Gen 4 Jimny 2018+ - General questions to other owners

I'm quite shocked to see that the aforementioned roof rack combination weighs a whopping 40kg! That's the same weight as my steel roof bars, kayak and mountain bike combined.

Oh god, the vibe I am getting from everyone is " Don't say anything bad about the perfect Jimny, its you that is wrong" As I would like to remind everyone , with any new generation the first batches are always going to have some faults. The 2019 model , Gen 4 Jimny I own will no doubtly go through some hiccups before everything is perfected. The first gear grind is the perfect example.

I have had 3 different 4x4s with live axles from landcruisers to wranglers and none of them rock the same way that the Jimny did before replacing the suspension. Before anyone asks, yes they had stock suspension when I owned them. I am definitely familiar with how they are meant to feel and drive.

I always like to do some testing and see if I can figure out issues before posting. If I feel like I am stuck between a rock and a hard place, thats when I see out help from this forum.

The roof rack , light and awning all add weight, I am not denying that. The issue with the massive amount of stock body roll and rocking side by side was an issue before I added any of those items. I know increasing the centre of gravity will amplify the problem which it did . But yet again, the problem was there before adding the weight. If they were the root cause than I don't understand how the upgrade in suspension basically eliminated the problem while all those items are still on the roof.

The ear pain I am feeling are not from the roof rack , light bar, or awning. I have conducted tests by removing and swapping items around to see where it is coming from. I have theories but I am not sure, maybe the large windows vibrating and pressure inside, maybe the loud transmission or god knows what else. I am still working on that.

As for the weight, I went to the local tip and asked how much it weighed ( fully loaded) and it equalled to 1.28 tones give or take. Included everything from full tank of fuel to the KO2 tyres on steelies.

The wind deflectors actually help a lot with the windows shaking when they are partially opened but I don't really have an issue with it obstructing my view. The issue I had was with traffic lights up high as I needed to bend down a little to see. The lift kit did fix all that so no complaints there. But if you are talking about the wind deflector on the roof rack, I agree, complete waste of money. I have since removed it as I noticed no change in noise or fuel economy well, at the speeds I go anyway.

The new Jimny is so perfect that I just couldn't bring myself to buy one. Oh no hang on not that. I test drove one and didn't like it, that's right. Dreadnaught on the heavy duty suspension is stable, the Spare Jimny on it's 2016 suspension makes me feel a bit ill and the 19 one that I tried was if anything slightly worse still and certainly felt more like I was perched on it rather than sat in it. Not for me I'm quite sure, unless its were modified from new.

As for noises I at first noticed that my cross bars were making a low thuding but either they have stopped or I have because accustomed to in.

@B3HuLk
Can you describe the noise you are experiencing that hurts your ears?
Is it a low rumbling/drumming sound (similar to when rear car windows are open) or higher pitched?

B3Hulk wrote: As for the weight, I went to the local tip and asked how much it weighed ( fully loaded) and it equalled to 1.28 tones give or take. Included everything from full tank of fuel to the KO2 tyres on steelies.

That leaves it just 150kg shy of the 1435kg gross vehicle mass. So you can carry 2 adults and not a lot else.

B3Hulk wrote: Oh god, the vibe I am getting from everyone is " Don't say anything bad about the perfect Jimny, its you that is wrong"

Not at all. Every Gen4 owner I've encountered has been completely transparent regarding the shortcomings of the car. It's just that there doesn't seem to be anyone else who is experiencing the specific issues that you're encountering. I really can't relate to the ear noise thing and while I totally agree that it's a softly sprung car, I don't find that characteristic unpleasant.

Other major downsides that I forgot to mention in my original reply are that (in the UK at least) their corrosion resistance seems to be on a par with a 1970s Alfa Romeo. Also, as mentioned by someone else, the auto headlight sensor is infuriatingly sensitive, to the point that it's effectively unusable.