2026 Suzuki Jimny Reviews

Here's an even more easy-to-live-with version of the adorable Suzuki 4X4 that everyone wants, or is there more to the Jimny XL than just that?

The Suzuki Jimny XL is the much-anticipated five-door version of the three-door Jimny. The XL is longer and heavier than the standard Jimny, but it has no mechanical or driver-assist tech advantages over its smaller stablemate. The original Jimny has been very successful so it stands to reason the XL should garner just as much positive attention. But is it actually any good?

There's not a person on the planet that doesn't agree that the three-door Jimny is cute and capable off the road, but does a the bigger Jimny XL solve the baby version's problems of space and practicality? We went to the Australian launch of the new and very first five-door Jimny XL to find out.

Over successive generations Suzuki's Jimny has built a cult following, largely because its ultra-cute Tonka toy looks and diminutive size belie its hardcore off-road ability. But what's it like as a day-to-day proposition in the city and suburbs? We've kept it strictly on-road for this UrbanGuide test to find out.

If you want a Suzuki Jimny with all the fruit, you're going to have to wait. But there is a chance you might find one of these - the Suzuki Jimny Lite 2022 model - which removes a few bits and bobs inside and outside of the small 4WD to make it more affordable. Is the cheaper Jimny the better one? Let's find out.

The Suzuki Jimny, a purpose-built off-road fun machine, delivers pure dialled-in driver bliss straight from the showroom and out onto the dirt. It's one of a returned breed of retro-style 4WDs that seemingly belongs in another era but have garnered booming popularity - and plenty of adventure-hungry buyers - in the modern-day market.But is it actually still worthy of the hype?

The Jimny is sold out for a long time. But if you're just going to drive it around the city, is it more flawed than not? We find out.

The Suzuki Jimny has a legion of fans who love the little 4WD for what it is: a small, go-anywhere fun machine that doesn't cost a fortune. Well, demand for the Zook has stayed sky-high since it arrived here early last year and Suzuki Australia has since added $2000 to the off-roader's price-tag. The backlog of orders is being worked through, but the question is: should you join the queue?

Three of the best factory-prepped 4WDs in Australia go head to head in the bush, on sand, through water and up some very steep hills

Automotive journalists are normal people, just like you. (But maybe not like that weird bloke sitting across from you on the train, right now. Don't look at him!) We car journos laugh, we cry and we're also prone to becoming caught up in nostalgia-fuelled fever dreams when the likes of something like the Suzuki Jimny pops up on our reportage radar.Yep, most of us were fair dinkum guilty of jumping on the bandwagon when the Jimny first lobbed, largely due to the fact that it brought back happy memories of rough-and-tumble camping trips of the past (whether they actually happened or not) and the little Zook also happily flew in the face of current SUV trends that err on the side of sleek, modern and safe rather than boxy, bouncy and, er, safe-ish.We were willing to initially overlook the Jimny's flaws, mostly because we hadn't spent a lot of time in it at that stage and we were also viewing everything through a glaze of that aforementioned nostalgia.But now that I've spent more time in it, I'm ready to face the cold hard facts: while it's a charming little off-roader, and more than capable in an off-road setting, it's far from perfect as a daily driver or, indeed, even as a 4WD.Have I got your hackles up? Great. Read on.