Matt, we’ve just turned up here at Avalanche Adventure, an off-road centre. I’ve turned
up in an off-roader - *the* off-roader - a Range Rover. You look like you’re on your
way to hot yoga! I think it’s a bit harsh, I can see you’re not expecting to have to
get out of your car but I think you would underestimate the Suzuki Jimny - because that’s
what it is - I think you would underestimate that at your peril. You think that’s a proper
off-roader? Yeah, underneath that meek exterior lies the beating heart of a real 4x4. I’m
not so sure but let’s find out, okay? I’m going to lead the way in my proper off-roader
and we’ll see if you can follow me. Okay let’s get this over and done with, this
won’t take long. He’ll drive through a little bit of mud or something and he’ll
get stuck and I’m not an off-roader, I don’t know the first thing about off-roading, I
do know one thing about off-roading, you keep your thumbs outside the steering wheel. This
is really civilised actually, we’ve got a lovely arm chair, I’ve got all this leather,
all this wood, it’s like being in a nice country pub, just need a fire! Actually I’ve
got a heated steering wheel, that’s pretty close. Hot yoga, I ask you. Suzuki Jimny,
on sale since 1998, which is phenomenal, might make it the oldest car still in production.
There’s going to be a new one next year so this is the kind of last hurrah as far
as we’re concerned for this car, and it is cool. Still looks fresh doesn’t it? It
does not... well the interior doesn’t, but the car, outside, I think still looks fresh,
I think that’s probably because it was designed with a slight form-follows-function sort of
thing in mind, so the overhangs are really short: 34 degree approach angle, 46 degree
departure angle - that’s extraordinary - 31 degree breakover angle, that’s also very
good isn’t it? Being a Land Rover, this Range Rover has got this very clever suite
of off-road technology, as they call it Terrain Response, so I can choose whatever I want
really; grass, gravel and snow, I can choose muddy ruts, I can choose sandy mode, rocky
mode, actually I think all I’m going to do is leave it in auto mode and it calculates
what the terrain is like and then chooses the best mode. Perfect! I think Daniel doesn’t
quite realise what a Jimny is, I mean it won’t wade as far as a Land Rover or a Range Rover,
£120,000 worth of Range Rover! I’ve got a manual gearbox and I’ve got a 1.3-litre
engine. I think 4x4s are a bit like sports cars in that some things are great at, I don’t
know, going round a narrow race track, and others are good at going at really high speed
in a straight line and I think 4x4s are kind of the same, you know, they do different things,
but anyway that should do all of the things that it’s supposed to do, you know why?
Because its options cost more than this car does! With options this car is £122,000!
Right, so far, Prior in his little Suzuki is keeping up, it looks pretty cute actually
that thing in my mirrors. I don’t have locking differentials I don’t think but I do have
low ratio four-wheel-drive and that sets the gearing really down low, so I don’t need
hill descent control because frankly that’s just cruised down that high in 1st gear, it’s
really low. We’re going straight up this steep bit now, bloody hell, I can’t see
a thing! Blind, just sky. Oh, that breakover angle is not as good as the Suzuki Jimny’s.
I wish you could see what I could see right now, I can see the underneath of a Range Rover.
Very impressive actually when there’s lots of expensive looking breakable bits! Okay,
that was an extremely steep ascent. I can just see that Matt has dropped out of vision,
there he is, he’s just come over the top there in that little Suzuki. You go to the
countryside, you see loads of these things because they just keep going, they go up steep
hills, they just break over steep angles like that with no bother. This is cool, this is
a great little car and it will go, today, everywhere that that Range Rover does, I’m
confident about that. Matt you’re keeping up so far, what time is your zumba class?
Do we need to finish up here soon. Yeah, I’ve got to get home and get into my yoga pants
as well so if we could be away by about 2ish that’d be great! He has no idea, he genuinely,
I think he genuinely has no idea! This is my kind of off-roading. It’s luxurious,
it’s comfortable, it’s effortless, I don’t really have to put any work into it, the car’s
doing it for me and this Range Rover really is a pukka, pukka off-roader, it’s got all
the hardware, adjustable ride height. In this 4x4i function and then in ‘Off-Road Information’
it shows me all sorts, so I can have a look at wheel information, it shows wheel articulation,
it shows steering angle, it shows which diffs are locked and here in slope information I
can have a look at the incline, I can have a look at how the car’s tilted over, that’s
really, really clever stuff, I’m pretty sure that Suzuki doesn’t have any of this
stuff. This isn’t very challenging mate, come on, I think you’ve got to ask more
of that car. Don’t worry mate, that’s just the first lap, we’ll find some more
challenging stuff. Oh, scrabbling a bit there, that was not easy for the Range Rover. Will
Matt be able to get through there? Surely not! So he’s just gone up a muddy slope
and I’m about to do the same so I’m about to go down. He’ll have his hill descent
thing juggling the control, I’ve just got my feet off everything. Well, 1, turning is
easier, 2, getting through the mud is easier. 3, getting up the hill is also easier.
