Suzuki Jimny review

Oh yes, another moot point in a review increasingly chockful of them. Buying a Jimny is not the work of a moment. Every other car in Suzuki’s range is an online click away, and it’s borderline illegal to purchase a Swift or Vitara without the dealer throwing in a significant discount. The Jimny – once again – is different.

First up, you can’t buy a Jimny car new anymore. The second-hand market has a decent amount, but they’ve essentially been snapped up by speculators like they’re 458 Speciales, and as such you’ll be paying roughly 20 per cent more than they cost new as a rarity tax. As we type in 2021, the going rate for lightly used Jimnys is £25,000 to £30,000. Let us be clear that you’re not getting £25,000 to £30,000 worth of talent and please take the car for more than a run around the block before parting with such serious money for one. The Jimny is utterly charming but on an objective level, it’s overpriced at this sort of money.

Second, you can buy a Jimny van. But there’s another parallel with the supercar special market in that each dealer is getting allocated a couple of cars and you might need to be a godparent to the sales manager’s first-born to have a hope of getting one. The UK got 480 Jimny LCVs in 2021 with Suzuki acknowledging it could sell ten times as many if the stock existed. If you’re ducking the VAT and paying less than £17,000 for one, then suddenly the Jimny’s back wearing a price tag that fits comfortably.

While the four-seater came with a choice of trim levels – top-rung SZ5 adding lots of desirable bits, including that touchscreen setup – the LCV has just one specification available, and it’s adorably basic. No sat nav or climate control, just a digital radio and regular air con. There are buttons galore inside.

While you’ve a choice of colours up top – including a two-tone scheme like our old Jimny long-term test car – the natty steel wheels never change. All the better for bashing mercilessly down bumpy lanes as you travel the countryside with your rural dog grooming business operating out the back.

One final note for the real chink in the Jimny’s armour: it’s crash test rating. Like Suzuki's Ignis, the Jimny only scores three stars in the Euro NCAP crash tests. NCAP found the driver's airbag 'bottomed out' and allowed the driver's head to impact the steering wheel, and 'extensive deformation' in the body structure around the doors. Its head restraints were also rated weakly.