Suzuki Jimny - Don't buy it... without seeing this!
We're not going to criticize the Suzuki Jimny for not having enough space, nor for being slow, because that's not what this car is about. We're going to enjoy it for what it was designed for: off-road driving.
The Jimny here in Mexico is sold starting at 420,000 MXN for the manual transmission version, up to 435,000 MXN for the automatic.
Under the hood, this Jimny has a 1.5-liter, 4-cylinder engine capable of delivering 102 hp and 96 lb-ft of torque. It feels great in the city; there's nothing to complain about. It performs excellently. Why? Because of its weight, almost 1,000 kg, which makes it feel agile and gives it no trouble in urban environments.
On the highway, at speeds between 100-120 km/h, it performs well on flat terrain. The lack of power becomes noticeable on inclines, where it struggles to maintain speed. If you're in 5th gear going uphill, you'll need to downshift to 4th to try and maintain speed. It's not the best in this regard, but it gets the job done.
The transmission, as we mentioned, is part-time four-wheel drive. One notable feature of the Jimny is its low-range gearbox; in fact, it's the cheapest on the market to include this. It has three driving modes to choose from depending on the terrain.
With this lever, you can send power to only one axle, the rear axle. In this mode, only the rear wheels will be powered. However, the rear axle cannot be disengaged; only the front axle is deactivated. When you engage 4WD, the front axle is also engaged.