The pint-sized Suzuki Jimny remains incredibly popular in Australia, eight years after the current model launched. Photo: Patrick Jackson.
On paper, the Suzuki Jimny should be an unequivocally niche purchase. How many people really need a rugged, ladder-frame off-roader that can fit inside a handbag? Very few, you’d imagine.
Yet the Jimny has been in hot demand since this fourth-generation model arrived in 2018. At times, the waitlist has stretched far longer than the Royal Australian Mint queue after the latest collector coin drops.
A few years back, the longest reported wait was around three years, but these days it’s more like 6-8 months.
All for a car that, on paper, makes zero sense. Underpowered, outdated, compromised in almost every measurable way.
So why do so many Aussies love this thing? Because what the Jimny does do well is nigh on impossible to engineer into most cars.
While fuel consumption is measured in litres per 100km, the number that matters with the Jimny is smiles per mile, and in that stat, it’s almost infinite.
What is it?
The Jimny name has been a constant in Suzuki’s Australian lineup since 1998, though its predecessors were sold under other names as far back as the ’70s.
On the surface, it’s an adorable box on wheels. It’s wide-eyed smile makes you want to pinch its cheeks, it’s that cute.
Underneath, though, it’s a proper off-roader.
With a rugged ladder-frame chassis, live axles front and rear, and a dual-range four-wheel-drive system, it’s a thoroughly capable machine when the terrain gets choppy.
Those attributes put it in the company of vehicles like the Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series, Jeep Wrangler and Ineos Grenadier. The difference is that you can explore the tightest, narrowest tracks without fear of scratching its tennis ball paintwork.
Part of the reason Jimnys have become so hard to get in recent years is that Suzuki pulled the three-door model from sale in February 2025 for failing to comply with ADR regulations.
With demand so high, Suzuki set about fitting it with the newly mandated autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system. A sensor housed behind the tiny rectangle in the bumper is the only discernible visual change since 2018.
Fancy splashing some extra cash? 300 Heritage Edition models are up for grabs, but aside from the decals, they’re mechanically identical to our Kinetic Yellow tester. Photo: Suzuki Australia.
The only other changes you’ll find in a 2026 model are adaptive cruise control (a nice addition for driving in traffic) and bigger, better screens inside the cabin (nice, but hardly cutting-edge).
Oh, except the price. In 2018, this top-spec GLX Automatic cost a reasonable $25,990, plus on-road costs. Now it’s $36,490 on paper, and $40,990 driveaway once you’ve got everything in. Ouch.
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If you fancy spending even more, Suzuki this month announced the availability of 300 automatic ‘Heritage Edition’ examples (following 300 manual ones in 2023) available for $42,490 driveaway. The extra spend gets you some retro decals and red mudflaps.
Still, the plucky Zook remains one of the best-selling Light SUVs in the country, a segment more often associated with the Mazda CX-3 and Toyota Yaris Cross, the only two outselling it so far this year.
What’s it like to live with?
This is the kind of car that truly requires a sense of humour to tolerate. That, or so much love for its good looks that you can live with it being a bit dim-witted.
As a city car, the Jimny works surprisingly well, even if you have to choose between back seats or boot space. Visibility is excellent, and its tight turning circle and compact dimensions make parking a breeze.
You’ll want to be mindful of actual breezes, though. Tall and narrow, with the aerodynamics of a brick wall and a softly sprung ride, it blusters about like a fallen corflute on the open road.
Thanks to the live front axle, it also requires quite a bit of work on the wheel to keep it pointed straight at such speeds.
Not that it wants to do them. Its meagre 75 kW four-pot screams its head off at anything more than half throttle, and its outdated four-speed automatic transmission would’ve been a marketable selling point only in the early ’90s.
Yet, despite all this, you can’t drive it without grinning from ear to ear. As it bounces down the road, you can feel joy oozing from the steering wheel.
The verdict
Ultimately, the Jimny is a bit of a comedian. It doesn’t take itself too seriously – or really, at all.
By the numbers, there are umpteen quantifiable reasons not to buy one. But did you decide on your last holiday destination using a spreadsheet?
This car is hilarious. It’s an experience. And that’s something that can’t be measured or compared using rational means.
Aussies love this thing so much because, despite all the odds, it’s simply impossible not to.
2026 Suzuki Jimny GLX Automatic
- $36,490 before on-road costs; $40,990 driveaway
- 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol, 75kW / 130Nm
- Four-speed automatic, part-time 4WD
- 6.9 litres per 100km, 40-litre fuel capacity
- 1110kg kerb weight.
Thanks to Suzuki Australia for providing this vehicle for testing. Region has no commercial arrangement with Suzuki Australia.
