Got the top spec for 16k USD on road in India, agree it is hugely under powered, but a throttle controller can help in the sluggish gear changes. For sedate driving in tough, narrow and broken hilly roads in India, the Jimny is perfect, since we only get the 5 door XL version, it is what it is, and loads of people who were holding on to their 20 year old Samurai's are now updating to the Jimny, so it definitely has it's place, and it is not for everyone.
As a Jimny owner, this car is so good in town. It's so easy to park. It's got amazing visibility and has soft sqegy tires which are great for potholed Melbourne roads.
21:55 the lack of wading depth of Jimnys has nothing to do with a snorkel. The problem is that it's so light that it starts to float and the tyres lose contact with the surface below the water. So please so not go deep water fording in a Jimny that's not laden with people and cargo. A snorkel won't help you.
@@damieg82 Very useful comment. Thanks! Are you able to share where I can find more information about this floating phenomenon? Even a generic technical article explaining, for example, how a 1.2 ton car is dangerous for specific physics related reasons for water wading purposes will do; doesn't have to be about Jimnys specifically. Just let me know what keywords to search on Google.
@@saviom8166 it the same phenomenon that keeps steel ships from sinking. Cars do float, not sure thats why the fording depth on the Jimmy is low. Its usually limited by electrical components and diff/gearbox breathers
Things to keep in mind: The wading depth isn't actually 300mm. That's just the depth at which the differential breathers would be submerged in water. Extend those up and you'll easily be able to wade 600mm, its more so when it will begin to float 😆
Hi Paul , Ive had my 3 door Jimny for over 4 years now and its been absolutely bullet proof , no faults , no squeaks no problems at all !! ( and its has done lots of hard 4wding)
My wife has just ordered a 3 door manual. I researched them and about the only complaint that I could find was the occasional infotainment system failure. It's reassuring to read of your experience.
I have had my jimmy since 2019 when the price was great. It has never skipped a beat. It ain’t the best on road that’s no lie but what it does off road makes up for it. It is a 4wd first after all. Plus it has such a great community behind it as well with so much aftermarket support as well. I’m more of a fan of the 3 door but if ya need more space well this will do just fine.
I own a Jimny 2 door mainly for one reason - It gets towed around behind my motorhome in an enclosed trailer so that I have a vehicle to use when I park up to go shopping or to venture into the Aussie bush or beaches. Point is people will buy a vehicle mainly due to a purpose that they have a need for..... example I would have preferred a Tank 300 however the additional weight of the Tank along with workshop, tools, etc, would have exceeded the towing weight limits of my motorhome In my opinion at least 1/2 of your test are a total waste of time for this vehicle as potential buyers know that they are not buying a sports car.....however I do appreciate all of your reviews.
I have a jimny xl. It's small, slow, but very practical. With a throttle controller it does a good job. Off road is fun. If I had to buy anything else would I? No, it would be still the jimny
Here in Asian markets, Brand and looks has always had been the key to potential customers. If you ask anybody in Asia what car they want to buy it's always the japanese, the Koreans or if it's a Cute or stylish car. Here in Brunei, 30% of the cars are Jimnys, not because Brunei doesn't have roads but because it's a Suzuki and it's cute sized. The price? The same as a Subaru Forester. The other 40% are other japanese manufacturers, Koreans, 30% are the European brands while the other 10% are the recently debut Chinese cars. Goes to show how people don't really care about what they are buying other than being a personal preference rather than features and kit that the car provides
I didnt see that many Jimnys during the times i go to Brunei for work. I do see a lot of the cheaper Suzukis like the S-presso and the odd looking Suzuki APV
@@notagain2856 Yea I would say the amount of Jimnys has been reduced Abit since the spresso was introduced. Further implying that people don't care about the cars capabilities, just want the brand and the looks (cute sized)
2:45 no mention of rigid axles front and back! And the ladder frame ! 5:20 it doesn't have a radar, I think 5:38 the manual clearly says that the reversing camera is angled like that. It is done so that if one is backing up into a downhill incline behind the vehicle, you can see that on the display as you approach it. 6:20 you didn't mention the M8 bolt mounts on the dashboard and doors. And the grab handle for the front passenger. 6:28 no mention that the rear seat is set higher than the front seat, by design, to enable rear passenger to look out from the windshield 7:07 that hydraulic strut pushes the door open; one is to wait for it to open. And the M6 attachment points on the side-walls of the boot as well as the floor. 11:00 that steering is a recirculating ball steering mechanism, which is particularly well suited for all-terrain duty, rather than rack-and-pinion. That response you saw is by design. The Ineos grenadier has it too. And it is electric, not hydraulic! Which other SUVs in this price range give rigid axles, a ladder frame, a 4L transfer case etc.? This thing goes toe-to-toe with the Jeep Wrangler, a much more expensive car! This is known as one of the cheapest serious off-roaders in the world for a reason! It's like this reviewer didn't do his homework at all, and was downright wrong about some things. He seems to only know speed and quickness and size, nothing about Japanese engineering for efficiency-for example, Japanese Kei cars and their brilliant output with limited resources and size. How disappointing.
