Overall Rating |  |
Jimny's off road performance matches its rough-and-tumble looks. Ground clearance is excellent, there's adequate grunt and its short wheelbase means there's less chance of getting stuck. On tarmac it's not so good: noisy, uncomfortable and slow.
For
- Few 4x4s are cheaper to buy and run
- Reliable if serviced correctly
- Reasonable off-road abilities
Against
- Lacks refinement and noisy with a bumpy ride
- Engine needs working hard and sounds coarse
- Tiring to drive on longer journeys
Road Test
Jimny's good value as a new buy and even better for the used buyer. It's good off road, adequately equipped and reasonably cheap to run. There's only one engine, a 1.3, which is rather frantic and feels rather stretched on the motorway. It was updated in 2005 and gets more power and better economy. All cars have four-wheel-drive and a low ratio gearbox.
There's a choice of a three-door estate or two-door soft-top. Both have an exceptionally small boot and almost no room for the two passengers in the back. A harsh ride, lots of bodyroll and a cabin that's poorly insulated against noise means that it's not particularly comfortable.
Interior fit and finish trails behind more modern cars, though Jimny has an excellent reliability record. The 1.3 engine offers good fuel economy, it's cheap to insure and servicing is usually affordable, too.
Need To Know
JD Power stars: 2
Best Models: 1.3 JLX
Worst Models: 1.3 JLX soft-top
Replacement: 2008
Alternatives
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Star Ratings
Handling Comfort Quality & Reliability  Performance Roominess Running Costs Value for Money Stereo/Sat Nav |
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