Jiminy willikers.
I had to say that, sorry.
What is it about the Suzuki Jimny that has everybody buzzing?
Look at the car objectively and apart from its ladder frame chassis and go anywhere capability,
well, it's a flawed machine.
It has a poor three star safety rating.
There's precious little room for mountain bikes, camping gear or even other passengers.
And the engine, well it's best described as a gutless anachronism.
However, take the Jimny for what it is, a nostalgic toy that encourages adventure, and
it starts to make a lot more sense.
And it looks undeniably cool, equal parts retro and rugged.
The new Jimny is like a micro version of the Teutonic Mercedes G-Wagon.
The cubist aesthetic, boxy proportions and simple circular headlights are an up-yours
to modern day curves and dramatic design flourishes.
It not only pays homage to the past three generations of Jimny, it does it in a way
that will turn heads for the right reasons.
Check out the interior too.
I really like the grab-handle here for the passenger.
You've got these rubber mats, easy to clean.
I love the square set instrument dials.
It's a nice little retro touch.
Rear seat room is actually not bad, even for taller passengers, but there is virtually
no boot space unless you fold down the rear seats.
The new Jimny gets a lot more standard features than before.
We are talking a new seven inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and a reversing
camera.
Even satellite navigation is standard along with climate control, cruise control and even
hill descent control.
But most importantly it gets one of these, a low range transfer gearbox.
Flip it from two high to four high and you'll get full drive grip.
Whack it into four low and you'll go places that most SUVs can only dream of.
Okay, so the engine has as much mumbo as a wind-up toy but the Jimny is so light it can
scramble up almost any slope.
The ladder frame chassis gives it real world ruggedness plus there's loads of ground clearance.
Wheel articulation is surprisingly good as are the approach, departure and ramp over
angles.
Five speed manual and four speed automatic transmissions are available, both of which
cope well with the off-road punishment.
The suspension is three-link rigid axle and is tailor-made for hardcore bush-bashing.
The tiny tackers, slab-sided windows and elevated driving position allow you to see every extremity
of the car which comes in real handy when tackling tight challenging passes.
The breadth of capability off-road is astonishing.
In bigger heavier vehicles like utes or land-cruisers, you need to be judicious about your line.
Not in this.
Just point and shoot.
This is so much fun.
Pulse pounding action at five kilometres an hour, you'd better believe it.
It's not surprising that Suzuki only let us drive the car off-road because even with cruise
control, that reversing camera, autonomous emergency braking is standard, it's likely
to be pretty rough and agricultural around town.
But really I don't think buyers will care if there are compromises and to be honest,
I bloody love this car.
It's just so engaging and has such a charming personality that it doesn't have to be all
things to all people.
It's a vehicle that provokes you to take control, to head off-road, to explore and go beyond
your comfort zone.
It's an affordable, capable and intrepid travel buddy that will have you grinning long after
you lock it and walk away.