The man from Suzuki described the Jimny as "a car you either love or hate". Having driven it, I can see how there might be reasons to do both.The Jimny has been around in more or less its present form since 1998, though Suzuki's experience of building small off-roaders goes back a further three decades. These days it is regarded almost as the joke car of the motor industry - a passing mention of it is enough to spark off a round of sniggering among motoring journalists - but it's more popular than you might think.Certainly more popular than I thought. Before this test I couldn't remember having seen one on the road in years, but afterwards I realised that three (all looking much the same but in fact of very different ages) are regularly parked within a mile of my house. Even if the UK motoring media has all but forgotten this car, the UK motoring public clearly hasn't.The most recent update has been to the 1.3-litre petrol engine, which now meets Euro 5 emissions regulations and is also officially cleaner than before. Combined fuel economy of the manual transmission version (there's also an automatic) has improved to 39.8mpg while CO2 emissions have fallen from 171g/km to 162g/km, so the annual tax bill has dropped to £155.In other ways the Jimny is showing its age. For example, few other cars on the market bounce and pitch to quite the same extent as this one does, though considering its height relative to its length and width I don't see how Suzuki could have done a significantly better job of ironing out these devilries. The direction of travel on corners is strongly influenced by which way the car is leaning and by how much, which is entertaining for short bursts but can quickly become wearisome.The Jimny is also noisy, partly because there isn't much soundproofing and partly because it's very low-geared. At 60mph in fifth gear the engine is buzzing away at 3200rpm, so the car feels like it's going quickly even though it never actually is.That may be just as well. I don't particularly want to have a crash in any car, but the Jimny would possibly be my last choice among anything on sale today. It hasn't been tested by Euro NCAP and probably never will be, and I felt very vulnerable while driving it.It doesn't have a lot of space, either. At six foot three, I was able to squeeze into the front without too much trouble (though my right knee was constantly banging into the driver's door trim) but there was no possibility that I could heave my bulk into the rear. Luggage room is, to state the case mildly, modest - a Ford Fiesta with all its seats in place has more cargo room than a Jimny with its rear seats folded down.None of the above makes me want to have a Jimny in my life. On the other hand, it does score very well in two areas. First, its high driving position and lack of length mean that it's very easy to drive in town, the only slight problem here being that the steering is a bit heavy at very low speeds.Second, it's a very good off-roader. Four-wheel drive and a low-ratio mode for the gearbox are a good start, and although a small petrol engine might not seem ideal for this kind of motoring, Suzuki's 1.3 petrol unit is so well-behaved at near-stalling speed that I didn't regret the lack of a diesel unit while testing the car on a woodland course.That course had been chosen by Suzuki, so there was never any doubt that the Jimny would be able to deal with it. But it had been created for a Land Rover driving school, and therefore wasn't the "oh look, our car can be driven over a slightly bumpy field!" piece of nonsense that other manufacturers have been known to offer on exercises like this one.On the contrary, it was quite challenging, and would have brought any conventional car - and I dare say many "lifestyle" SUV - to its knees within a few yards. The Jimny is a long way from being the ultimate 4x4, but on this evidence it will cope with anything most customers are prepared to throw at it.The Jimny is noisy, not very comfortable and less practical than most small hatchbacks, and I think its safety is questionable. As a town car or a country estate workhorse, it has a lot going for it. "A car you either love or hate"? Yes, I think the Suzuki man summed it up pretty well. Engine 1328 cc, 4 cylinders Power 85 bhp @6000 rpm Torque 81 ib/ft @4100 rpm Transmission 5 speed manual Fuel/CO2 39.2 mpg / 171 g/km Acceleration 0-62mph: 14.1sec Top speed 87 mph Price From £11763.00 approx Release date 01/07/2009
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