It feels like a mountain goat, its light weight helping it to skip along rough tracks and muddy lanes – although we would exercise caution if any rock crawling is required, due to its low ground clearance.
Then again, there are heaps of specialist firms offering upgraded suspension, wheels and underbody protection if you want to turn your Jimny into a Land Rover Defender killer.
A rather less rounded on-road driving experience is the price you pay for such off-road capability. At lower speeds, the ride can be a little choppy, particularly on unkempt surfaces, although once you’re up to a brisk speed on cross-country roads, it settles down and irons out lumps and bumps well.
There’s a lot of body roll through corners and the steering is slow-geared. But still, for the odd urban jaunt, it’s a fun little SUV to ride around in.
Powering the Jimny is a 100bhp naturally aspirated 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine. There’s more than enough performance for barrelling around farmland, and enough pep for trips into and around town. It’s less suited to motorways, though, where it feels quite strained at higher revs.
You will also notice an increase in decibels at higher speeds, albeit not as badly as you would in a classic Defender. Two versions of the Jimny were available in the UK, both with three doors only: the SZ4, which came with steel wheels, and the plusher SZ5, which added alloy wheels, LED headlights, rear privacy glass, climate control and heated seats.
It also borrowed a 7.0in infotainment touchscreen from Suzuki’s Swift supermini, and while its graphics are a bit lacklustre, smartphone mirroring goes a long way to mitigating that.
Inside the Jimny, there’s plenty of chunky physical controls, and while they do feel cheap, they make it easy to adjust functions on the move. Rear accommodation is only big enough for children (and just two of them, as there’s no middle seat), while the side-hinged boot can
fit a few carrier bags at best.
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