34 |May2019go! Drive&Camp
Cape’s extreme heat. Coldair
waspumpedthroughthecabin
from dawntodusk,and even
when theJimnywas parked
withthe engine idlingwhilethe
photographer clambered upahill
totakeaphotofrom above,the
temperaturewarninglightnever
blinkedon.Thelargewindows
andnarrowpillars makeiteasy
toobservetheworld aroundyou
andtheuprightfrontandside
windowskeepstheinteriorunder
theshade of theroofduring the
hottest partofthe day.Nowfor thedrive
It is strikinghowmuch stronger
thenew1,5ℓengine pullsthan
theprevious1,3ℓ.Theformer
Jimnyoftenranout of steamin
placeslikeLesotho wherethe
air is thinner,butwesuspectthe
newJimnywillperformfar better
in altitudes.Our wish,however,
wasthatSuzukiwould makeour
dreamscome true anduse the1,6
ℓenginethatwas previously in
theSwiftSporthatchback andis
nowintheVitara.
TheJimny’s suspensionworks
well enoughwhen thevehicle
is unloaded,butwithall our
camping gear,extrafuel and
sparewheel, theJimnyrocked
from sidetosidethroughthe
bends ofthePiekenierskloof
Pass and bounced wildly on the
Richtersveld’s 4x4 trails.
However, thefour-wheel drive
remainsasgood as ever andWe couldn’t stop anywhere
without peoplecomplimenting
us on the Jimny. It will
stealyour heartdespite
its shortcomings...DRIVING IMPRESSION