LONG-TERM UPDATE 3 | Six things I learnt about driving our Suzuki Jimny five-door long-distance

In my previous update I regaled you about my day spent at Jimny Drive; a slick operation offering a variety of Jimny-specific courses designed to hone your 4x4 driving skills. I signed up for the beginner-friendly Level One course, which opened my eyes to the impressive off-road capabilities of my long-term Suzuki Jimny 1.5 GLX MT five-door.

Less than a week later it was time to test my steed’s mettle on an adventure of a different kind: a 1,396km tarmac trek from Johannesburg to Montagu for the Easter weekend. Taking the scenic route via the N9, R341, N12 and R62, these are a few things I learnt en route. 

1: It’s best to take it easy

Though the Jimny five-door weighs 105kg more than its three-door sibling it still makes do with the same 1.5l petrol engine producing 75kW and 140Nm of torque.

While this isn’t a problem zipping around town, the extra mass makes itself felt when travelling down the N1 where one needs to maintain a reasonable cruising speed and overtake lumbering pantechnicons.

This isn’t a fast machine and though the Jimny five-door can fire along at 130km-140km/h without too much protest, its cruising sweet spot is at a true 110km/h (Waze verified) where the tachometer sits at an indicated 3,500rpm.

At this pace you’re striking a good balance between fuel economy (more on that later), progress and engine noise. You are also sure to avoid every speed camera and/or highway patrolman armed with a laser detector.

When I was a speed-obsessed punk in my 20s I would have found this approach frustrating, but now, aged 41, I’m happy to take things slower and enjoy the scenery; of which there is plenty to savour once you turn off down the N9 after Colesberg.

If you’re of a similar travelling disposition, you will be fine with this Suzuki’s relatively short legs. If not, you should best consider something else with longer gear ratios and a more punchy engine.

When it comes to overtaking slow moving traffic, I found the Jimny five-door responded best to the running jump approach: drop back from your target a bit, change down to fourth gear, floor the throttle and only snick back up to fifth once you reach 6,000rpm.

This isn’t some torque-rich diesel and as such you need to use every last ounce of combustive power to help you by. You also need to pay close attention to oncoming traffic and make sure you have a long enough gap in front of you to avoid running into trouble. 

2: Packing to the power of five

If you’re road tripping in a Jimny three-door you’re forced to fold the rear seats flat by default. Because other than maybe an iPad and a pair of running shoes, you’re not going to fit anything inside its minuscule excuse for a boot.

Though certainly not huge, the one in the Jimny five-door proved capacious enough to stash a fair amount of baggage. This included an exotic antique ceramic urn, a large bucket of car detailing paraphernalia (I don’t trust car washes with black paint), my camera bag and laptop backpack. There was even some space for my cycling kit and two jackets in case the weather turned foul when I reached the Cape. After I wedged my Thule cabin bag full of clothes behind the front passenger seat, I was ready to roll out.

After this packing experience I'd say the Jimny five-door offers enough boot space for two adults provided they pack conservatively and use shape-shifting duffel bags. Travelling three-up for an extended period of time will be more of a challenge and would probably necessitate folding down one of the rear seat backs to avail more space. With a 50:50 split this isn’t much of a train smash as the lone rear occupant will still have enough space to sit comfortably. Four-up? Sans any luggage this won’t be a problem but add some bags and/or suitcases and you’re going to struggle making the Jimny five-door work unless you invest in a roof rack and/or roof box to expand its capabilities. 

3: Superior stability

One thing that became evident as I left the Johannesburg city limits in my rear-view is how much more stable the Jimny five-door feels at cruising speed. When I tested a three-door model in 2022 I reported on how easily it was blown about while tackling a weekend drive from Cape Town to Montagu. Not just by crosswinds but by the sudden and often violent wind wakes caused by oncoming trucks.

Fortunately the 340mm of added wheelbase required to house those two extra doors does a lot to quell this problem and the five-door feels considerably less hyperactive than its sibling with fewer steering corrections needed as you go down the road. Well, at least up to a point: when the Cape Doctor really starts pumping there’s no escaping that this Suzuki’s brick-like proportions are naturally more susceptible to side draughts than other vehicles of its ilk. 

Interior refinement also seems a tad better. Whether this is down to Suzuki splicing in extra sound-deadening material or the presence of more sound-absorbing carpeting and seat material, the five-door seems a bit more insulated from the effects of road noise. Wind noise, at 110km/h, is also surprisingly contained despite the presence of roof gutters and one of the least curved windscreens on any series production car. I’m not saying the Jimny is a Rolls-Royce Cullinan, but there’s enough noise filtered out to have a normal conversation with your passenger without raising your voice. 

4: Fuel for thought

When beetling about town I have no problem averaging around the 6.5l/100km mark, which is relatively kind on one's wallet in these dark days of ever-increasing petrol prices.

I was more interested to see what figures the Jimny five-door would achieve when kept at a constant speed on the national highway.

