2008 Suzuki Jimny Sierra Review
28 Jul, 2008
21 Comments 
Stick it in neutral, turn the key and the tiny 1.3-litre engine comes to life. Yes, 1.3-litres, small, but very punchy when it needs to be.
With only 62.5kW on tap, you might be thinking this car is rather underpowered, but underpowered for what? A race off the lights? Maybe, but for getting around town or up a hill, absolutely not. The Jimny only weighs 1060kg (kerb weight), so the power to weight is about 59kw/per tonne, which is more than you’ll need for a car like this.
Just how does it get around town? Very easily. The five-speed manual is smooth, allowing for easy shifts while the clutch picks-up exactly when you expect it.
My colleagues disagree with me about this car, they think I am too kind on the Jimny, maybe, but for good reason.
This is the sort of car you can get in, any time, any where and drive to where ever it is that you want to go. It’s comfortable, easy to drive, can go off-road when it needs to and most importantly, it has a lot of character, perhaps that’s its best selling point. It didn’t bore me like most other cars in its price range.
From the inside, it’s nothing special, not that you should expect much for $20,000, but all the essentials are there. The seats are comfortable, but can do with a little more support. Four adults sat comfortably (tested) for a 150km drive with the only complaint being the lack of decent sound in the rear.
That’s not to criticise the stereo headunit which did a reasonable job. Not bad for a Jimny, considering some luxury manufacturers are still trying to implement MP3 CD compatibility in their $100,000+ cars.
A drive out to near Australia Zoo saw the Jimny tackle our QLD 4WD obstacle course, with great success. Put it in 4WD mode and with the cars low weight and great ground clearance, you can be assured you can go pretty much anywhere. Suzuki are happy to admit the Jimny is better off-road than the flagship Grand Vitara, which should tell you something.
Suzuki call it the “Drive Action 4X4 with Air Locking Hub”, which essentially means the Sierra can change between 4WD (4H) and 2WD modes as you drive with a simple switch between 2WD/4W.
As for the city, parking is easy given the car is only 3.6M long, our press car came with power steering which makes the process much easier. I wouldn’t recommend the entry model (w/o power steering and alloys).
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(11 votes, average: 4.55 out of 5)
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July 28th, 2008 at 5:45 pm
Looks like a fun car to drive, wonder if its something one can live with in the city?
Might have to go for a test drive in one before I buy my next car.
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July 28th, 2008 at 5:46 pm
It’s a cute little car, and having driven one a couple of years back I agree that it is kinda fun and “toyish” to drive, but as mentioned the safety aspect worries me a little in something this small.
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July 28th, 2008 at 6:09 pm
My late Grandfather got many years of pleasure from his early two stoke and later 4cyl stockmans. These things will beat anything off road and I mean anything.
He use to cop a bit of abuse on the Highway especially in the 540CC 3cyl 2stoke.LOL.
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July 28th, 2008 at 6:16 pm
If u love fishing and live close or on the coast buy one of these.
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July 28th, 2008 at 6:45 pm
my dad had a sierra which he used on a fruit plantation in malaysia, he used to flip it once in a while, and with the help of 2 workers, would flip it back and keep on going… i guess if you’re after something hardcore for offroad use on a tight budget…this is the car!
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July 28th, 2008 at 6:54 pm
wow….looks really fun
prnts are giving me 5 grand for a car if i get into med
i think i’ll consider a second hand one of these, saw a couple of carsales…
either this or an lpg falcon
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July 28th, 2008 at 6:57 pm
A friend of mine has one of the old Sierras (pre-Jimny) and while it’s fun to drive for the first hour or so, the novelty does wear off, and that’s when you realise why people buy Corollas, Mazda3’s, etc. They are just plain better onroad. Much, much better.
If the Jimny is twice as good on the bitumen as the Sierra (wouldn’t be hard) it’ll still be painful in the long term.
You’d only buy this car if you were actually planning to take it off-road.
THEN you’d have some fun.
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July 28th, 2008 at 7:29 pm
I can’t agree with Realcars that this is good for fishing.
It might be good for getting there, but where the hell do you put a fish if you catch one?
Best thing off-road? Don’t think so. didn’t see a single one on any of my outback tours - there’s no room for tools, spares, extra fuel, and you’d die of agony after one day on the road. The thing is so short, the corrugations would throw the thing left, right, and into the scrub.
