In-depth reviews

Suzuki Jimny owner reviews

There are few compact, lightweight 4x4s around, so if you need a small car that's also a very capable off-roader, the Suzuki Jimny is well worth considering

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1 Jun 2020

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Carbuyer Rating

2.3 out of 5

Owners Rating

5.0 out of 5

Reviews

Owner Reviews

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100%of people would recommend this car to a friend

Common Problems

Other (1 case)

Review 1 of 3

Tell us what you think about your car?

Bought my Suzuki Jimny in july 2012. Had 32k miles engine nicely run in at that stage.bought it in case it snowed again after 2010 winter. My smart 450 brabus got stuck after 1st 24hrs of snow. Anyway now 2019 looking back over years at 70k miles now here goes. Never broke down, changed original factory fitted battery in 2018 only because I accidently kicked the switch to my correctly fitted 180 watt led light bar. For long distance or motorway driving I sacrificed the two bottle centre console for an aftermarket Suzuki jimny armrest ..best 70 euro upgrade ever. It sometimes fails to start but this is a common fault traced to a sensor on rear of gearbox housing forgotten what it does but if you floor the accelerator pedal and turn ignition key engine will start as if flooded it will sound it tunning on 3 plugs but if you blip throttle or turn off engine and restart it starts and runs normal again. This usually occurs if jeep is facing an overnight cold wind and at random i first thought it was the immobilizer but its not. Yes it did have the speed wobble in ot when i first got it. I had wheels balanced and instructed the weights to be put on inside and outside the rims as i had no plans to run it off road. Solved speed wobble for a while though i put jeep into service after 6 months of ownership as you can't trust some garages to do a proper service maintenance before selling.. had king pins and shim kit fitted at 34k miles and it solved the issues for the next 6 yrs...just had them done at last service 70k miles...had front disc rotors changed due to corrosion can't complain with the winter floods of last few years and snow finally in 2018 justified its purchase at last ..changing premature corroded parts was expected...still on original factory brakes pads until new rotors and pads fitted was informed still a good quarter of pads left which impressed me as i use brakes a lot as well as down shifting.. i got consistently 500km to a tank of fuel 40 litres i have to think on both as i'm in another european country and think metric and if you go by fuel gauge each quarter segment is about 100 to 150 km it's amazing how much fuel is actually left in the tank when its on empty before yellow light comes on. Did this twice for test reasons i never let tank below 1/4 usually... its consistent i've driven it at 50 mph and at 80 mph and it returns those 500km per tank each time.. in a straight line on a motorway i can reach its too speed of 86 mph at 5,500 rpm but the noise after 4k rpm is like a dementia bee but if only it had a sixth gear and a higher ratio at that motorways would be much better but the jimny was never designed for high speed driving anyway.. cross winds.. did you know if you add 2ft to top of your jimny you can solve the cross wind buffering. I installed a thule 690t roof box since discontinued in 2016 and never had a cross wind problem yes a lost of a few mpg was a worthy compromise about 5mpg over full tank. The horn is a bit silly so changed it for a two tone 130db unit. Never thought headlights were like candle as some reviewers said but i did change mine out for ultra bright 60 high beam 55 watt low beams as i live and drive in dark areas. Mind you with the two light bars of 300 watts and 26k watts of lumen power yes all the stock lights look like candles when you turn them off. Stock stereo unit is fine cd and radio no bluetooth. Jimny is factory fitted with two tweeter speakers down at foot wells but is wired for four speakers now fitted in rear passenger seating area the wiring loom for second speakers for rear is under carpet under rear seat passenger side if your rhd and its a bench seat after 2004 ? Models would prefer the two separate rear seats of pre 2004 models. Had upgraded stereo head unit to full entertainment unit suzuki part full cd dvd tv tuner mobile phone bluetooth infrared sat nav radio and a 1100 watt amp over 5 speakers all fitted into stock speaker housing and some of boot which can only take a few overnight bags anyway unless you put down rear seats and can fit many things if you plan ahead. I was not fond of the push button 4wd selection switches i see new jimny has reverted back to on the floor nob ..cool...it is possible to accidently hit the 4wd high button if your changing setting on heater of money tray since that is what my ashtray is for. Has 12v cigarette lighter which i changed out for usb charging ports . Its was on the stock bridgestone dewlers 205/55/R15 until this year since bridgestone dont make them in 15 inch any more i went uniroyal rain 3x or some thing like that sonce i spend 98 % of time on