Despite being pleasingly lightweight (my test unit tips the scales at 1,200kg) and fitted with a relatively small capacity engine, the off-roader’s slab-sided proportions do it no favours on the aerodynamics front; that flat nose and almost rakeless windscreen pushing against the air with all the fervour of a teenager pushing against parental authority.

Which, again, is why cruising along at 110km/h as opposed to 130km/h makes more sense because you’re fighting considerably less atmospheric friction. Adopting this approach I managed to register a reasonable 6.6l/100km by the time I rolled into Bloemfontein. Unfortunately, somewhere after Colesberg a headwind started up, sending the fuel economy gauge up to 7.5l/100km. It died down towards the end of the journey and by the time I rolled into Montagu I was sitting at 7.1l/100km after 1,396.2km completed at an average speed of 96km/h. 

You want some context to better evaluate this performance?

On a similar trip I managed 8.2l/100km in a Ford Mustang GT California Special; 7.1l/100km in a Ford Ranger XLT 2.0 SiT, 6.6l/100km in a Ford EcoSport 1.0 Active, 6.9l/100km in a Toyota Corolla 2.0 XR Sedan and 7.5l/100km in an Audi Q3 Sportback 40 TFSI Quattro. So, not an amazing figure for the Jimny five-door but not terrible either. Though thanks to a relatively small fuel tank (40l) it can feel thirstier than it is because you need to fill up more regularly. On long trips I don’t like going much below half a tank; a habit that saw me visit the pumps four times.

5: The inside story

A big thing for me on long distance trips is seat comfort. I’ve got a temperamental lower back and if the driver’s seat isn’t up to snuff I feel it. Fast. I had my doubts about the one bolted in the Jimny five-door as it’s a fairly basic design with zero lumbar adjustment.

Despite this design oversight, it proved quite comfortable and far superior to the front seats in the Ford EcoSport 1.0 Active; abominations that had me stopping for a stretch and some ibuprofen after only two hours at the helm. In the Suzuki, however, I had no problem driving for more than three hours without a stop. Yeah, I rate them at 6/10.

The driving position is decent for such a utilitarian vehicle and I found it easy to get settled behind the leather-stitched multifunction steering wheel that adjusts for rake but not reach. Though you can rest your right elbow on the plastic door card, I would have liked it if Suzuki had included a basic folding armrest between the two front seats.

However after some late night Googling I discovered you can easily solve this issue with a host of aftermarket products available from a myriad of online vendors. Nice.

My two last ergonomic gripes are directed at the lack of a foot rest for your left foot and cup holders between the seats that are awkward to access. Again you can purchase an aftermarket cup holder that mounts directly in front of the driver’s air vent, which will be far easier to use. Other than that the Jimny is not a bad place to see out the hours with excellent all around visibility and a commanding view of the road ahead. 

If — like me — you’re not a fan of overbearing tech in cars, you’ll be more than happy with what the Jimny five-door offers in flagship GLX trim. Personal highlights include cruise control, automatic climate control and an easy to use nine-inch touchscreen infotainment system offering wireless Apple CarPlay.

The latter worked well and unlike in some Ford products I’ve tested recently didn’t randomly disconnect once during the course of the journey. There’s also a single USB if you want to connect the old fashioned way or charge your phone. Better yet, and unlike in the Jimny three-door, this head unit is wired up to four speakers instead of two which significantly improves the audio experience.

The old-school analogue instrument cluster is nice to look at, easy to read and home to a basic digital trip computer displaying a range of features: overall and instantaneous fuel consumption, driving time and average speed. Do you need anything else?

Also worthy of praise are the excellent LED projector headlamps that make driving after dark or before dawn a far less stressful affair. These alone are worth opting for the GLX.

6: Beware the bugs

One thing that frustrated me for the duration of my trip was how the Suzuki attracted bugs. Its almost vertical windscreen means any flying insects fool enough to cross your path will end up splattered against the glass like they’ve been fired from a shotgun.

This seems to be a Jimny trait as I was travelling in convoy with my neighbour who drives a Mazda CX-3 and whenever we stopped to refuel I noticed her windscreen was more or less bug-free while mine was peppered. So be prepared to do a lot of windscreen washing (pack some glass cleaner and paper towel) when travelling the rural highways. 

2024 Suzuki Jimny 1.5 GLX MT five-door | Update 3

ODOMETER ON DELIVERY: 1,526km

CURRENT ODOMETER: 3,201km

AVERAGE CONSUMPTION: 7.11/100km 

PRICE AS TESTED: R457,900

PRAISES: Readjust your expectations and the Jimny five-door is more than capable of doing a long-distance drive in relative comfort. Front seats surprisingly easy on the back. Decent infotainment system with extra speakers boost audio enjoyment. 

GRIPES: Engine can be on the thirsty side given its size. Windscreen a bug magnet. Small 40l tank means plenty of stops when driving long hauls.