You don’t know what you have got till it’s gone, so goes the outdated saying. However what should you by no means even had it? That’s precisely the case with the Suzuki Jimny (previously dubbed the Samurai), a automotive with a wealthy historical past spanning over 5 many years. I’m speaking in regards to the present model, a retro-boxy, five-door mannequin that first debuted in 2023, that sadly by no means made its method Stateside.
However right here in India, we have been a bit luckier. Whereas the fourth-generation Jimny was initially launched in Japan in 2018, it will definitely made its method to the subcontinent as a five-door variant in 2023.
And when it did, it grabbed lots of consideration within the journey neighborhood. Compact sufficient to navigate metropolis site visitors, whereas sporting fully-functional 4-wheel drive capabilities, and being light-weight and straightforward on the pocket to keep up. Sounded actually good on paper.
Utkarsh Sood / New Atlas
The Premise
For individuals who bounce on the alternative to go out on small excursions, the Jimny made good sense. Take me, for example. I’ve owned the Royal Enfield Himalayan for greater than 5 years now. Although a bit heavy, the bike’s a correct tractor – it goes over just about something and chugs alongside completely all day lengthy with out grievance. You possibly can even load kilos of baggage on it and it will scale mountains like a goat.
So, on the finish of final 12 months, I picked up a Jimny. A number of months into possession, my spouse and I made a decision to take it on an overlanding journey. After years of motorbike journey, being inside a 4WD automotive felt like luxurious.
The Modifications
However earlier than we took on our little expedition, I made a couple of modifications to the automotive. Tires have been first. I upgraded from the thin, road-biased 195/80 R15s to wider, mud+snow 225/70 R15s to reinforce grip, stability, and off-road efficiency. I additionally put in a tire strain monitoring system, which is oddly lacking from the manufacturing unit.
Utkarsh Sood / New Atlas
Storage got here subsequent. Whereas the 55-gallon (208-litre) boot holds two medium suitcases, I wanted extra room for tenting gear. I added a light-weight roof rack and intelligent storage panels within the boot to strap in baggage and unfastened gear.
Including to the purposeful mods have been a pair of Bushranger Variable Mild Depth (VLI) auxiliary lights, a pair of limb risers, and a jerry can setup mounted to the quarter glass on both aspect to hold some extra gas – a much-needed add-on whenever you’re going lengthy distances, contemplating the Jimny comes with a surprisingly small 10.5-gal (40-L) gas tank.
I made a couple of aesthetic mods too – changing the fugly chrome entrance grille with an ABS tactical-style grille, upgrading to LED tail lights, and including smoked LED indicators instead of the usual halogens.
The Expertise
With all the pieces arrange, my spouse and I launched into an overlanding journey south from Delhi, crossing different terrains – from sizzling plains and moist grasslands to excessive mountains – finally reaching the southernmost tip of India. Almost 5,000 miles (8,000 km) later, right here’s my verdict.
Utkarsh Sood / New Atlas
From the get-go, Suzuki has produced an excellent little automotive for a household of two, perhaps three. However any greater than that and also you’re seemingly making compromises. Cabin area is okay for 2 adults and two children, but it surely’s comfortable. You’ll be bumping elbows. Nonetheless, the inside isn’t any letdown. It’s purposeful and charmingly retro. When you choose dials and buttons over touchscreen tantrums, you’ll recognize the setup. A passenger seize deal with, a 9-inch infotainment display screen, local weather management, and cruise management spherical out the options.
I went with the AMT model, which comes with an R-N-D-2-L setup alongside an O/D button that permits you to manually select the gear ratios. Neat! There’s a separate AllGrip Professional gear lever that permits you to mechanically swap between 2WD-high, 4WD-high, and 4WD-low.
Couple the 4WD capability with options like hill-start help, hill-descent management, ESP, and digital braking differential (entrance and rear), the Jimny provides you the boldness on just about any terrain. I used to be capable of cruise over 75 mph (120 km/h) the entire day lengthy with out the engine feeling burdened. On mild trails, I just about glided on 4WD-high with out a fear. And on the odd event, I ended up locking my rear wheel in knee-deep muck, switching to 4-low bought us out with out breaking a sweat.
My spouse was notably impressed with the inventory suspension setup, particularly on laborious trails. You don’t actually really feel a lot contained in the cabin. I assume the ladder-frame chassis and strong entrance and rear axles are to thank for that.
Utkarsh Sood / New Atlas
The Points
However that’s to not say the automotive doesn’t have its shortcomings. Initially, it has an terrible turning radius of 19 ft (5.7 m). Taking a U-turn in metropolis site visitors is irritating and mildly humiliating. Then comes the real-world gas financial system of 25-30 mpg (9.4-7.8 L/100km) – not nice for a 1.5-liter four-cylinder naturally-aspirated engine.
Lastly, the steering. With over 4 lock-to-lock turns, the electrical energy steering feels sluggish. It’s effective off-road however requires extra enter than common on tarmac. It’s additionally heavier than you’d count on from a automotive this small.
Certain, it gained’t intimidate anybody on the freeway, and sure, you’ll need to plan your overtakes prematurely, however aside from that, I don’t assume there’s a lot to complain in regards to the Japanese off-roader. It makes for a terrific small-footprint automobile for anybody beginning their off-road or micro-overlanding journey.
Utkarsh Sood / New Atlas
Ultimate Ideas
Which brings me to my predominant level. Overlanding as a tradition has exploded of late. Within the USA alone, the overlanding market has proven 19% annual progress with round 3.53 million overlanding participants.
And whereas the likes of the Toyota Land Cruiser, 4Runner, Jeep Wrangler, and Ford F-150 make for excellent selections on this area, the micro-overlanding phase specifically lacks some critical choices. Certain, you have got the Subaru Outback and the Honda Factor as compact SUVs, however each of those are AWD versus correct 4WD. It is a area the Jimny caters to essentially nicely, in my view.
It’s small, mild, inexpensive, straightforward to keep up, and most significantly, dependable. Its mod-ability is the icing on the cake. Sadly, you are unlikely to see the most recent era of Jimny on the highway within the US. That is as a result of it would not meet US security requirements or emissions restrictions for its dimension class, and Suzuki apparently has no plans to get it as much as code for a US launch, which might clearly up the value. However given there does appear to be a spot available in the market for such a automobile, we’ll by no means say by no means to a US launch.
