“The feeling of driving it is like finding the feeling of 20 years ago, but it still feels modern.”
After the new generation of Suzuki Jimny was officially unveiled in June this year, it has become a well-deserved Internet celebrity model. Whether at home or abroad, the attention paid to Suzuki Jimny remains high. And because Suzuki plans to withdraw from China, it has cast a shadow over whether the new generation of Suzuki Jimny can come to China as an official import. However, these do not prevent us from presenting the test drive report of this car. To be honest, I was really excited.
As in the past, the new generation of Suzuki Jimny is also divided into K-car version for the Japanese light auto market and a small SUV model for the global market according to different markets. The difference between the two is nothing more than that, the K-car version, which is the main model in Japan, has weakened the use of exterior parts under the restrictions of Japanese light vehicle regulations, and at the same time replaced it with a 0.66L four-cylinder engine. The small SUV version of the Jimny introduced to the global market is based on the K-car version with a wide-body exterior package, an enlarged wheelbase, and wide tires. The power has also been upgraded to a 1.5L naturally aspirated version. And this time the overseas test drive model is the small SUV version of the Jimny.
The highly anticipated new Suzuki Jimny is the fourth generation in the development history of the Jimny, and the history of the Suzuki Jimny can be traced back to the 1960s. In the history of the first three generations of the Jimny, there are no exceptions. Has a very long product life cycle. The third-generation model that is still on sale made its debut in 1998. After two decades, this third-generation Jimny has not lost its fans because of the years of polishing. On the contrary, after two decades It has remained popular throughout its lifetime.
Twenty years later, the overall structure of the fourth-generation Suzuki Jimny has not changed too much due to the loss of time. It is still a non-load-bearing body structure and front and rear non-independent hard axle suspension, showing The pattern of the sparrow is small and complete. The lower structure of the car body is still a solid trapezoidal frame. Under the composition of non-independent axles, the Panhard link, coil spring and trailing arm tie rod of the suspension system are still clearly visible.
On the premise that the overall structure remains the same as that of the third-generation model, the fourth-generation Suzuki Jimny takes more into account the use of electronic equipment. The newly added electronic traction control system makes the fourth-generation Suzuki Jimny have a certain ability to get out of trouble , A certain differential lock function is realized through the brakes. And this is also the most affirmed upgrade of the new generation of Suzuki Jimny.
As for the appearance, when the fourth-generation Suzuki Jimny still appeared in spy photos, many people said that its shape resembled the Mercedes-Benz G-Class. However, such an evaluation is somewhat superficial. As a classic small off-road vehicle with a history longer than the Mercedes-Benz G-Class, the Suzuki Jimny has too many family traditions to pass on.
In fact, from a styling point of view, the styling of the fourth-generation Suzuki Jimny is clearly a tribute to its second-generation model, which we call the Suzuki Samurai. After the rounded treatment of the third-generation model, the reciprocation of the aesthetic trend has made this tough line composition the main design language of the fourth-generation Suzuki Jimny. On the one hand, the square box car enhances the volume sense of the new generation of Suzuki Jimny, on the other hand, it also reminds us of the classic design of the 1980s through the design of the small flange.
In terms of size, the small SUV version of the Jimny is only 3.48 meters long without the spare tire, and only 3.65 meters long after calculating the width of the spare tire. The wheelbase is only 2250 mm. The size of the whole vehicle has basically maintained the same level as the previous generation model. After all, due to the restrictions of the Japanese light vehicle regulations, the body size of the new generation of Suzuki Jimny cannot have a big breakthrough. In terms of ground clearance, the new-generation Suzuki Jimny has increased by 15 mm compared to the previous generation model, and these increased data have all been used to improve passability.
The 1.5L naturally aspirated engine equipped with the small SUV version of the Jimny released for foreign markets does not have many bright spots in the book data in the face of a small displacement turbocharged power. However, it is a four-cylinder engine, and its simple structure can easily cope with how thin the air is and how bad the fuel is, and the smooth power output will not be as fast as the small-displacement turbocharged power.” show hand”. The matching five-speed manual transmission and four-speed automatic transmission are also mainly durable. With the blessing of this set of power, the top speed of the new generation of Suzuki Jimny is 140 kilometers per hour. As for the acceleration time to 100 kilometers, Suzuki did not give an accurate answer.
Therefore, these experiences, as long as the test drive is used to illustrate the problem.
Any power parameter evaluation that does not refer to the weight of the vehicle is a hooligan. The 1.5L naturally aspirated engine carried by the new generation of Suzuki Jimny is not low on the book data, although the book data is not low 1.0L three-cylinder turbocharged power. But with a curb weight of 1090kg, the new generation of Suzuki Jimny can also run a very brisk power performance on high-level highways.
However, during high-speed driving, this four-cylinder engine, which is obviously biased towards low-speed working conditions, will roar somewhat at such high-speed driving, and the square body also makes the car clearly feel the wind noise. However, the increase in machine noise and wind noise did not affect the normal conversation of the occupants in the car, and there is no need to increase the volume. To a large extent, this should also be due to the advantages of the small body.
