2019 Jimny Vs 2002

Hello everyone. My first post! I used to be a bit of a regular here about 8 years ago, having a lightly modded W reg soft top.
​​I loved my Jimny but a growing family meant it had to go. Well I my car journey has changed a bit since then. I went through a series of sporty cars and currently drive a lotus Evora S which is just an amazing thing but I find I don't really drive it much, the weather's too bad, or I don't want to park it, or etc etc.
I Find I miss my Jimny....
However saying that I don't think I can go back to a w reg Jimny. Too unrefined, too rusty, too tempting to mod! Awesome fun but I have got used to a bit more luxury...

So I find myself thinking about the latest version instead.

It's probably been covered a million times but is the current generation a lot more refined? Is the ride less crashy? Is the interior more comfortable? More roomy?

Anyone do a like for like comparison?

Thanks everyone. It's good to be back!

What l can say is, the new Jimny makes a perfectly good car with no real compromises.
I've done 240 miles in a day and would happily do it again.
l took ours in for a service yesterday and the dealer lent me a brand new Suzuki Swift.
Although the Jimny is obviously a 4x4 it stood up well against the "ordinary" car and l wasn't sorry to get back into our Jimny.

I think it depends on your expectations.

In many ways the 4th Gen Jimny is not hugely different to the 3rd Gen under the body. So will not be night and day difference in ride or comfort.

You also need to accept that it is a short wheel base vehicle running live axles and setup for use off road. This will bring certain shortcomings vs road bised cars.


That said, I do not know how your W plate rode or what kind of condition or mods it had.

I'd suggest the 4th Gen Jimny is an evolutionary step up from the 3rd Gens, rather than a revolutionary one. But dynamically should be superior in all areas.


Personally I find the cabin a nice place to be, apart from a bit of a lack of storage places, such as somewhere to put your phone. And sun visiors that are a bit too narrow. There really is nothing to complain about inside.

Likewise, I also don't really have any complaints with the ride. Road humps probably show the suspension at its worse. But poor roads and I find it perfectly comfortable. I'd argue and say it rode better and was more refined than a new Suzuki Ignis hathback I had as a loan car from the local dealership. But there will be occasions when certain surfaces show the limitations of the setup.

In terms of handling. I think they are great in this regard. Not in terms of race winning outright grip. But in terms of shear fun factor. I have other cars at my disposal, including a 350hp Camaro z28 and a V8 Triumph TR7. And I'd say the Jimny is as much fun and as enjoyable as those to drive.

The Jimny and the Jeep Wrangler (JK or JL models) are all superb road going 'proper' 4x4's. I'd say you can't go wrong with any of them if you are wanting an extra choice.

Couple of vids that might help answer some of your questions.

I have 4 unmodified GEN3 Jimnys and now a 2020 GEN4, as always they have no comparison to a normal hatchback as I am sure you are aware, however it's always an initial shock to the system when you swap over. The GEN4 in my opinion is less bouncy than the previous and a lot more stable probably due to it been a tad wider and an extra couple of struts on the ladder chassis and also a steering damper. The engine is slightly bigger at 1500cc and is a big improvement delivering its torque in lower revs with better fuel consumption @41mpg, the cockpit is more ergonomic with large switches and dials. The back section is well thought out with a flat load area (SZ5) and hard plastic backed seats for when loading the back up with the seats down with plenty of tie down points to attach D rings. I loved the GEN3 however the GEN4 is a lot more easier to drive on the tarmac for every day driving.

The ride is pretty much the same. The radius arms are identical, and the coils and shocks are basically the same (After market lift kit coils and shocks are the same for gen3 and gen4). The only differences are a stiffer anti-roll bar, and a more rigid chassis.

It you love cars and driving, don’t need something bigger the JB74 should delight you. It’s not an Evora but you’ll have just as much fun - if not more - hustling it down a B-Road at 60 as you would in your Lotus at licence losing speeds.

On top of that, you get incredible off road capability and utility.

You have the perfect two car garage in the making.

Thanks everyone. Sounds like light evolution rather than complete revolution. Interesting stuff, sounds promising.
My old Jimny was indeed great fun. Had lift blocks, tyres, steering damper and some other minor bits and pieces. So nothing too crazy.
The things that eventually I found hard work was the completely gutless engine and the space inside. Both of which sounds like it has improved. Secondary concern was the way it rode passengers being more put off by that than me!

As I said , always enormous fun (apart from going down the motorway!) And I enjoyed taking it off road but limited opportunities to do so near meant a long journey to get to play sites was quite off putting....

The 1.5 engine is nice. It revs freely and willingly to the redline. But will also pull smoothly from 1200-1500rpm in top.

On open roads the vehicle doesn't feel slow IMO. In traffic you will have to work it a little harder to keep pace, as while it doesn't feel slow. Many modern cars are actually quite peppy (diesel autos).

But I do know peoples perceptions are quite different. The reality is, it isn't a fast vehicle. But for me, that just doesn't matter as the sense of occasion is so high.

No issues driving on the motorway in our Gen 4

Ignore the motoring magazines, the new Jimny is fine on the motorway as long as you don't drive it flat out, as they seem to do.

65mph all day, cruise control on, we have driven on the motorway in appalling weather on the way back from Wales and was fine.
Noise levels are fine up to the legal limit, certainly no worse than our VW Up GTi.

Obviously an Audi A7 is going to feel more secure, but the Jimny is nowhere near as bad as some magazines would have you believe.

As l said, so long as you drive it with regard to the type of vehicle that it is.

Given the gen3 and gen4 are so similar and have the same shortcomings, how about buying a tidy gen3 and modifying it? 1.6 engine, new suspension, comfier seats, better stereo, LSD etc etc. For £20k less than a standard gen4 you could have a comfier, faster, more capable car.

We had a 12 plate Jimny which i loved, but my mrs hated it. It used to make her feel sick so when one of our cars was due for replacement sadly the Jimbo had to go. Fortunately she works at a Suzuki dealer and we were lucky enough to have a long weekend with the new Jimny when it came out. She was easily won over by the many improvements over the older model. We will have had it a year come March and it's very rarely that i get to drive it now as she loves it. It seems to me that many of the gripes with the older Jimny have been addressed.

Buy a tidy Gen.3, modify it, ie add £3k and finish up saving £20k on the price of a Gen.4. Amazing, tell me more.

Roger