Do underdog cars have ardent fans too? The Suzuki Jimny has! To their chagrin, the lightweight Kraxler was out of stock for a long time - also, but not only, because of the emissions standard. Now ntv.de has made the legend. Just like the Vitara, which has been attracting customers in this country for decades.
Despite a price increase of a few thousand, the Suzuki Jimny is an absolutely exceptional vehicle on the local car market. This series has its origins in the LJ models offered since the early seventies, which even belonged to the so-called kei car class with limited dimensions and displacement limit. At a price of 23,915 euros, the small car specialists from Hamamatsu still offer a lightweight Kraxler with an unladen weight of less than 1.2 tons and, above all, with a fairly stable ladder frame construction, although it is no longer one of the kei cars. Their standard allows a maximum length of 3.40 meters.
And the Japanese, equipped with rigid axles, has everything a grown-up off-road vehicle needs to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles. For example, a reduction in terrain so that you don't have to stop at extreme inclines. However, the engineers dispense with mechanical locks - they would only make the Jimny heavier, the technicians say. In order to shift the torque between the wheels of an axle, the brakes are "locked" if necessary. And by doing without independent wheel suspension, the following effect is achieved: if the wheel on one axle lifts off, the wheel on the opposite side is pressed even more firmly onto the ground, which increases traction. The all-wheel drive on the Jimny can be switched on to optimize efficiency and costs.
But here and now, the exit with the coveted small SUV (it is only 3.65 meters long) only leads across the street. The lifestyler, which is now only available as a two-seater, attracts the attention of many passers-by, especially in the paintwork "Kinetic Yellow" ("Chiffon Ivory Metallic" also looks cool) - the car is in fact so popular that it was long considered out of stock. The emissions legislation was also to blame, which resulted in a temporary sales freeze - in addition to the general difficulty for the German importer to meet the high demand. Because adapting the engine to stricter decontamination standards was too expensive.
Now the Jimny is back and takes the current emissions hurdle - by being allowed to be registered as a truck. Although the exhaust gas cleaning is less complex, the consequence is that the rear compartment can only be used as a loading area. But that shouldn't be a problem, it doesn't make the eccentric Japanese any less fun and his fans love him anyway.
Interested parties who still want to become Jimny lovers first have to be prepared not to get much driving comfort. Because the damping seems rather rustic and the 1.5-liter, 102-hp four-cylinder is not particularly reticent in doing its job. After all, this means that the Jimny feels faster than its technical data suggests. It's over at 145 things, but then it gets uncomfortably loud anyway. On the other hand, the outgoing Suzuki steers and shifts smoothly - not a bad thing either. Incidentally, Jimny fans can expect to get their beloved off-roader with a longer wheelbase soon, camouflaged developers have already been spotted.
If you want to get around a little more neatly, but still have all-wheel drive and want to do without exorbitant prices, you should go for the Suzuki Vitara. With two driven axles, it is no longer a cheap pleasure at the basic rate of 28,500 euros (full hybrid 3000 euros extra), but it is one of the cheapest representatives of this type. The Vitara, at least the model name, can now also be considered quite beautiful traditional in this country, because the off-road vehicle with this name has been around since the end of the eighties - an old acquaintance. The once-edgy climber has long been transformed into a soft SUV with a good portion of driving comfort and front-wheel drive in the basic versions (from 25,450 euros).
Of course, the partially turbocharged and hybridised four-cylinder petrol engines no longer work quite as smoothly as the six-cylinders of the previous top models, but they are still sufficiently dampened. If you want to leave the shifting to the machine, you get an automated manual transmission, which the technicians have now trained to be reasonably smooth - a critical point with this type of transmission. The line is even more harmonious as a full hybrid with an additional electric motor (33 hp) - the advantage is that the powerful, silent machine can effectively compensate for any interruptions in traction on the transmission side.
Incidentally, the e-engine throws the combustion engine (which is switched on and off as part of the operating strategy) quite smoothly while driving when the power electronics request it - even that doesn't always work so gently with the competition.
A quick look inside then also explains how the attractive tariff comes about. It's not the analogue round instruments with classic mechanical displays that annoy the Vitara a bit (although there is a color display between the scales). But the central screen in the center console could be worked into the console a number finer. And coarse-grained seat heating switches have actually long since been weaned off in 2022. Please do not misunderstand - this is by no means criticism, but the result of tight calculations.
Overall, the result is quite impressive, especially since the seats work quite well even over longer distances: They donate a touch of comfort thanks to their not too flexible design. In addition, the operation of the vehicle does not cause much frustration - everyday things such as controlling the automatic air conditioning are done simply by pressing a button and not by fumbling around in the depths of the menus. Only the steering wheel would have done it with one or two buttons less - risk of confusion!
All in all, the Suzuki Vitara isn't a bad choice, and it's a pretty cheap deal anyway. A 4WD car at this rate takes some searching. And the equipment is lavish with features such as LED headlights, keyless locking system and even adaptive cruise control.
