LCV first impressions

I had a manual gen3 for 4 years and we have an auto gen3, so I'm not exactly new to Jimnys.  I've done a few miles in the LCV now, so my first impressions are:

Engine has more torque than the old M13A but is quite a bit more gruff.  It's a desaxe engine, apparently, so there is probably more vibration.  Performance is certainly adequate.

The seating position is tolerable for short runs but I am going to have to lose the cage and possibly the bulkhead, as I get a stiff neck on longer drives - not enough recline.  I am not particularly tall. The cage also prevents the usual action of  reversing with your left arm behind the passenger seat.

The clutch action is very good, as is the steering.  There is a lot of engine and gearbox movement when taking up drive, something less noticeable in the auto because of its traditional slushbox.  I think the engine mounts might be softer than in my old gen3 manual.

It"s far softer and less crashy over bumps than the gen3. This is a huge improvement.

Build quality was better in the gen3, I think.  Generally, 1990s-designed cars were the pinnacle of overbuilt vehicles - there are good technological reasons for this.

The LCV boot is really quite large and usefully-shaped.

LDWS is terrible and has no idea what a lane marking is, and what isn't.  It even picks up the tyre marks of the car in front on wet roads.  Luckily it hasn't tried to intervene - it just flashes angrily at me.  Turning it off (must be done every trip) results in a bright amber warning light all the time.  In.my Mazda 3, I can permanently shut LDWS off with no warning light.

High Beam Assist works pretty well.

The heater blower sounds as if there is something fluttery stuck in it.

Indicated fuel consumption is about 40mpg so far in mixed driving.  It drinks fuel above 60mph but I generally drive Jimnys no faster than that anyway.

Although they're not standard, the Bridgestone AT002 tyres are absolutely brilliant on the road.

It's one of those rare cars that looks good from every angle.

Chiffon Ivory is very much cream, not beige.  Suzuki do the Ignis in beige and the difference is marked.

Overall, I'm pleased with it but you really have to be short, or really like sitting bolt upright, to drive one without removing the divider pieces.  At least wr can still buy a Jimny in some form.

Interesting and going from a Gen 3 SZ4 to a Gen 4 SZ5 with 23,000 miles I agree with most of your points.

However, I think my Gen 4 has a smoother engine, it’s certainly less noise and generally feels tighter all round. I certainly couldn’t feel any more engine/gearbox movement.

I noticed it rides over speed humps without the usual crash bang so might have softer springs or perhaps more progressive dampers.

I can’t say I have had any problems with lane departure though, it seems to detect when you straddle a line.

No problems with the heater or fan, so perhaps yours has some packing stuck in there?

I have only been out once at night and did get flashed at whilst on dip on the back lanes. It was quite hilly, I don’t think the lights are set too high, but might check them and or nudge them down a bit, they are very bright even on dip.

Robin

I wonder if the LCV is different from the SZ5. I turned the lane assist stuff off the day I got the Jimny over 4 years ago and off it stays without need to do anything.

I am amazed that anyone would drive the LCV *without* taking out the bulkhead.

The lane detection and crash avoidance seem to work ok on my LCV, but I get phantom "vehicle sway detected" warnings fairly frequently. This seems to be driven by visual imperfections in the road surface being picked up by the camera, as it is never the case that the road wheels are doing something funny nor am I applying any steering inputs. I'm not even entirely sure why it would check for sway when I am not towing. Would be great to be able to turn that feature off.

Noob here, hi all. Just bought an LCV absolutely love it, great practical little car, bags of character. I have removed the cage to give me room to put the seats in a comfortable position. I plan to do a few upgrades. Wish it had a sixth gear for more relaxed cruising. I don't intend to take it off road so road tyres are the order of the day. Not sure what size wheel to go for though.