@@CarExpertAus The Jimny is poorly designed, and expensive? At least you can feel nice about not toeing the line every other expert is-you said the opposite. Come on!
@@CarExpertAus and every other reviewer said that the Geranider's steering is slow as well, with a dead spot. They complained it's bad for roads, but great off road. Do you have a bias against Japs?
No way, I have just seen one of these parked in real life and I couldn't believe there was a 4 door Jimny and the very day I learn about it's existence you upload this review 😂
Great review. Jimny is a unique vehicle today. The cost is now in the Tank 300 range. Adding a snorkel does not not increase your wading depth. There is many more factors to take into account other than air intake.
I actually love the look of this car. I have been wailing for this review for ages. I am heartbroken! I still love it but now not sure I would buy it. I knew it wouldn’t be a power house but even so! Anyway thanks for what you and your team put together Paul. Great job!
We had a Suzuki Sidekick manual transmission 4 door, it was slow and molasses, but it was a goat, we loved that lil SUV, broke our heart when they left the US! This Jimny looks great, a mini G Wagon!
Yeah my gripe is the lack of power on the 5 door for highways etc . Put off-road tyres and a lift with better suspension and a more powerful motor and you have a giant killer . I used to have a 3 door Sierra so country driving very noisy and sluggish but great off-road .
I like the reverse camera angle, great for judging exactly how close you are to something, anything else you should be able to see with the mirrors. I don't really see the need for much distance in that camera (most people don't reverse at 70). Overall, I like it. Some decent shocks will help with the B-roads and corrugations, otherwise it's pretty much ready to play out of the box.
Inflation has been crazy since 2018 when the Jimny launched. If the 2door was $30k it would cost almost $36 today, just with inflation. I think $38 for the 4 door is fine. I bought a Toyota 86 for $30k (inc onroads) in 2013, the new GR86 base manual is $48k (which I personally think is insane but given the above example seems about right considering the Jimny example).
Considering all the nanny state safety systems that drive us all crazy in cars these days, why do they allow cars to do such hgh speeds in reverse? Alot of people struggle doing 70km/h going forward!
For me the Jimmy xl is a great fit if you have children and want a proper 4x4 less than $40k and understand it isn’t designed as a regular SUV commuter. It is slow on highway and not fast around corners. Any other proper off-roader is going to be double the cost of the Jimmy. I actually like the fact it doesn’t have all the smart dumb technology in the car, I can drive it without the car interfering with my driving. I like the scratchy plastics it means they robust and last. I like the fact the engine is simple no turbo, it means I can service and repair it. I like it has a proper spare tyre.I like the back seat is high so children can see the view from the front window.
Small correction? Unsprung mass is the suspension. Sprung mass is the car on the springs. Would say this car has 'heavier' unsprung weight (live axles) and 'lighter' sprung weight (small body, simple interior) than say a unibody SUV of similar size
Unsprung weight is the weight of a vehicle's parts that are not supported by the vehicle's suspension and move up and down with the wheels when the vehicle travels over bumps and other obstructions. This includes the wheels, tires, brake assemblies, differential, solid drive axles, hubs, and anything directly connected to the wheels.
