Suzuki Jimny SUV - Practicality & boot space (2018-2020)

Part of the Jimny’s appeal is its compact size, so it shouldn’t come as a huge shock that it isn’t the most practical car. It’s not spacious inside and the boot is very small with rear seats in place. Its tiny stature is a virtue off road and means there are few urban parking spaces that are too small for it.

While it's extremely capable on both mud and tarmac, driving it is a very physical experience. Parallel parking involves a lot of steering wheel twirling, and many will prefer the more civilised nature of a Dacia Duster.

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Suzuki Jimny interior space & storage

While some SUVs feel akin to a tall supermini inside, the Suzuki Jimny is more like the original Land Rover Defender. You sit bolt upright behind the wheel and the car's narrow width has your elbows either pulled into your chest or resting on the window sill.

It's not a driving position that'll suit many on a long journey, but it’s effective on short runs where comfort doesn't matter as much – you sit high up with a commanding view out and the roof pillars are thin and don't affect visibility.

Headroom is generous throughout and passengers in the front have enough space to be comfortable, but the two rear seats have limited legroom and are best suited to children. The Jimny really is more of a two-seater 4x4 with the option of carrying two extra passengers occasionally than a fully-fledged family SUV. In fact, you may end up folding the rear seats out of the way on a near-permanent basis to make the otherwise tiny boot more usable.

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Boot space

The Jimny's tailgate is side-hinged and made heavier by carrying the car's spare wheel. This makes it tricky to open in tight spaces, such as multi-storey car parks. Without folding the rear seats down, there's precious little usable boot space – only 83 litres, in fact - in a bay that only suits tall, shallow items.

As if to show that Suzuki recognises that folding the rear seats is essential, it finishes them in a similarly tough wipe-clean material to the boot floor, and the boot expands to 830 litres when they're folded. Five hook points are provided below each side rear window, and the boot floor has four retaining hooks, so the Jimny really is better suited to carrying packages than passengers.

Towing

The Jimny is rated to tow a braked trailer up to 1,300kg or a 350kg unbraked trailer.