Mercedes-Benz G-Class vs Suzuki Jimny

What's the difference?

As per the 1979 original, the current G-Class is produced by Magna Steyr in Arnie’s home town of Graz in Austria. And many fundamental things haven’t changed since then. But clearly this EV monster’s exotic electric powertrain is a huge departure.

It retains impressive off-road ability and straight-line speed. But will it hit the mark with top-end luxury 4WDers? Short story, this thing is wild, and it will be irresistible for a likely narrow band of tech-focused ‘must have the latest and greatest’ buyers. Nothing like impressing friends and family with a tank turn.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with travel, accommodation and meals provided.

The Suzuki Jimny Lite is the most basic of the Suzuki Jimny line-up but that’s not a bad thing.

It’s ordinary on-road, it’s on the wrong side of small – especially in terms of cargo-carrying ability – and it’s still an exercise in driver-adaptability because it’s basic, bouncy and requires a lot of effort to keep it driving in a straight line.

But the Jimny is a lot of fun off road and even on sealed surfaces. It is go-kart-like in terms of everyday suitability and comfort, but its day-to-day drivability has received a healthy boost by way of those new driver-assist technologies and the updated AEB.

If you’re willing to give into the fun and cop a few compromises along the way, then you won’t be disappointed, because the Jimny is a tonne of fun.

Okay, so Mercedes-Benz says, with a straight face, that “with the aim of optimising the vehicle’s aerodynamics” classic G-Class elements have been revised, including the reprofiled bonnet, ‘air curtain’ vents in the flares over the rear wheel arches, A-pillar cladding and the small spoiler on the edge of the roof.

At the same time, the 20-inch wheels are also claimed to be "aerodynamically optimised” and underneath, a 26mm underbody casing made from a mix of materials, including carbon-fibre (attached to the ladder frame with more than 50 steel screws), protects the battery from dust, dirt and rocks.

In ticking off the Edition One, car-spotters should look for black rims with blue brake callipers behind them, blue inserts in the exterior protective strips as well as black door handles and a new rectangular design box on the rear door for storing items such as charging cables, tools or snow chains. If you want a spare wheel, choose the standard model.

An optional black-panel radiator grille ($3800) features tinted lighting units as well as an animated LED light band and chrome surround. The light band can be activated as a running light or an animation when locking and unlocking the vehicle.

And it’s worth noting Mercedes-Benz and the car’s contracted manufacturer, Magna Steyr, have invested much time and many Euros in retaining the car’s classic handle and door lock design. G-Wagen owners will recognise its sound from several kilometres away.

Inside the G580 it’s clear this is one area where the G-Class has progressed enormously over the decades. It’s still quite upright in terms of the dash design, but you’re confronted by twin 12.3-inch screens, supporting the Mercedes-Benz user interface. 

All very high-tech, but that’s balanced by an old-school grab-handle for the front passenger to latch onto during off-road work. 

The signature turbine-style air vents are located within squared-off panels, and in the limited Edition One you have a blue fleck running through carbon-fibre inserts on the centre console, door cards and that front grab handle. In the standard car it’s a (very attractive) walnut open-pore wood rather than carbon.

A luxurious interior for sure.

The Lite is, like the rest of the Jimny line-up, retro-cool and classic with a striking straight-up-and-down appearance sure to draw more admiring glances than sneering ‘WTF?!’ looks.

The three-door Suzuki Jimny is 3650mm long (with a 2250mm wheelbase), 1645mm wide, 1720mm high, and it has a kerb weight of 1100kg.

The Jimny has it over any rivals in this category when it comes to exterior design.

The Jimny’s interior is plain and practical. It has cloth seats, expanses of durable plastic and an overall utilitarian look and feel.

It is spartan inside, but this all-pervasive no-frills approach best suits the Jimny's simple spirit.

For the record, the G63 is just over 4.6m long and a little more than 1.9m wide with a 2890mm wheelbase. So, not huge, but its close to 2.0m height is hard to ignore. 

In the front there’s lots of breathing space, and in terms of storage you have generous bins in the doors with plenty of room for big bottles. Then there’s a centre armrest, which doubles as the top of a deep storage box housing a USB-C port inside. 

