WHEN I was informed that there was a Suzuki Jimny coming to Media24 for a road test, guess how I felt?
I had mixed emotions because I’m not a big fan of small cars.
But after finally receiving the five-speed, 1.5L power-train with 75kW and 130Nm outputs, I was highly impressed.
It’s as simple as its name and quite fun to drive around.
In terms of looks, the Jimny looks nothing more like a little toy.
The design is fantastic and the combination of the lime and black colours make it attractive.
It’s a head turner with those bold bumpers and square front with rounded headlights.
It has a touch screen with a lot of modern features, but its cabin reminds you that this is not your normal SUV.
I loved its hard but quite efficient steering wheel. Once on the go, the steering wheel gets the job done.
While the looks might remind you of the Jeep models, the Jimny’s handling is as simple as the car is.
After making a few adjustments on your seats, pedal controls and the steering wheel, you soon realise the Jimny is a fun-filled car to toy around with.
Its flat screen will get you shifting and adjusting time and again, but once you get used to its set-up, you have a lot to enjoy in the car.
I think increasing by 22kW and 20Nm from the previous 1.3L engine, is good for the 1.5L as it gives it more capacity.
But don’t accelerate too much on curves and on windy days, you might flip it the wrong way.
Drive it nicely.
and not like you are late for an appointment, you will definitely enjoy the car and definitely be comfortable, but speeding around you might not enjoy it very much. Which is good in a country where speed has proven to be the cause of many fatalities on our roads.
Pricing for the Jimny starts from about R264 900 for the GLA and tops out at R319 900 for the GLX automatic.
The GLA comes with a two-year or 30 000km service plan.
This compared to the GLX’s four-year/60 000km plan.
