Extra doors open new whirl for Suzuki Jimny

SINGAPORE – After driving a seemingly endless stream of techie Chinese electric cars, an old-school model like the Suzuki Jimny 5-Door is a good change. It is like having a hot bowl of fishball noodles after weeks of dining on fanciful fusion cuisine.

The fourth-generation Jimny arrived in Singapore in 2019, about a year after it was launched in Japan. The five-door variant of that car has just landed – nearly three years after it was unveiled in its home market.

Like the three-door, the Jimny 5-Door is a car designed primarily to go off-road. It is among a handful of cars built on an ancient ladder frame chassis, which tends to be heavier and less rigid, but adapts well to a rough-and-tumble environment.

Ditto the car’s high ratio steering, which is a chore in an urban setting, but comes into its own when tarmac gives way to trail.

So, what relevance does such a car have in built-up Singapore? Very little, really. But the same can be said of cars like Ferraris and Lamborghinis, which can exploit only a fraction of their prowess on roads here.

Folks drawn to the Jimny are probably also fans of cars like the Jeep Wrangler, Mercedes-Benz G-wagon and the old Land Rover Defenders. These vehicles have an inexplicable charm. The difference is that the Suzuki is a lot more wallet-friendly.

Being pint-size also means it is able to get to places which are inaccessible to bigger, heftier off-roaders.

The Jimny 5-Door is merely 1.2 tonnes, making it a car that Lotus founder Colin Chapman would have approved of. Its off-road credentials include a 210mm ground clearance, a 36-degree approach angle, a 47-degree departure angle and a 24-degree ramp breakover angle.

With two additional doors and a longer wheelbase, it is more family-friendly than the three-door variant. Space in the second row is fairly adequate, with ample headroom and legroom. But shoulder room is not great, which is just as well since the car is a four-seater.

The car is 3,820mm long, 1,645mm wide and 1,720mm tall with a 2,590mm wheelbase. Its narrowness is felt when you find no space at all between the door and seat to slot an umbrella.

You can chuck the brolly in the boot, which looks bigger than its stated 211-litre capacity. The rear seats can be adjusted for less recline or collapsed to free up more stowage when necessary.

The tailgate has a very stiff gas strut, which I suppose helps prevent hinge damage by careless users, but is nonetheless a bit of a pain.

Like the 3-Door, the 5-Door is equipped with a transfer case which allows the car to be a rear-wheel drive on paved surfaces, a four-wheel drive on gravel and a low-gear four-wheel drive for tackling rocky or muddy terrain.

The latter two are unused in this test drive. In rear-wheel-drive mode, the car averages 8.3 litres/100km. It is higher than Suzuki’s stated 7.3 litres/100km, but not too shoddy for something with a four-speed autobox which keeps revs high and a naturally aspirated engine unassisted by an electric hybrid system.

The Jimny 5-Door is a handful on paved roads. Besides its arm-twisting steering, its wide turning radius of 5.7m makes U-turning on smaller roads a huge challenge.

It is slightly more comfortable than the 3-Door on account of its longer wheelbase, and in spite of its rather rustic suspension set-up. Its camera-based adaptive cruise control mitigates the engine’s lack of verve. Somehow, letting the cruise control bring the car up to a desired speed is less frustrating than stomping on the accelerator.

Even though the adaptive cruise control is somewhat primitive when compared with those in most other cars, it is a useful modern concession.

As are new features such as a keyless push-button door lock-unlock switch, a 9-inch infotainment touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto (wired), and LED headlamps with washer and automatic high beam. The same goes for a suite of active safety features.

Despite its clunkiness in the city, the Jimny is arguably more interesting and less sterile than many electric cars. The 5-Door is not as cute as the 3-Door, but it still turns heads.

And if you like to have fun with cars, it is among a fast-shrinking group of cars you can execute a handbrake turn with – simply because it still has a handbrake.

Suzuki Jimny 5-Door

Price: $199,888 with COE, before applicable discounts
Engine: 1,462cc 16-valve inline-4
Transmission: Four-speed automatic with transfer case
Power: 101hp at 6,000rpm
Torque: 130Nm at 4,000rpm
0-100kmh: 15 seconds (estimated)
Top speed: 140kmh
Fuel consumption: 7.3 litres/100km
Agent: Champion Motors
Rating: ★★★☆☆

Comparable considerations

Volvo EX30 Plus ($223,000 with COE)

The cuddly EX30 is more comparable in form than in function with the Jimny. It shares the Suzuki’s petiteness and strong street presence. The best-selling electric Volvo is quite easily the most charming electric subcompact crossover in town. The Plus variant with a right-sized battery has 290km of real-world range, which is sufficient for Singapore, as well as for a non-stop drive to Melaka.

Toyota Yaris Cross (From $201,888 with COE)

The 1.5-litre hybrid Yaris Cross is an efficiency champ, covering 100km on just 3.8 litres of fuel in a real-world test. Like the Jimny and EX30, this tiny Toyota is cute and sufficiently zippy. It may not offer as much interior space as the other two, but it is packed with active safety features like the Volvo. Like all the comparisons listed here, the Yaris Cross is not built for serious off-road excursions.

MG HS 1.5T ($199,888 with COE)

Like the Jimny, the HS 1.5T is a non-hybrid petrol-powered car. Its engine and transmission work brilliantly together – proof that the Chinese can make decent combustion-engined cars too. The HS is more urbane than the Jimny, with more space and comfort. Its competitive price is icing on the cake. Like the two earlier comparable cars, it is a two-wheel drive which has very little off-road capability.