0:07 Okay. [music]
0:23 Often times freedom is considered to
0:25 come at a high cost. But cars like the
0:28 Jimny reminds us that it doesn't have to
0:32 be. It may not be a status symbol, but
0:35 what it is is a companion. The kind that
0:38 never asks, "Where are we going?"
0:42 Instead, it's a sort of companion that
0:46 asks, "Are you ready?"
0:48 And it's that attitude coupled with the
0:52 tiny footprint that makes this the David
0:55 in a desert full of Goliaths.
0:57 Because when the going gets tough, the
1:01 Jimny's biggest weakness becomes its
1:04 greatest strength.
1:06 All right, first things first. Let's
1:08 clearly add on this one. I adore the
1:10 Suzuki Jimny. I love the fact that it is
1:13 so tiny and it makes me feel like a
1:14 giant when I'm standing right next to
1:16 it. You see, this compact form factor of
1:18 the Jimny has been its superpower ever
1:21 since it was launched back in the 1970.
1:23 But most importantly, I love the fact
1:26 that it is honest. It is an off-roader
1:30 and it's not shy about it. Every corner
1:32 of the car feels like it's got a purpose
1:34 to it. Starting with these cheap black
1:35 plastic padding that's going all around
1:38 the car. That's also done as a clever
1:40 design choice because these are the
1:41 areas that are most susceptible to
1:44 damage when you're going off-road. And
1:46 if need be and you have to replace them,
1:47 it doesn't really hurt your wallet. And
1:49 then you have the overall design of the
1:51 car. You see, from afar, it feels like
1:53 the car has been designed with a ruler.
1:55 And that is also done on purpose because
1:58 this design gives the Jimny better
2:00 approach and departure angles than some
2:02 of the off-road kings like the Lancrosa
2:05 300 or even a Range Rover. And then you
2:07 have the small grill that's standing
2:09 very high from the ground. This is done
2:11 so because [music] it gives the Jimny
2:13 the ability to wait through 300 mm of
2:15 water. And straight from the factory,
2:16 you get 15-in alloy wheels with
2:18 all-terrain tires. And all around the
2:20 car, you can find these large glass
2:22 areas that'll give better visibility
2:24 when you're going off-road. You see,
2:27 underneath this tiny form factor of the
2:31 car lies a ladder frame chassis, coil
2:33 spring suspension, and a proper lowrange
2:35 transfer case. It is [music] an
2:37 off-roader and a true-blooded off-roader
2:39 at that as well. And then when you come
2:42 to the rear, it does have true
2:44 off-roader designs like the rear mounted
2:46 tires and a door that opens to the side.
2:48 But again, don't be fooled by this
2:50 compact form factor because on the
2:52 inside, Suzuki has done some clever
2:54 design choices that makes it quite
2:56 spacious. Let me explain what I'm
3:08 You see, the secret lies in this boxy
3:10 design. Because of the design of the
3:12 car, passengers are forced to have an
3:14 upright seating position. That means
3:16 that you have enough leg room,
3:18 especially for an average sized human or
3:21 in my case an above average sized person
3:23 to be rather comfortable, especially
3:24 when you're going for long drives. When
3:26 it comes to the rest of the interior,
3:28 it's very simple and functional. It's
3:31 meant to last the test of time. Pretty
3:33 much in line with the rest of the models
3:35 in Suzuki's lineup. The rest of the
3:37 interior is quite familiar. Here you can
3:39 find the typical Suzuki switch gear, a 7
3:41 or 9 in touchscreen with wireless Apple
3:43 CarPlay and Android Auto on the higher
3:45 variants and old school rotary controls
3:47 for the AC. Below that are aircraft
3:49 style toggle switches for hill descent,
3:51 hill hold, and power windows. Storage
3:53 options are quite basic and includes two
3:56 solid cup holders in the middle and
3:58 large cubby holders on the doors. In
3:59 terms of practicality, you get cloth
4:02 seats in favor for durability and a USBA
4:04 [music] port as well as a 12vt socket
4:06 for charging. Since this is the five
4:08 door version, you get proper rear bend
4:10 seats, but space here is tight, and the
4:13 lack of a flat floor, rear AC vents, and
4:15 armrests make it more practical for four
4:17 rather than five. [music] Boot space
4:21 grows from 85 L in the 3o version to 211
4:25 L in the 5o version,
4:27 and folding the seats will give you an
4:47 >> Under the hood lies a 1.5 L naturally
4:49 aspirated petrol engine that makes 103
4:52 horsepower and 134 new m of torque. Now
4:55 on paper it might not sound like it's
4:59 enough, but in terrains like this it is
5:02 more than sufficient. This is a terrain
5:05 where the Jimny feels very much at home.
5:07 In fact, the Jimny is so much fun that
5:08 when you switch the lowrange gear to
5:10 rear wheel drive and turn the traction
5:12 control off, you can even do some
5:14 donuts. The suspension might be a little
5:16 bouncy on the tarmac, but in uneven
5:18 terrains, this is where it makes the
5:20 most sense. Now, to describe the
5:22 off-road capability of the Jimny, I
5:24 quote numbers like 37° of approach
5:28 angle, 49° of departure angle, and 28°
5:30 of breakover angle. But the fact of the
5:32 matter is, as long as you carry enough
5:34 momentum, the Jimny is pretty much
5:37 unstoppable no matter where you take it.
5:40 But the real win here is a 14 1/2 km per
5:42 liter fuel efficiency, which translates
5:44 to more time in the dunes and less time
5:47 at the pumps. Now that we are back on
5:50 the smooth tarmac and we've gotten the
5:52 tire pressures back to normal, this kind
5:55 of gives us a better picture of what the
5:57 performance of the Jimny is actually
5:59 like. All right, so Suzuki claims that
6:01 this particular variant, which is a 5-o
6:04 automatic variant, can do the 0 to 100
6:07 sprint in about 17 seconds. Let's try
6:08 and see how close we can get in the real
6:10 world. The left foot is on the brake,
6:12 fully pressed. Build up the revs with
6:28 And that is about 100
6:32 We have 17.39 seconds
6:34 on record. Now the three door version is
6:36 a lot more quicker because obviously
6:37 it's getting a lot less weight as
6:39 compared to the 5 door version. But
6:42 again the car is meant to perform better
6:45 on the rougher roads. So to summarize
6:47 though the Jimny might be a decent car
6:49 as a daily driver. I think it'll be
6:52 better suited for people who are
6:55 exploring their love for off-roading
6:56 and are just beginning out their
6:58 journey. See, like I've said from the
7:01 beginning, I adored a Suzuki Jimny, and
7:04 that is primarily because it doesn't
7:06 pretend to be anything that it is not.
7:10 It doesn't sell you luxury or speed.
7:11 What it does give you is a sense of
7:14 freedom, which is [music] why I love it
7:16 so much. Sure, life on the paved roads
7:18 could be a lot more smoother, but when
7:20 you take it off the beaten ground, the
7:23 Jimmy shines. So, if you own the Jimmy,
7:26 it might not be your daily driver, but
7:27 I'm fairly certain that it'll be the
7:29 sort of car that you look forward to
7:32 driving. Which is why I think that
7:35 renting the Suzuki Jimny might make most
7:37 sense for a lot of people. Because with
7:39 a self drive app, you can rent the Jimny
7:42 for almost an unbeatable price. That way
7:44 you get to experience the sense of
7:46 freedom without any strings [music] attached.
