Suzuki Jimny LCV
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Like a phoenix from the ashes, the Suzuki Jimny, which was forced off sale last year due to European Union emissions regulations, has been given a new lease of life as a light commercial vehicle – or a van, in plain English.
No mechanical changes have been made to the baby off-roader: there’s still a 1.5-litre petrol engine making 100bhp and 94lb ft; it comes only with a five-speed manual gearbox; and it has the same part-time fourwheel drive system and coil-sprung suspension with rigid axles.
However, the rear seats are gone, replaced with a completely f lat f loor and separated from the front seats by a new steel and mesh bulkhead, creating a load space of 863 litres. Black 15in steel wheels are standard and so too is the entry-level DAB radio with Bluetooth, rather than the touchscreen with sat-nav that top-spec SZ5 cars could have.
Suzuki wants to keep the Jimny LCV range simple so, apart from paint colour, there’s little in the way of options. Thankfully, then, a multifunction steering wheel and air conditioning are standard.
As you would expect, the Jimny LCV is every bit as capable an offroader as the car version was. Of course, it’s also just as compromised on the road, with its short wheelbase contributing to a particularly bouncy ride, while the soft suspension allows plenty of body roll for good measure.
Suzuki expects the Jimny LCV to attract a similar off-road-enthusiast audience to that which was interested in the Jimny car – a crowd that will now have to live with only two seats rather than four and a slightly more cramped interior, as the addition of the steel partition prevents the front seats from reclining fully, making it tight for taller drivers.
The Jimny’s short gearing may be beneficial for use in low range, but it does make the engine particularly noisy when you hit higher speeds.
It’s not much of a van, either, with room for only a medium cardboard box and a paltry payload of 150kg, due to the limitations of the rear axle.
Nevertheless, its shortcomings will surely be forgiven by the lucky 400 who will get this year’s allocation.