The manual-transmission model we tested has an extra-long shift knob on the sub-dashboard, and the shifting feel is reminiscent of the manual-transmission models of the 1980s. However, on the new generation of Jimny, this super long shift lever no longer swings around like crazy at the moment of starting the car like the 1980s models. And the whole shifting process is also very crisp and neat. Since there is no further overdrive sixth gear, at an average speed of 100 kilometers per hour, the engine speed corresponding to the fifth gear has reached 3000 rpm, and this is what the new generation of Suzuki Jimny will let us deeply feel at high speeds. The main reason why the engine is somewhat noisy.
The experience of driving the new generation of Jimny on the road is like a trip back in time. The rear-wheel drive architecture of the two-wheel drive state is consistent with most SUVs in the 1980s. To be honest, the driving feeling in this rear-wheel drive state is indeed much better than that in front-wheel drive. At this time, the interior of the car seems to be a little too much plastic interior, the huge side window glass and the square appearance further strengthen this illusion that people have traveled through the past.
Of course, this sense of returning to the past also includes some rough engine noise and the drag feeling that the front and rear hard-axle suspensions bring to the body when passing through every bump. When the vehicle is running at high speed, the unique mechanical noise and the feedback of the vehicle are simple and direct. In addition to the new generation of Jimny, the only thing I can think of is the Lada Niva. However, the simplicity and directness of the Lada Niva will make people crazy within a few seconds, while the Jimny is obviously not the case. It will make you enjoy this direct human-vehicle communication. So, it’s really a nice toy.
Let’s talk about the steering. The steering system of the new generation Jimny is as indirect as ever. Note that it is not direct here. It is still a typical off-road vehicle steering system design. When cornering, the body shake will obviously exceed your phenomenon, but this is acceptable. For the Suzuki Jimny, the cornering speed is never too fast.
Compared with its predecessors, the new generation of Suzuki Jimny is really much more comfortable after adjusting the suspension system, even if it is still set with a short wheelbase. The feeling of bouncing and jumping in the past has obviously weakened. Moreover, the steering system has also been replaced with a new steering shock absorber, so that the steering wheel will no longer directly feedback the vibration of the road surface as before. Although Suzuki has not changed the original intention of the Jimny, the new generation of models is indeed getting closer to modern demands.
When it comes to Hyundai, in terms of active safety configuration, the new generation of Suzuki Jimny also adds automatic emergency braking, driver fatigue monitoring, automatic high beams, lane departure warning, traffic sign recognition and other configurations. In addition, the navigation system has also added the function of human-computer interaction. In terms of comfort configuration, it also includes automatic air conditioning, LED headlights, heated seats, multi-function steering wheel, etc. The use of these configurations allows the new generation of Jimny to combine the sense of technology of modern cars while exuding classic charm. This feeling is really quite contradictory.
The real test drive experience for the Suzuki Jimny, of course, cannot be used on asphalt roads. So, naturally we drove it to a place where there was no road.
The compact body of the new-generation Jimny saves a lot of trouble when traveling through the forest. When I test-drive the new-generation Jimny in the German forest, it can always happily pass through the bushes under the woods. Under normal circumstances, the high-speed four-wheel drive has met all the needs of jungle crossing, and when the low-speed four-wheel drive is connected, the amplified torque can allow the Jimny to automatically pass through some difficult road sections at a creeping speed. In addition, on the new generation Jimny, steep slope descent and uphill assistance have also been added. The braking time of the uphill assist for the vehicle reaches seven seconds.
The advantage of the front and rear hard axle non-independent suspension is that it can greatly increase the suspension stroke and ensure that the driving wheels do not leave the ground. The huge suspension travel almost makes the electronic limited-slip device added to the new car lose its role on such roads. The physical characteristic of constant ground clearance of non-independent suspension, combined with the design of short front overhang and short rear overhang, also allows us to not have to consider the front and rear bumpers rubbing against the ground during the crossing process. In the off-road field, all the handling shortcomings of the new generation of Suzuki Jimny in road driving have become real advantages. That’s the beauty of this little off-roader.
At the end of the test drive experience, let’s talk about space.
Although the size is small, under the influence of the square outline, the conversion rate of the interior space of the new generation of Suzuki Jimny to the volume of the vehicle is very high. When the rear seats are normally opened, the trunk volume is 53L, and when the rear seats are down, the trunk volume expands to 377L. Since the new generation of models has changed the arrangement of the rear taillights, the opening size of the rear tailgate has also been significantly improved, making the maximum loading width of the new car increased from 92 cm on the old model to an astonishing 130 cm. This greatly improves the space practicality of the new generation of Suzuki Jimny.
In terms of seating space for the occupants, the interior width of the new-generation model has increased by 4 centimeters. This significantly improves the ride comfort of the front seats. As for the rear seats, they are as simple as ever, but fortunately, the sitting posture is not like the third row of a seven-seater SUV. The normal sitting posture is just a little less leg room, which is completely acceptable for general short-distance travel.
In general, the new generation of Jimny is still the only small off-road vehicle in this market, and we can hardly find other alternatives. It’s still a solid, dependable little off-roader that’s hard to put down. With the upgrading of technology, it has also become more fashionable and close to life. As a toy, it is still worth looking forward to. So here comes the question, are you ready for a parallel imported Jimny?
