Gen 4 Jimny observations

We've owned our 2020 Jimny two years and had no issues with it at all.
The vehicle has lived outside and done 11,000 miles.
This is l realise normal for new vehicles, they are generally pretty good nowadays.

What's impressed me about the Jimny however, is the way it's been put together. l had to take all the interior and exterior trim off to get a dent removed from the rear corner, also the same to fit the tow bar and rear speakers.

l managed to do this without breaking one clip or fastener. All the parts came off and went back on with no broken clips, although the outer wheel arch trim needed the clips releasing from inside the panel.

My friend has one of the new Defenders, a great vehicle but when he came to fit side steps almost every clip and fastener broke off the sill trims and other parts when he removed them.

Okay they were replaceable but l think this is poor design.
Also, in years to come when these plastic parts are no longer available it's going to be an issue.

Yeah. You get in a Jimny, use it and put it away. You go to get a defender and have to set to and fix it then fix it again half way through the job and then you fix it when you are done in the vain hope you might get away with not needing to fix it before you use it again. Been there done that.

You've had one of the new Defenders? l am talking about the 2021 onwards version.

I've got one of the old Defenders. It's a 2005 110, done 85,000 miles in my ownership (146,000 altogether) and does need looking after, although it's only actually broken down once.

I think the old ones probably get a bad rap unfairly. I have a 1989 Ninety parked on the drive with 152,000 miles. Most of the broken interior bits are due to human error and abuse. The basic design isn't bad at all really. I had to remove some rear trim to feed in a CB aerial cable earlier in the year. I did break a clip, but it mostly came out and went back none the worse for wear. The clip was plastic and is 33 years old, so I can't really complain.

The vehicle has lived most (or maybe all) of its life outside. Doesn't seem to have been loved much, not in the past few decades. But it is pleasant to ride in and drive still.



I do like the mod cons of the Jimny though 

I have a number of friends in the industry that have either long or short ones and they all say the same thing, it's ok if you have another vehicle and the land rover is under warranty. Now these are primarily working vehicles and that makes a difference I'm sure but still. It's why I went for the Toyota.

Newer ones maybe you'd be right. Older ones I've found to generally be quite robust. As in, they'll nearly always get you home. They might always have some niggles. But fundamentally rather solid.

I may be a little biased as I've been around Land Rover's all my life. As an extended family I think we have had in the region of 70 Land Rover's over the years.

Even now between far few of us we somehow own 15+ Land Rover products. Newest being an L450 Range Rover, but most hailing from the 80s and 90s.

My 1960 series 2 Land Rover has never let me down, it's been very reliable. I can ignore it totally for months and it will always starts and move. It's the one vehicle I own that never gets any maintenance and when it does it'st the cheap oil Wilko sells 
As to the plastic trim clips I've never found any to break, what are these plastic bits of which you talk?
It's only got 2 fuses!
So yes, maybe they got worse as they increased the technology.

As simple as it gets
 

Well, if we are talking about Defenders mine's a 2005 TD5
l've done 85,000 miles in "Elsa" and she's only ever let me down once, when the one piece of technology in her (engine ECU) failed.

But l love our Jimny Gen 4, enough that we refused offers of £28,000 during the silly price season last year.

The Jimny is the small, cheap, well built Defender that Land Rover should have built. But maybe 20% larger.