Photo: Stefan Baldauf / Guido ten Brink
The little SUV that could, Suzuki’s Jimny, is back for more in 2018, six years after the previous generation was introduced.
Currently showing on the floor of the Paris Motor Show, the mini SUV inspired by Japanese Kei cars arrived on the market at a time when customers all over the world would buy pretty much anything that has off-road stickers attached to them. A recipe for success, right there.
Not exactly the main car of the Japanese manufacturer’s lineup – the model always sold under 2,000 units a month in Europe, but at times the numbers were as low as 257, like this past August – the new Jimny does, however, show a lot of promise.
First of all, it looks far better than anyone had anticipated, and maintains both the off-road capabilities that have made the model one of the world’s longest-lived production cars – the Jimny is manufactured since the 1970s – and the looks than made it recognizable.
The Japanese idea of keeping the car simple and unpretentious, with a cube-like interior that packs only the essentials, could also do nothing but help it be a hit.
Powered by a 1.5-liter naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine as the top of the range, the SUV does not pack what you would call a punch: it develops a little over 100 hp.
But what it lacks in power it makes up in capabilities. The little off-roader is built on a ladder-frame chassis with a three-link rigid axle at the rear and coil springs to make it ride hard. The 210 millimeters ground clearance is enough to get you places even on more challenging terrain.
autoevolution recently drove the new Jimny, and after careful analysis and using our complicated and ultra-secretive rating system, we gave it four out of five stars.
You can have a look at how our date with the Jimny went by following this link.
Not exactly the main car of the Japanese manufacturer’s lineup – the model always sold under 2,000 units a month in Europe, but at times the numbers were as low as 257, like this past August – the new Jimny does, however, show a lot of promise.
First of all, it looks far better than anyone had anticipated, and maintains both the off-road capabilities that have made the model one of the world’s longest-lived production cars – the Jimny is manufactured since the 1970s – and the looks than made it recognizable.
The Japanese idea of keeping the car simple and unpretentious, with a cube-like interior that packs only the essentials, could also do nothing but help it be a hit.
Powered by a 1.5-liter naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine as the top of the range, the SUV does not pack what you would call a punch: it develops a little over 100 hp.
But what it lacks in power it makes up in capabilities. The little off-roader is built on a ladder-frame chassis with a three-link rigid axle at the rear and coil springs to make it ride hard. The 210 millimeters ground clearance is enough to get you places even on more challenging terrain.
autoevolution recently drove the new Jimny, and after careful analysis and using our complicated and ultra-secretive rating system, we gave it four out of five stars.
You can have a look at how our date with the Jimny went by following this link.
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