road but the dewlers were fine on muddy fields of a few music festival attended over the 7 years.. the jimny got stuck once in last years snow drifts but it was deep powder snow and road tires so not complaining if you drive with factory recommended tyre pressures 23lbs front and 26 lbs unladen or 29lbs laden rear only you will find minimal tyre wear my tyres still have 6mm of tread depth tested with tyre gauge after my 7 years of ownership to date only changed them because of mot/ nct advisories to come and had the money.. jimny tyres are not expensive depending on what you buy...tax and insurance is dependent on where you live. Age etc but its reasonable for me as held full licence 20 yrs plus no claims points etc..there is no a/c in mine optional extra until 2013 onwards model but never needed it jimny has big electric windows in front and fitted wind deflectors another simple upgrade a/c compressor zap 1/3 of engine power so a bit useless in a 1.3 cc engine unless you turn it off if you planning to over take or try to go stop to fast.. rear in all fairness can take children up to 5ft i don't mention age as generations are getting taller in youth.. i will be totally honest if your a male with any kind of beer gut or generally unfit in tummy area getting into tear of a jimny with its high door sill is not nice or easy you have to get out backwards so leave rear seats for small kids or very agile adults full seat belts fitted drink holders in side panels. Rear panels are a weird cheap plastic feel and sound but do the job ok easy to clean but also easy to scratch. Split seat arrangement i did find the toggle mushroom like thing which divide the seats a bit fragile as i broke one putting in a full size folded wheelchair and have not replaced it due to the silly money for new genuine part and not much junked jimnys in my part of the world..heater is brilliant usually kept on defrost.. feet setting at 10 to 10 on the heater switch control if that makes sense to anyone.. have tried full heat setting on fully warmed up engine its like a sauna inside with windows up... no fogging except on side rear windows but most cars have same issues due to warm air cooling as it goes rear with cold windows. If you could channel constant air or retrofit warm air to these you will never get side rear window foggy so no complaints re rear side window fogging except for need to see when reversing or looking out as a passenger. 5 sp forward gear need 6th gear low ratio for good long distance driving wont lie have a few extra kgs on me never felt tired from seats no lumbar support adjuster no heated seats new one has them i don't need them. Electric and heated wing mirrors none of my previous cars had heated wing mirrors so in chuffed only discovered it was on rear demister switch as i used to manually clean off frost at first nice surprise gear change is smooth selecting reverse some time notchy but some cars are also like this...the jimby is a true jeep and not a car.. it perform differently so i dislike people who compare it to cars.. the live axles are not an issue like all vehicles you learn how a jimny handles yes its body is mounted on rubber mounts for off road comfort yes it feel at times a bit jiggly on road but chassis is solid.. utch is light and easy to spin rear wheels if too much pedal applied and don't do 5th and 4th in the wet when turning left or right and banging into third especially in wet condition it may spin not fault of jeep more driver.. it's been fun over the years.. fully maintained serviced look after ay ten years of age seven in mine its in great condition no rusting yes we have road salting at winter gave it a wild wax oil treatment in 2014 i have all praise for it great about town easy to park economical if driven in 100kph/60 mph zone 3k rpm...usual things its a revy engine have taken on a few fast cars at lights for a laugh get it up to the 3.5 4k rpm mark in first or second gear it can move !!!..i love mine will keep it until some thing major goes wrong with it...sold the 450 brabus in 2017 miss it badly but jimny is a keeper buy one their both great fun.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

A great little wagon, easy to drive and park, fair on petrol considering being a fwd. Robust chassis and chain driven motor simple. Very reliable,good seating position. Excels off road, plus plenty of spare parts available. Don't listen to the biased views out there as the pros outweigh the cons.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

A brilliant characterful car. I have owned many cars over the years, fast and slow, new and used. Bought the Jimny two years ago and will probably keep it forever. It feels like you can go anywhere, in any conditions and it'll keep going. I train drivers professionally, driven everything from trucks to McLarens, trained on racetracks from the Nürburgring to Spa and would rate this car top. Though I understand those who want something more flash!

What's the one thing you like most about your car?

Rugged, reliable, go-anywhere feel.

If you could improve one thing, what would it be?

Get Suzuki to sell optional seat covers!

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up