A sliding roller cover in the centre console reveals two cupholders, another two USB-C sockets, a 12-volt outlet and a wireless charging pad. Add in a big glove box and you’ve got plenty of options in terms of storage, power and connectivity. 

In the back, sitting behind the driver’s seat set for my 183cm position I’ve got tons of foot and legroom and, no surprise, lots of headroom.

There’s a fair bit of sculpting in the rear seat, which is as nice as it is unusual (makers often avoid bolsters on the rear seat as it makes the backrest harder to fold flat). And in terms of three-abreast accommodation, a smaller adult will be okay in the centre spot for shorter journeys. Three up to mid-teenage kids will be swimming in it.

Then, for practicality you again have generous bins in the doors. And if you need even more capacity, fold down the centre armrest which houses two different size cupholders. 

In the rear of the centre console you’ve got two USB-Cs, a 12-volt power outlet, individual climate control and directional vents.

There are map rockets on the front seatbacks and more air vents in the B-pillar. So, when it comes to comfort, powering up devices and storing ‘things’ you’re well taken care of.

The side-opening tailgate door opens from right to left, which isn’t ideal when parallel parked on the left hand side of the road, but boot volume is over 600 litres (VDA) with all seats upright, expanding to nearly 2000 litres with the 60/40 split-folding rear seat lowered.

There are multiple tie-down hooks, a netted pocket, two lights, a 12-volt outlet as well as a ‘ski-port’ door and sliding cargo cover to enhance practicality and security.

As mentioned earlier, the full-size spare in the standard model, but the Design Box replaces it on the Edition One, although Mercedes-Benz says it’s aiming to make a spare available as an option later in the year.

Functionality is highest on the agenda with the Jimny rather than any attempt at a semblance of plushness.

Having said that, it is comfortable inside, but it is very basic, which is actually part of its charm though some people may rapidly grow weary of its bare-bones interior.

The big news in this small 4WD is the fact it now has a new 7.0-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. That screen is too small but the hands-on controls everywhere else remain one of the refreshingly simple aspects that is easy to like about the Jimny.

There’s also now a 4.2-inch digital driver display between the analogue dials and that includes a speedo, as well as fuel-consumption and driving range details.

With the three-door Jimny's second-row seats in use, boot space is listed as 85L. With the second row stowed away, there’s a claimed 377L of cargo space.

Payload is a claimed 350kg and gross vehicle mass is 1450kg (the Jimny is 1100kg) so there’s not a lot of flexibility in terms of how much camping gear, dogs, or Abba CDs you can pack into this diminutive 4WD.

While others may offer more in terms of comfort and general amenities, the Jimny still wins out for day-to-day durability.

The Lite is the entry-level Jimny and as such has a manufacturer recommended retail price of $31,990 (excluding on-road costs).

Standard features in the Lite include a 7.0-inch multimedia touchscreen, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, updated AEB (with 'Dual Sensor Brake Support II' so the system now complies with the mandatory ADR 98/00 regulation), as well as the inclusion of lane departure prevention, adaptive cruise control, front and rear parking sensors, and traffic sign recognition.

It also has the usual Jimny gear: 15-inch steel wheels, halogen headlights and a rear-view camera.

Exterior paint choices include white as standard and jungle green (on this test vehicle) which is a premium/metallic paint and comes at an additional cost of $745.

The Jimny represents decent enough value against potential rivals, such as the Renault Duster 4x4, Mahindra Scorpio, and the GWM Tank 300, although you're buying a vibe more than any substantial amount of gear or comfort.

The G580 is powered by four permanently excited synchronous motors, each delivering around a CLA200’s worth of power and torque to each wheel for overall outputs in excess of 432kW/1164Nm.

Each motor has its own two-stage transmission and power electronics for almost infinite fine-tuning of the direction and amount of drive sent to individual wheels. Merc calls it ‘individual-wheel drive’.

This entry-level Suzuki Jimny has the same 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine as the rest of the line-up, producing 75kW at 6000rpm and 130Nm at 4000rpm, and it has a five-speed manual transmission.

The Jimny is always zippy, manoeuvrable and punchy off the mark simply because it is so small and light, however, it feels underpowered on the open road and strained at highway speeds.

It has a part-time four-wheel drive system with high- and low-range, and off-road traction control.

