Suzuki Jimny 5-door takes the road well travelled in its stride

Based on the number of months a long term vehicle spends in The Citizen care, it is almost guaranteed that at some point, it will undertake a road trip beyond the Johannesburg borders for a prolonged period.

Our long-term Suzuki Jimny 5-door was no exception, especially as its time with us had been limited to three months.

The myth

As such, the now passed Easter holiday presented the ideal opportunity to not only take it out on the open road, but also to debunk or prove the myth of the Jimny being more at home off-road than on-road.

While this might sound crude and unfair considering how many three-doors seldom venture where it shines the most, the so-called “horror stories” of Jimny’s best being kept away from speeds anywhere close to the national limit are well known.

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That being said, despite the five-door being powered by the same detuned 1.5 K15B petrol engine as the three-door, its wheelbase and length increases of 340 mm would, in theory, provide a better ride on the trek down the coast.

What’s more, the five-speed manual gearbox would allow for better involvement in deciding when to change gear as opposed to the optional four-speed automatic that lack a manual override function.

At the same time, the coastal visit would result in the normally aspirated petrol breathing a little better, thus offsetting the 1 200 kg kerb mass its 75kW/130Nm has to move.

As turned out, the eventual distance of 2 434 km from Johannesburg down to the Eastern Cape and back, dispelled another myth of the Jimny being one of the less fuel efficient Suzuki models, however, some due care was taken in order to avoid constantly filling the tiny 40-litre fuel tank.

GLX(tra)

Being the flagship GLX, the five-door Jimny, as part of its local market launch last year, gains a number of features not offered on the comparative three-door.

This includes LED headlights, a six-speaker sound system, dual-zone climate control, a leather-wrapped multi-function steering, fog lamps and the same nine-inch touchscreen infotainment system with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as on the Baleno.

As for the mentioned space, stretching the body-on-frame platform has resulted in a 126-litre increase in boot space for a total of 211-litres, and as much as 1 113-litres with the 60/40 split rear back folded down.

In truth, while the boot provided more than adequate space for the rear back not be folded, the biggest question was whether the length would have eliminated the Jimny’s bouncy ride brought on by its demonstrative size.

Although proven at the national launch last year, especially on the horror R572 outside Alldays in Limpopo on-route to Botswana that resembled a lunar landscape, the road down the N2 and then the N9 to this writer’s hometown of Despatch would be a lot smoother and not susceptible to weaving or going off-road to avoid potholes.

Let’s go

Its tank filled to the brim, the five-door Jimny’s comfort aspect was immediately present as the lengthened chassis, retuned suspension, uprated shock absorbers and increased springs brought about a more planted ride that absorbed imperfections with ease while also bringing more overall comfort than the three-door.

At the same time, the infotainment system required no computing degree to figure out, while the straightforward controls for the chunky switchgear added to the ease of use.

The biggest handicap that persisted on the down-run to the coast took on a new definition though as per its boxy styling, the added 105 kg weight made the Jimny more sluggish than the three-door when requiring a bit more urge.

Unsurprisingly expected, overtakes had to be planned carefully and once committed, subjected to the free-breathing K15B becoming strained above 100 km/h as a result of the five-speed ‘box’s short gearing that on many occasions, longed for a sixth ratio.

Not helping was a strong wind that resorted to playing ping-pong with the Suzuki, which also threatened to spoil the fuel consumption which, at the start of the trek, was sitting pretty on 6.8 L/100 km.

Indeed, despite the gust and the decision not to exceed 110 km/h, while making liberal use of the cruise control and air-conditioning, the trip computer remained stuck on 6.8 L/100 km throughout the majority of the Jimny’s stay at the coast.

Down at sea level, the expected gains in the engine’s willingness to perform didn’t show in the capacity expected, although it still proved fairly descent and remarkably, none the thirstier.

As much as the steering lacks feel – again not a surprise – and refinement not being that of say a Swift, the five-door Jimny’s only massive hinderance was the small fuel tank that eventually required six visits to the pumps for its fix of 95.

The upshot being a bill of less than R1 000, but frequently more visits, the return run to the City of Gold saw the Jimny’s consumption improve further after having stayed at 6.8 L/100 km the entire time despite frequent trips between Despatch and Gqeberha.

Switched off once back in the Big Smoke without the wind handicap, but bullied by trucks, taxis and dowsed with heavy rain, the trip computer displayed 6.7 L/100 km, 0.4 L/100 km down on Suzuki’s claim.

Conclusion

Perfect it most certainly is not and while the idea of a five-door Jimny might seem strange, pointless or even sacrilege against what has always been a three-door, the virtues of Suzuki’s still smallest off-roader are still prevalent, notwithstanding its proven prowess off-road.

Indeed, with sales of the current generation totalling 11 090 units before the five-door’s arrival, a dip in popularity seems highly unlikely, now so more than ever given the added practicality and futile attempts at removing the funky factor with the added two doors.

Soon to depart from our care, it won’t be an easy goodbye to a vehicle that counters its flaws with an undiminished appeal and feel-good factor much more expensive vehicles could only dream of having.

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