All You Need To Know About The New Suzuki Jimny

Despite the fact the car was leaked months ago, Suzuki has been rather slow releasing anything about the all-new Jimny. Recently the Japanese manufacturer finally revealed some basic studio shots of the car, plus a handful of details. We were told it’d be built on a ladder frame chassis, have a three-link rigid axle suspension, a part-time four-wheel drive system, and, erm, that was it.

Now though, Suzuki has at last revealed all about its boxy, pint-sized Land Rover Defender alternative, and included some on-location pictures. Doesn’t it look terrific out in the wilderness?

First up, let’s look at what powers it. Gone is the 1.3-litre inline-four, replaced by a 1.5 that’s actually lighter and has smaller outward dimensions. It’s still naturally-aspirated, and develops 101bhp and 96lb ft of torque. Not exactly dramatic figures, but this is a Jimny: it’s not exactly heavy, and in any case, it’s not something you’re going to want to hoon anyway. On the subject of weight, it tips the scales at 1090kg in its lightest configuration. The top speed meanwhile is - hold on to your hats - 90mph.

The five-speed manual gearbox has new ratios to fit the new engine better, and the shift lever has a new design intended to cut down vibrations. The four-speed automatic has been tweaked, too.

Want to get your Jimny muddy? That won’t be a problem. The part-time four-wheel drive system has a low range transfer gear, and there’s a clever brake-based traction control to distribute torque as necessary when you’re on an especially slippery surface. There are also new cross members that increase rigidity.

Approach, breakover and departure angles are 37, 28 and 49 degrees respectively, compared to the old car which managed 34, 31 and 46.

Being a tiny vehicle, the Jimny has to make do with a tiny boot - you only have 85 litres of room to play with. However, fold the rear seats down, and you’re left with a 377 litres load space - about the same as a C-segment hatchback. That’s an increase of 53 litres relative to the old one.

Like what you see? The car will be launched soon in Japan, before arriving in the UK early next year. Expect a starting price of around £15,000.