BY JIMNY (some text hidden) --NONE--

By Jonathan Crouch

Introductionword count: 62

Small and tough, the Suzuki Jimny is an ultra-compact 4x4 with genuine character. The MK3 model we look at here feels crude in terms of ride, handling and refinement but it's hard to grumble at the prices being asked. Although running costs are quite high, the Jimny is still just about the cheapest viable off-roader from the 1998-2018 era on the market.

Modelsword count: 9

3dr SUV - hardtop/soft top (Petrol - 1.3 86PS)

Historyword count: 227

The Jimny story dates back to the late Sixties and a product called the HopeStar OM360 manufactured by the Hope Motor Company, essentially a kind of scaled-down World War II Willys Jeep. Suzuki bought the rights to make this little 4x4, updated it and re-launched it in April 1970 badged as its 'LJ' series. Eleven years later, with a quarter of a million worldwide sales on the board, the company replaced that car with a model you're more likely to remember, the 'SJ' Series, which in the Eighties gained unwanted notoriety for its alarming tendency to tip over when cornering at speed. Nevertheless, nearly 1.7 million SJs had been sold by 1998, the year this MK3 model was launched. This third generation design was the first in the model line to be generally known in our market by the Jimny name and was a far more civilised thing than its predecessors - or at least it seemed that way at launch. As the years passed though, the Jimny looked more and more at odds with the kind of cultured little runabout that customers increasingly expected a small SUV to be. It was, after all, uncompromisingly rugged and a loyal band of buyers made it clear to Suzuki that they wanted it to stay that way. It sold until an all-new MK4 model was launched in late 2018.

What You Getword count: 123

At first glance, the Jimny looks to be designed more for the mud than the metropolis. Flared wheel arches, bulky side panels, roof rails and that spare wheel on the tailgate give it a purposeful look intended to reflect a 'rugged personality'. Underneath all that, however, it's all surprisingly car-like. Instead of the 'garden shed' aerodynamics favoured by most off roaders, the slippery body has a drag coefficient comparable with that of a normal family hatchback. The cabin, though dominated by grey plastic, is equally user-friendly, with a neat, simple layout that will confuse no one capable of operating a payphone. For a small car, the driving position is excellent, accommodating for anyone up to a six-footer, with plenty of head and legroom.

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