Got questions about the new Jimny?

I'm not expecting the Jimny auto box to be at the level of the 9speed DSG shifters in high end cars, but as long as it's roughly equivalent to the 3 speed slush boxes I've had on 80s/90s cars, I'll be happy with it!

I've had 4 of these 3 speed + overdrive autos: RAV4, RangeRover, Vectra and the current [strike]Renault[/strike] Nee-San, and have been happy with all 4. The [strike]Renault[/strike] Nee-San only has a 1.6 engine, and it is fine, the torque converter makes for nice smooth takeoffs, I never have to mess with a gear lever, and they all crawl home in the Traffic Jam With No Reason (2 miles of nose to tail at walking pace or stopped). They all seem to lock up at slightly above the maximum speed I can ever get to commuting, so they never go into lock-up.

(However, I kill air-con compressors after a mere 3000 hours of commuting)

When I go to work in the Jimny, I have to mess with the gearlever hundreds of times, and it is a miracle neither the clutch pivots or my knee have given up yet.

I have to say I still think that more than 3 speeds with a torque converter is just a sign of an inflexible engine, Chrysler got away with a 2 speed power-flite for donkeys years before the 3 speed torque-flite came in the late '50s

I have the auto in my Jimny and it is fine. Performs very well and I have always found it to be smooth through the gears.

I'm not going to answer for Alex. I'm sure he will be along soon. The only thing I will speculate in a more general manner is that several of the reviewers have commented that the manual is a real pleasure to drive (for a manual). It may be that some feel the auto is boring.

Just a side comment: the auto is a selectable 3 or 4 speed. Bringing the lever straight down into the drive position allows it to shift from 1st through 4th. If you shift the lever a notch to the right, it shifts from 1st through 3rd.

Gadget wrote: as long as it's roughly equivalent to the 3 speed slush boxes I've had on 80s/90s cars, I'll be happy with it!

You'll be quite happy with it, I imagine, so I wouldn't worry about what I think.

It's a 4-speed unit. My colleague who accompanied me drives a Cherokee with 8" lift and 35" tyres. He's a rock crawler by nature and much prefers an auto for the infinite first gear. He surprised me by also stating he'd prefer the manual.

Compared to any modern auto, it's somewhat behind the curve. I wasn't expecting (nor would I have liked) a DSG-style experience, but autos are pretty good these days and I was hoping for something better. To be fair to Suzuki, there's not a lot of room to play with, so fitting any automatic transmission in there is quite a feat.

Early reviews criticised the Jimny for being slow, but I actually found it to be surprisingly peppy, particularly if you changed up through the box early and used the torque rather than revving the crap out of it like some of my colleagues prefer to. It's just that, for me, the auto blunted that sensation, seemed reluctant to leave its starting gear (I assume it starts off in second, but didn't have time to test that theory) and didn't appear to lock up its torque converter once during my very short time with it. Neither of us had a chance to try it off-road, as there was only one auto available at the launch.

If you climb into it expecting an old-school 4-speeder, you'll be quite happy with it. If you're happy with 3-speeds, you'll be pleasantly surprised!

Thanks for clarifying, it was the "disappointing" that was the worry, I guess "bland" would describe what you mean.

I'm well past the age where messing with a gear lever has even the slightest appeal, and I shan't be getting another manual car with my own money.

Thanks Alex and others for the comments. Last auto I owned was a F reg Vauxhall Senator, so I've not been spoiled by modern boxes.

Although the "snick-worthy" manual box does sound appealing, I'd probably only enjoy it for about 5% of the time, otherwise like facade I can't be bothered endlessly swapping cogs in stop start traffic any longer!