I owned the 3 door for 6 months but I had an argument with a tree while offroading and now I own the 5 door. I wish it had 100-120 KW but it is fun offraod
Question when your driving around the corners at speed on the test track your not driving in your lane as you would in real life meaning you would probably drive slower because of more body roll
Hi, OK well if you look back, the Jimny or Samurai as it was called in other countries never had a five door, the new one is a step up, however the price doesn't justify the five door for me either, it should be a little cheaper for the compromises you have to make on road, however it manages very well off road and I'm not surprised by it. If you do offloading in the outback a lot, with some bigger wheels it will be good, if it's just for around town or on the motorway better go for something else
Hi paul, nice video, love the looks of Jimny either 3 doors and 5 doors,it needs the same running gear from the Vitara 1.6 with 6 speed Auto as standard 2wd and options and 4wd with bigger wheels 1.4lt turbo and 6 speed manual or 6 speed auto for top range model it would be a fair price for 2wd 1.6 manual from 27k up to 38k drive away! for 5 door and 3 doors from 24 up to 35k it would be good choice for any buyer's....
Here in India, we have 2 of the 5-door versions. One for my parents who live off-road, in a remote farm. It's godsend. Because of this, they have a 4×4 (a feature used often enough) that is not uncomfortable to ride and easy to get into with their arthritis, and all this at a superb price. There's nearly been a deficit we faced with it, except dad doesn't like the turning radius. The narrow dimension is very useful, the power delivery is definitely adequate (I cruise at 115 kmph at full payload), and we are no longer worried about getting stranded when it rains heavily.
There's probably 20k 3 doors sold... and the 3 doors hold their value better than the 5 doors, so I dunno if it says that the customers want the less offroad focussed 5 door as much as you might think.
I’m in Australia and my mate had old 3 door JIMNY and it’s massive off road ability Is just hillarious way better than cruiser and utes in most sand and mud circumstances
I just love the Suzuki's, both cars and motorbikes. Just so disappointing with the on road performance. For the price, really what are they thinking. Needs a bigger motor. 🤫
A little turbo kit is a good thing. Most owners have to put better suspension and tyres on these to make it safer on road. Should have it from factory.
Was there anyone asking for this? Maybe overseas people. What they should of done is made it a 2 seater lifestyle ute, basically slap a tray on the back.
All grip means all wheel drive now?? They’re not all wheel drive are they? Still has a dual speed transfer case selectable 4wd low and high range? At least my 2024 does.
I really wanted to like the 5 door Jimny. But the high cost low power make it a no go. It needs a 2.0 high output engine or at least a 1.8 with electric motors
All your hill tests on different videos go up the hill going forward and not in reverse. As sometimes your situation requires you to reverse back the way you came on tight track off roading.
Price is absolutely laughable. This thing is worth $20k max. Nothing redeeming IMHO about this vehicle except its looks, which is subjective. Poor engine, poor rear space, poor tech and infotainment with very average fuel consumption (real world) figures and cannot tow much. I cannot see anything much in this car for the money they want for it.
@@richardbrookhouse7782 Hilux and Ranger are top selling continually for the past few years yet have been plagued by DPF and other issues. Being a poular vehicle does not mean it is any good. As for the 18 month wait times, well, COVID-19 played a huge role in that figure, let's be honest.
11:00 there's a reason for that steering being like that, it's by design; look it up. It's like this reviewer knows nothing other than sports cars, nothing about what it takes to build a very efficient solution to a problem statement. To him, it looks like 'performance' = only speed and quickness and size. How foolish. Here in India, we have 2 of the 5-door versions. One for my parents who live off-road, in a remote farm. It's godsend. Because of this, they have a 4×4 (a feature used often enough) that is not uncomfortable to ride (all other reviewers were impressed with the suspension, except for this guy) and easy to get into with their arthritis, and all this at a superb price. There's never been a deficit we faced with it, except dad doesn't like the turning radius. The narrow dimension is very useful, the power delivery is definitely adequate (I cruise at 115 kmph at full payload), and we are no longer worried about getting stranded when it rains heavily. I use mine in the city. I love it. Potholes and undulations are no longer an issue.
On road handling is shocking and no wonder this thing didn’t get ANCAP rating for it, did they? We had the 3door and 5door and 5door was better but still not worth that price, given what’s available.