While it’s far from offering the best power and torque outputs, even in the small 4WD realm, the Jimny is so light that there’s enough here to work with.

Housed in a torsion-resistant casing and embedded low down in its ladder-frame chassis, the G580’s 116kWh two-tier, liquid-cooled lithium-ion battery pack delivers a WLTP-rated range of 473km, or 567km on the more lenient NEDC scale.

‘Eco Assistant’ and ‘Range Monitoring’ functions provide continuous information on battery status, energy consumption and estimated range.

Maximum system capacity is 400 volts which enables 200kW DC charging, meaning a 10 to 80 per cent fill in as little as 32 minutes. Maximum AC charging capacity is 11kW.

Claimed energy use is 23.1kWh/100km, and we saw an average of 28.6kWh across urban and highway running on the launch drive program.

Not exactly a ‘green’ EV choice, then, but it’s worth noting a one-year Chargefox subscription is included to off-set the car’s energy appetite.

The Suzuki Jimny has official fuel consumption of 6.4L/100km (on a combined cycle).

I recorded 7.2L/100km on this test but, as always, I did a lot of high- and low-range 4WDing.

The Jimny has a 40L fuel tank so, going by my fuel figures, a full tank should give you a driving range of about 550km.

So, with 432kW and around 1160Nm, even though the G580 weighs in at around three tonnes, you’re talking 0-100 km/h in 4.7 seconds. And this car gets up and goes… like a beast.

What you don’t get is that traditional Merc-AMG G63 V8 rumble, because, of course, no engine. 

But you do get what Mercedes calls ‘G-Roar’, essentially a sound bar at the front of the car also using the audio system inside to give it what is not exactly an engine noise but some sense of the car progressing. And you can turn it off for completely silent running.

‘Electric Dynamic Select’ changes the parameters of the motors, transmission, suspension, ESP and steering as required. On-road that means ‘Comfort’, ‘Sport’ and ‘Individual’ modes, with off-road comprising ‘Trail’ and ‘Rock’. In the Comfort setting drive flows primarily to one axle for optimum energy efficiency.

Suspension is by double wishbones at the front and a De Dion-style live (rigid) axle at the rear. You’ve got the same adaptive-type set-up as per other G-Class models, so ‘Comfort’ and ‘Sport’ modes and of the many traditional G-Class traits this car exhibits, ride quality is one of them.

Even in Comfort you’ll find even little bumps and thumps making their way up into the seat of the pants and the cabin. It is after all a body-on-frame, ladder-chassis type vehicle and that’s not unusual.  

In terms of steering, it’s accurate and road feel is good. You’ve got 275-wide Falken Azenis FK520 tyres that are more on- than off-road focused. The car feels stable and nicely planted on the road.

The physical brakes are by ventilated discs front and rear, and the big rotors are the same size (353mm) all around. They work nicely and feel like a conventional set-up.

Regenerative braking kicks in as soon as you lift off the accelerator pedal. The powertrain is harvesting energy as the car decelerates and there are four levels you can adjust with the steering wheel paddles up to a quite aggressive level - not quite, but close to a single-pedal set-up.

Off-road, the G580’s ‘G-Steering’ system allows the wheels to turn at different speeds to induce slight ‘drift-like’ oversteer and tighten the turning circle. It works beautifully and the car’s fording depth is 850mm, a full 150mm more than internal-combustion G-Class models.

A three-speed off-road crawl function is adjustable to speeds as low as 2.0km/h, and the car is claimed to remain stable on sideways slopes up to 35 degrees. 

Torque vectoring is used to create ‘virtual diff locks’ and there’s a ‘low-range’ setting. Switch to the ‘Offroad Cockpit’ and data including gradient, lateral inclination, compass readings, tyre pressures and the selected G-Mode appear.

A ‘Transparent Bonnet’ function creates a virtual view of what’s approaching and passing under the front wheels to help the driver pick their way through steep ascents or declines.

For the record, the G580’s approach angle is 32 degrees, departure is 30.7, breakover is 20.3 and ground-clearance is 250mm.

And of course, with the wheels independently powered, the G580’s signature move is what Mercedes-Benz calls a ‘G-Turn’ but the rest of the world calls a tank turn.