Sorry, just a hairdresser’s car.
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July 28th, 2008 at 8:02 pm
20 Grand? Oh my god…you must be joking..
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July 28th, 2008 at 9:05 pm
I used to sell Suzuk’s….Reliable sturdy cars…
The Jimny’s are tough as nails…shame about the rough ride and breathless engine…My Pic is definitely the V6 GV’s….heck even if you go the old shape :)
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July 28th, 2008 at 10:40 pm
Definitely not built for touring the outback, however having had plenty of experience driving these and older Sierra models on the beach, not much comes close to their performance on the sand. This is due in no small matter to the very same qualities that make this car less desirable on the road… light weight, high ground clearance and short wheelbase. Definitely very good for beach fishing. One concern is that the rear seat bases dont fold forward to give a larger cargo area when not in use. Thats where the esky needs to go!
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July 28th, 2008 at 10:46 pm
Aww come on Guys - this ain’t that bad, its got a market all on its own. If you lived in the country, don’t travel too much, need the off road ability then this is the car for you. Live in the city however nah forget it, it just too basic and slow.
A good little farm run around.
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July 28th, 2008 at 10:56 pm
I like the older ones alot. They look tough, in a Staffy/Bulldog kinda way. This looks a little soft. A few mods and you have a very capable off-roader. Id still prefer a Hayabusa if i was buying a 1.3L zuki…
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July 28th, 2008 at 11:18 pm
I have owned a Sierra with the massive 1 litre engine and 4 speed manual, @ 110 kmh engine rpm was 5500! Unbelievably painful car to drive on the highway, however, off road unbeatable! In 3 years of abuse, without a single service, including being airborne more often than not (intentionally!) amazingly the thing never missed a beat. Bloody beaut little machines..
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July 28th, 2008 at 11:27 pm
re the fishing thing comment — put the fish back into the water, don’t put it into the car!
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July 29th, 2008 at 6:53 am
My very first car was a Suzuki LJ80 which like the Jimny Sierra had a load of character. For true off-road ability nothing comes close to these & I was surprised to read from the review how Suzuki mention the Jimny is better off road than their Vitara model. Overall, a great little car for someone on a tight budget who goes off-road every now & than. I for one would have no hesitation in buying one of these as long as I could get some after market accessories like a winch bull bar etc.
Cheers !
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July 29th, 2008 at 1:51 pm
My mate had an 87 Sierra which we used to take off road almost every weekend. This thing just never missed a beat, leaving Land Cruisers, and Patrols struggling to keep up with this little beast. As for the issue about it having no balls, he replaced the original engine with a Swift GTi engine and never looked back. Great little 4×4’s.
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July 29th, 2008 at 9:20 pm
Well its all fun until you roll-over.
Yes the Jimny is tipsy and will roll-over when cornering hard like Suzuki Super Carry’s on Top Gear.
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August 30th, 2008 at 6:19 pm
THE BACK SEATS DON’T ROLL FORWARD AND/OR THE BACKS OF THOSE SEATS LEAN FORWARD BUT DON’T GIVE A FLAT SURFACE.
BAD DESIGN: MEANS YOU CAN’T MAKE PROPER USE OF THE AREA IN THE BACK WITHOUT REMOVING THE SEATS ALTOGETHER.
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October 14th, 2008 at 9:30 am
I own a 2007 Jimny and i have driven it to all sorts of places eg. Bundaberg forrests and Coffs Coast forrests, stuck some BF Goodies AT’s on it and off she goes. in 4WD low and in the mud its fun. I admit that its no big hauler nor long range trooper, but in the thin woods or the fire trails of forrests its a scout not a heavy demolition car!
You buy a car for a purpose a ‘landmumper’ for touring or a ‘troll’ for bashing, but the ‘grasshopper’ (jimny) is for us mere mortal weekend warrior wanabe’s.
I travel about 700k’s to work up a highway a week and it holds up well. Mind you as i said you buy for a purpose, i did and im quiet happy as many others have and will be if they choose a jimny or jimny sierra.
Slazmo
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October 24th, 2008 at 5:04 pm
It’s a great little vehicle. I use mine to travel across the GCC countries in the gulf. Very dependable and handles the extreme heat and conditions very well.
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