Jimny/Young Family

Hi folks,

I'm hoping to start a family fairly soon and I'm really interested to hear about people's experiences of the Jimny as a small family car. My current 2004 2-seater will clearly have to go, but I'm hopeful that I'll be able to replace it with a 2019 model.

Clearly the Jimny isn't an ideal family car but I'm willing to sacrifice a fair bit of practicality so I can continue to own one. I'd really appreciate hearing your experiences on this topic.

Many thanks!

You will need a trailer or roof box with all the stuff that comes along with a little one
Even going shopping with a baby and pram certainly eats all the space in a medium size car, there won't be much room in the jimny

I don’t think you will fit a push chair in the boot

Yes! I'd have thought you'd easily get a pushchair in the boot - but if it goes in there wont be room for much else!
I just wouldn't entertain it with a convertible Jimny; its unbelievably impractical!

Personally If I was going though parenthood again I'd be looking at smallish four-door cars for carrying a little person in the back - easier and safer (faster) access to them.
Mine is the voice of experience - we had a Daewoo Matiz when Max Junior arrived. We could get his pushcair in the boot - just! But it was far too small-a- car for safety and practacal purposes even though it was four door, so we swapped it for a Vauxhall Meriva which served us very well in the end. The Vauxhall was about the right size for a kiddy and all the paraphernalia that goes with the bundle of joy.

I don't have kids so I only speak from my observations of others. For the majority of my friends in Harrogate it seems to be necessary for a parent fo have an suv of discovery size full to the gunwales with every single contraption and gadget Mothercare has on sale each and every time they leave the house. By contrast my relatives and others in Bradford manage perfectly adequately to raise their children with a pushchair that compresses to the size of a camp chair in a bag and one medium backpack for a few changes and a feed. I would therefore contend that a Jimny is a perfectly good family hatchback if used with consideration to it's size.

I have a 2 and a half year old and the Jimny would have sacrificed too much practicality if it was our only car when he was a baby. Whilst it would fit a small umbrella push chair in the boot, it wouldn't fit a pram or travel system which you would probably be using for the first few months - you can't put a new born baby in a push chair. Additionally I would recommend having rear doors to make it easier to get them into their car seat.

I previously had a 5 door golf r which was fine 95% of the time but even that was a struggle when we went away on holiday or were visiting family overnight. You don't realise how much stuff one little person needs until you have one and try to go away - push chair, travel cot, steriliser, nappies, 42 changes of clothes.....

The golf was replaced with a Skoda Superb estate which we could almost live in! It's boot with the seats up is about double the size of a Jimny boot with the seats down.