• Summary
• What's Good
• What's Bad
• On the Road
• In The Cabin
• Prices and Specs
• Owners' Reviews

Suzuki's little Jimny has been on sale a long time. A very long time. In fact, when the scrappage scheme was running in 2009 and early 2010, it was one of the few cars that you could trade in and buy an identical version of. And according to Suzuki, a number of buyers that took advantage of this, trading in a 10-year-old Jimny for a brand new one.

The design hasn't changed much since the car was launched; the Jimny that's still available new in 2010 looks virtually identical to the one that appeared in showrooms in 1998. But that doesn't mean there haven't been changes. First up, there's the soft-top. This was produced between 2000 and 2003 and available in similar trims to the hard top.

It's much rarer on the used market than the more practical hardtop and appeals to buyers looking for something more fun. There's also a difference in engines. Although the Jimny has only been available with a 1.3-litre engine (except for a very brief period in 2005/2005 when there was a 1.8-litre engine), there are two different kinds. Originally there was a standard 1.3-litre, but this was replaced by a VVTi version in 2005, which offers improved fuel economy and emissions, as well as being a little quicker.

The Jimny range has also been re-branded several times, with a variety of trim levels and specification names. Latest cars carry SZ3 and SZ4 badges to tie in with the rest of the Suzuki range. These replace earlier JLX and JLX+ trims.

The Jimny lacks the more polished ride and handling of modern off-roaders and feels out of place on the motorway, where it's noisy and affected by cross winds. Plus, the interior is cramped, there's little boot space and scant room in the back. But despite these faults, the Jimny remains popular with buyers looking for a no-nonsense 'proper' off-roader that they know won't let them down.

And what it lacks in finesse and creature comforts is more than made up for in other areas. Suzuki dealers are well-known for doing a good job of looking after their customers, while while good reliability and affordable repair bills keeps costs down. It's this that keeps buyers coming back to the Jimny, whether there's a scrappage scheme running or not.