 4wd.

Looks like a baby G-Wagon!

That looks like a proper 4wd.

Looks like a baby G-Wagon!

Looks just like the original SJ.

Loved the SJ that I had many years ago before it disappeared into a pile of rust.

That looks proper nice!!

Cant afford one, don’t need one but boy I want one now.

Threads always pop up on here when I’m thinking the exact same thing myself.

I’ve been looking at Jimny’s for ages and there’s thousands of the bloody things in Sheffield. Also lots of opportunities to get it really muddy. When it snowed really badly a few months ago the Peak was deserted and there was cars in ditches everywhere. We still saw loads of Jimny’s just going about their business.

I walk to work and my Mrs. has a sensible Panda so I can have something a bit daft. I’m thinking rear seats removed, tow bar bike rack, roof basket, spotlights etc..

And oh yeah, the new one looks mint! But…I want a cheap toy not a brand new car.

Look how much trouble this thing can scramble out of on tiny little road tyres…

Still live axle front and rear?

edit; just watched video; yes! Last of the proper off roaders? Except maybe for the Wrangler I suppose. Sad that there’s not a single live axled Land Rover anymore 😕

That’s a seriously cool looking car and has so many features of lightweight, simplicity in design etc that are lacking in modern cars.

Just trying to work out how I could live with one as a replacement for an estate car…….

A few more observations.

Ground clearance is more than the old Jimny (now 210, was 190) presumably measured under the diff and not the centre of the car as their diagram shows.

Tyres are thinner (195 not 205)

Back seats fold flat (or they have filled in the gap between the folded seats and the rear door).

They have gone back to using a stick for selecting ‘2H-4H-4L’, like a proper off-roader :-J

Roof gutter looks as though it could cause a serious head injury to a pedestrian or cyclist.

The video shows it going through some water, hopefully this means the axles a have proper breathers that do not suck the water in when cooling down.