If you encounter an obstacle that makes forward progress impossible, the system spins the left- and right-hand wheels in opposite directions so this brute can turn on the spot like an M1 Abrams. You can’t help but crack up laughing when executing this extreme party trick!

In terms of miscellaneous observations around ergonomics and the car in general, it has a 13.6-metre conventional turning circle. So if you’re not using the G Turn function in the car park be ready for a sizeable turning arc.

Also, those aero tweaks here and there seem to have had an effect. Wind noise, especially for such an upright, squared-off design is surprisingly modest. And overall, from a build point of view, this car feels as though it’s been carved from a solid piece of metal. In every aspect it presents as a quality item.

It may come as no surprise to any of you who have actually driven a Jimny but it is rather ordinary on road.

It's a small vehicle and quite light so it does get buffeted by passing traffic, thrown around by any wind stronger than a mild breeze, and this Zook’s ride and handling are barely the right side of atrocious.

But – and it’s a big BUT – the Jimny is still a lot of fun to drive, even as wild as it is on-road, and it absolutely comes alive when you hit the dirt.

Being light and nimble may detract from the Jimny's performance on sealed surfaces, but those characteristics help immensely when you go 4WDing in this little car.

It is highly manoeuvrable – it is very agile around the bush through tight tracks and up tight wheel-rutted hills – and it’s incredibly easy to find and maintain the correct driving line in the Jimny because it is so small and there's a tyre at each corner so you know where your wheels are positioned at any one time.

Low-range gearing is good and there's a nice spread of torque across a decent rev range. Traction control is reasonably well calibrated, although it is a little choppy in application now and then.

Basic but crucial physical aspects, such as the Jimny’s off-road angles, are well suited to off-roading with approach, rampover and departure angles clocking in at 37, 28 and 49 degrees respectively. Those help to make this little vehicle a champion in the dirty stuff.

Ground clearance is listed as 210mm but feels like more and while wading depth is not listed, it’s fair to say it’s about the 300mm mark.

Warning: the three-door Jimny is bouncy because it's so small, light and quite tall for its size, and has a narrow wheel-track.

It is very tippy and bouncy and you do get bumped around a lot but that's kind of the point of off-roading in the Jimny. It’s a barrel of laughs purely because it is such a dialled-in and driver-focused experience.

But those characteristics may rapidly become tiresome and tiring for some people who have grown accustomed and attached to more comfort and cushioning in modern vehicles.

This is a very capable off roader and it’s one of the few vehicles you can drive straight out of the showroom and have a tonne of fun in, in the dirt, but it is somewhat let down by its showroom-standard tyres (Dunlop Grandtrek AT20 195/80R15). Replace those with some more aggressive all-terrain rubber and Roberto’s your uncle.

As mentioned earlier, payload is 350kg, GVM is 1450kg.

Towing capacity is 350kg (unbraked) and 1300kg (braked) so you’re limited in how much you can drag with the Jimny, but that's okay because I don’t think too many people are buying a Jimny because they have to tow a caravan, horse float or boat. They’re buying it because it’s a shedload of fun off-road and the Jimny has that factor in abundance.

The current Suzuki Jimny does not have an ANCAP safety rating, because its three-star rating expired in December 2024.

It has six airbags (dual frontal, side chest-protecting and side head-protecting (curtain) airbags), AEB, lane departure prevention, adaptive cruise control, and front and rear parking sensors.

Other small 4WDs have the maximum ANCAP rating and offer more comprehensive driver-assist and safety gear suites than the Jimny.

The G580 is covered by Mercedes-Benz Australia’s five-year/unlimited-km warranty, which remains the standard offering in the premium part of the market and an eight-year/160,000km drive battery warranty.

Service intervals are every 12 months or 20,000km with service plan pricing available over three ($2645), four ($3980) and five ($4670) years. In approximate terms, each workshop visit will cost ‘around’ $900. Not exactly cheap, especially for an EV, but this is no ordinary electric vehicle.

The Suzuki Jimny has a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty.

Suzuki offers the first service at two months/2000km for free, then under the capped-price servicing program, your Jimny is scheduled for a service every 12 months/15,000km at an average cost of $453.

Those costs are okay for something in the small 4WD realm.