How did he do that? This car weighs 1,040kg, that’s nothing, is it? So when he gets to the mud
and he struggles through and his fat £4,000 alloys, or whatever they are, are spinning
wildly as his tyres struggle for traction. Matt, I’m amazed you got up that steep ascent
because the Range Rover was really scrabbling up there so I’m going to try and find an
even slipperier bit for you. Okay mate, yeah go for it. He’s quite happy there, annoyingly!
We are reckoning you weigh about what, 2.5, 2.6 tonnes? Yeah, don’t talk, I can see
you’re a bit busy at the minute, trying to prevent this 2.6 tonnes sliding gracefully.
Wow, yeah wheels straight. Oh, he’s coming back. You’re not giving up are you, is he
giving up? You’re not giving up on that are you? He’s giving up on it, he’s not
seriously giving up! Yeah, Matt, this is 2.6 tonnes I reckon, probably a little bit heavier
that yours, is it? Yeah, you know, not by much, only by the weight of a Porsche Cayman!
Mmmh, no, more than a… I reckon, it’s about 1600kg’s more than this mate! Yeah
that’s quite a lot isn’t it, so more than double. It’s been impressive so far, I have
to say. How are you going to deal with that muddy bit? What muddy bit? So far, that little
Suzuki has kept up with everything that the Range Rover can do, it’s impressive isn’t
it really? We’ll try one last bit of really dirty, wet mud-plugging and see if we can
get that Suzuki stuck. Right, here it is, pretty muddy, don’t get stuck Suzuki, that’s
not part of the plan. I don’t think it’s going to get stuck is it? It does get very
gloopy over there. I’m going to stay here while Dan tries it and fails. Incidentally,
we’re not going to do much wading, I think I’m stuck. I’ve got it stuck, I’ve got
the Range Rover stuck. Matt, I think I’m stuck. Can you, if you were to back out a
bit, could you get, could you get back through the gloop you’ve just come through? Yeah
I’ll get out the way, are you going to have a go at this? Come on, come on, don’t ground,
don’t ground. What do you reckon mate, one more go at that? Yeah I think if I stick it
in second and have a wee run-up, I might stand a chance. So on his first attempt he got just
as stuck as I did, which is gratifying. He’s going to have another go. It’s like stretching
a muscle, you know, the first time, it’s a bit stiff, second time… Go on, go on,
go on. Ooh, he’s over! Wow, there you are, you got over it. I’m unexpectedly thrilled
by that. That’s awesome, I love this car. You’d really like this car I think, I hope,
it’s just great and how exciting that they’re going to make a new one that I think should
retain the sort of character and the ruggedness and the go anywhere appeal of this one. Are
you going to have another crack? Yeah mate, I think given that you had two attempts, I
think I’m going to have one more shot at it and see if I can get this thing over. Yeah,
I think that’s entirely fair mate. Okay, bit more speed, bit more momentum. Ahh, it’s
beached, it’s stuck! That little thing is very impressive. It’s remarkable isn’t
it, I mean, you know, they’re both really impressive aren’t they but I think ultimately
this will probably go that little bit further than that will. Yeah. But maybe that isn’t
a surprise because you’ve got a luxury car. I know this is the big expensive car with
all the clever technology, all the fancy bits, but it does have one massive disadvantage
today. Which is? Me, me! I’m not an off road driver, I don’t really, I’m pretty
incompetent off road. You know for somebody with very little or even no experience can
come and drive, just steer it and put the throttle down and it will get you most places
and ultimately it probably would get up there if it wasn’t somebody else's £120,000 car
and we weren’t worried about them. It’s not even on super knobbly tyres, they’re
pretty road biased tyres. Yeah, fairly, that’s what surprised me is that it will go through
even the really gloopy stuff on these tyres. I expected it to be decent on grades and stuff
but what a nice way to say goodbye to a really cool, perhaps a little underrated car actually.
Proper little thing that is, you have to say, proper little off-roader.