Shooting

Thanks for your reply regarding the Suzuki Jimny. I haven't seen one in the flesh "or should it be steel" I used to drive about in a Pajero 2.8 SWB diesel whilst shooting and sadly let the motor go. I replaced the Pajero with a brand new 500cc quad bike and now I hardly ever use it as my dogs can't tag along as my lurcher prefers to kill rabbits rather than keep up with me. So the quad has really been parked up from new with only 250 miles on the clock.

I noticed whilst searching for Jimny in Norfolk that there is a car showroom in Norwich called Norwich motor group that has 2 or 3 of these Jimnys for sale nearly new with low mileage, so the next time I venture up the city will take a look. I just find it so hard to believe that the little 1.3 engine has so much guts though. You obviously use yours for work and if they are good enough for forestry work, they'll are good enough for me, that's if my lurcher can jump in the back without cracking his skull or stomping on top of my springer bitch. I will have no problem removing the rear seats and storing them somewhere.

I know Acle quite well as I used to take to the butchers there some deer. I live in South Norfolk near Ditchingham. Perhaps sometime I might pop over if that is ok. Thanks for now. holdsy

The Jimny drive system is basically the same as a series Landrover. 2WD normally, with a switching system that brings in 4WD and 4WD with low gear ratios.

Off road they're regarded as very capable. Other than maybe deep wading, deep heavy mud or climbing over big rocks pretty similar to a Defender 90 but with slightly better road manners (actually, much better than my 300Tdi110) and a much lower price, fuel and tax tag than a similarly equipped Defender.

The engine isn't as powerful as a Defender but the Jimny's much lighter so the Jimny's power to weight ratio is actually better than the Defenders.

Mine's a late 2013 one and lowering the rear seat backs and fitting the Suzuki dog-guard is staightforad. You don't get a flat loading bed though and the boot area of a Jimny is quite small so it's worth measuring up for space before buying.

The 1.3 petrol engine is obviously very different to drive than a diesel but it has it's benefits. It's no sports car but neither is it lacking in power. You do have to use all the revs though! Just pottering around the farm it's a lot quieter than any diesel - things don't hear you coming so you'll see a lot more wildlife.

I bought mine as an alternative to a quad bike. Think of it as a quad bike that has a roof, doors, heater, radio, space for dogs/tools, is more economical and does 70mph on the road. Suddenly it makes more sense!

Yes Norfolk Motor Group always have a good stock of Jimnys. They are very simple cars and inherently reliable so if one looks alright it probably is.

PM me if you want to come and have a look.

Hi Busta,
Thanks for getting back to me again, but the more I try to find out about the little Jimny the more I find myself feeling a little more dispondant. Plus points as you said are the far cheaper running costs, but after taking a peek at a new one at the Suzuki dealership I noticed that they are a little bit smaller than I originally thought. I do the odd bit of deer twatting, so a winch is really a must for winching their arses end up high for gralloching the guts out, and I couldn't see where to have a winch fitted also when getting into it my knees were banging onto the steering wheel. I checked to see if the seat was fully back which it was, so perhaps the steering wheel rake was set at it's lowest setting.

My idea of wanting to check out the Jimny is because all the other 90's and 110's I have owned were all bloody bone-shakers compared to Shoguns etc and what with myself turning into a right old Victor Meldew I have concluded that at my age comfort is a must.

I did watch on Youtube where the little Jimny did follow a Landie 90 only to fall short in a couple of places where the ground clearance let it down which I know that bigger wheels and a lift kit would solve the problem, but by the time I have bought a fairly new Jimny from NMG and sorted out decent tyres etc I could have used the £9k and bought a Discovery series 3 which is a lot of motor for your money (ok it will keep me skint lol)

The jury is still out in which way to turn, but it is only talking to you guys, especially you Busta that uses them for farm and forestry work that is a real help. Cheers Holdsy

Don't be mistaken by thinking a Jimny is anything other than tiny, both inside and out. They are very small vehicles- shorter than a Citroen C1, half a ton lighter than a Defender 90! I find mine a lot nicer to drive than a Landrover (We have a 110 HCPU and have had 90s before). I find the seating position a lot more comfortable and adjustable, but I am only 5'7". I'm not sure if you can adjust the steering wheel on newer Jimnys; you can't on my 2002 so that may be an issue for you. Comfort won't ever be the same as a Pajero, but you are talking a 500kg heavier car that was nearly twice the price new. If comfort is a big priority for you then get the D3 as they are as comfy as it gets!

Winches can be mounted behind the bumper on a bolt-on winch plate. Off Road Armoury sell them for around £80.

Personally I'd avoid the big tyres and suspension lifts as Jimnys need a lot of work to comfortably run big tyres. If you are going down that route you should probably get a bigger 4x4 in the first place. I run 215/75 R15 tyres which give a little more clearance than standard without needing a suspension lift or upsetting the gearing. With these tyres my clearance is about the same as a standard Pajero, so it's not terrible by any means. The narrower wheel track helps too, because you can often find traction in the sides of ruts, and it makes it easier to climb out of them. If there are really deep ruts, I straddle them or find another route. My next modification would be a lockrite locking rear diff (£220) for a bit more traction, but so far I've not needed it.

The strength of the Jimny to me is that it is so small and light you can pick your own path rather than following everyone elses. If you're mainly driving on deep rutted farm tracks that may not work for you. I wouldn't get far across a wet beet field following in the 110's ruts, but I can go much further than it can if I'm leading the way! If everyone drove Jimnys there wouldn't be any ruts in the first place.

For an idea of size of a Jimny...




31" landrover wheel.