Kaptein
Introduction: Oh man alive, what a terrific week,
burning around Thekwini in this feisty and endearing car, built to handle tough
outdoor conditions but is equally at home in suburbia. The new Jimny 5 door
turned heads from the moment I drove out of my garage into the beautiful
neighbourhood of Westville for one of my test drives. I was even chased into
the local PnP by an avid Jimny fan, who actually owned a hopeful competitor,
but was so excited to see the new one in the flesh. It is obvious that the
Jimny attracts many passionate South Africans with a diverse following across
the range, from 4x4 enthusiasts, various aged outdoor Legends and even the "Townies." The alluring and infectious appeal of street cred coupled with a super cool
image, are definitely reasons to join the Jimny family and on that basis alone,
why not! My Jimny obsessed beautiful human being mate, Liam, owns the 3-door and I can now see why he is how he is, fully besotted, after spending some time in this top vehicle loaded with character and glorious heart.
Engine/Economy/ Drive/ Comfort: The Jimny 5
door comes with a 1.5 Liter petrol engine which delivers indirect measures of
force, with 75 Kws of power and 130 Nms of torque. (btw, thanks to a fb comment,
I was informed that technically I should not use a Kw or Nm in the plural, but
I do) Suzuki claim a fuel economy of 6.8 Liters per 100 kms, but I got a
respectful 7.8 Liters thanks to some decent revving between gears whilst doing
the daily school runs. I found that the 5-door was comfortable in the driver’s
seat, was fun to drive, drove well and stuck to the road within the speed
limits prescribed by the South African Road Traffic Act.
Features: Part time 4WD with a low range
transfer case, ESP, ABS, EBD, Dual airbags– front and side, Rear parking
sensors with a good camera system, Hill hold and descent control, a large 22.5
cm infotainment screen with Android Auto and Apple car play situated in the
middle and on the top of the rugged looking and functional dashboard - btw the BT
was quick to the draw when connecting to my favourite Ziggy Marley album, the
Conscious party, which really is awesome when you get the reggae pumping before
changing into second, usb in the front, Auto LED
projector headlights, 15” alloy wheels with full size spare wheel AllGrip Pro®,
Front and rear electric windows, Remote central locking, Leather covered steering
wheel with audio control, Rear cabin light, ISOFiX Brake LSD traction control,
Cruise control, Electrically fold-in mirrors, Force limiting seatbelts on rear
seats, Headlamp washer Front fog lights, Luggage 12V accessory socket, electric
mirrors, an effective auto climate air conditioner and an immobiliser.
Interior/ Exterior/ Boot: I was super
impressed with the huge amount of space in the Jimny 5-door. The legroom in the
front and back is more than enough and there is ample space for my giraffe like
friends who normally battle in smaller vehicles. The dashboard looks the part,
the seats are comfortable, and the inside just feels really inviting. The
exterior is easy on the eye and with the colour coded door handles and painted
exterior mirrors, the Jimny gets an extra nod of suaveness to it. The boot
coming in at 211 Liters is what one would expect from this size vehicle and provided
more than enough space to get packing and slacking on that unplanned or planned
getaway. The boot easily fitted in a 50 L cooler box, two overnight bags for
the kid’s sleepover and some packets of snacks including meat and biltong for
that standard Saturday braai at my great friend, JM’s stunning home on the banks
of the pretty Palmiet River!
Price/ Warranty/ Service plan: R457900, 4-year/
60 000 km Service Plan, 6-year unlimited km body corrosion warranty, 5-year/ 200
000 km Promotional Warranty (GL and GLX), Service intervals once every twelve
months or every 15 000 km, whichever comes first.
In summary: The big question lurking in the shadow’s
is, would I buy this vehicle? Yes, with extra peri- peri sauce please! I think
Kurt Darren's (some know him as Kurt van Darren – Jammer Meneer!) famous song Kaptein,
is the right title of this review, because the 5-door Jimny is just that, a Captain
on and off the road. Whether you are cruising around on that tar road travelled
by many, or that away from the madding crowd gravel road or the road
that was never there, but was made by you, through your "expert" navigation, thanks to the superb
210 mm ground clearance and your spirited adventure, the Jimny 5-door will get you
there and back with proper gees and pride.
*This article is written in my opinion only. For detailed
information on the specs, please contact Suzuki SA*
