The Defender may be better in the mud with deep track marks but he too can't go to places where Jimny can go, I've seen the Jimny used by the rangers from a mountain reservation, it is amazing how it can climb and it's about the only offroad car that is small enough to fit through the narrow path that goes up the mountain.
You can give it all the lift you want but the diffs are still only 5" off the ground, then try doing this course with 1/2 ton in the back and see how far you get.
@@4wdsome444 You are a fool ! If you put larger diameter wheels on a Suzuki it would hardly drag itself along , what was meant was wider tyres, hence the same diff ground clearance, plus you have the other part of my comment, that it would not do this with anywhere near the load that the Defender can carry.
@@453421abcdefg12345 ln standard form a Defender will outperform a Jimny but when modified a Jimny would be better, l had a LWB SJ 413 with front and rear difflocks, 6.5 to 1 low range transfer gear ratio, a 2" body lift with 30" mud terrain tires, heavy duty drive shafts and clutch and it was better offroad than my 90" Td5 on mud terrains.
2:28 you can easily see they were doing this on purpose. the jimny did not HAVE to use the wheel imprints left by the rover. also, the rover seems to be equiped with ATV wheels, while the jimny tested is using standard road tires. the rover has diff locking, jimny it's an addon.
It was written in the iron-clad rule book, you HAVE to straddle the middle ridge. And there are ridges that the Defender wouldn't be able to straddle. Those of us with brains would know to straddle the ditch, not the hump.
@James Gillingham We all know that the defender is a better off roader. The thing was to see how a little jimny could keep up with one of the best. And it did really good :)
I recently put a deposit on one but because Aus are only allowing 100 of the 2017 models in to the country, (and 2016's are all sold out) i have to wait 2 months for it to arrive :/
Explain to me how a physically larger, heavier vehicle , with a longer wheelbase would "beast" that "shitty car"? Good luck with that. Go back to dreaming about owning a 4x4 in your mum's basement :)
Scott Porteous Actually, the very short track and wheelbase as well as the small front and rear overhangs give it surprisingly good ground clearance. Most modern offroaders that come out of the factory need a bit of lifting and bigger tyres for offroading anyway, since manufacturers know that the majority of buyers will mostly use them on the road and so they are specced that way. All things considered, the Defender is the superior vehicle without a doubt, but if you're after a cheap, reliable and low-maintenance 4x4 that can offroad with the best of them after a few mods, you can't go wrong with the Jimny/Samurai.
Or if you need to tow, or carry a load heavier than a gallon of milk, if you don't want to die in a minor collision, or if you want to sell it and actually make money on the purchase.
Jimny is almost legendary here in Japan. It's a real hardcore off-road SUV that is desirably compact, light, cheap, reliable and fun to drive. there is no other car that could match Jimny.
I have to hand it to the Jimny. Had a rental one in Iceland last year with off road tires and it was so much fun to throw it against the volcanic landscape!
I have a Defender 110 and son-in-law has a Suzuki Sierra with 2in lift and it goes everywhere and usually easier especially on the soft sands of Oz beaches. It is easy to fix, easy to get parts and costs bugger-all. While I love my Defender, the Suzuki is brilliant fun and more than a match for the big blokes.
Both are capable off roaders. A person who have money to buy Defender will probably won't buy the Jimny, and who buys Jimny probably didn't have enough money to buy the Landy
Great comparison with two factory specs. From experience lesser weight has a lot to do with greater 4x4 capability, plus maintainance in the long run if its a daily offroader. With the price difference the jimny can have the right lift, proper gearing, diff locks, and all terrain tires to make it more capable.
jervis jagroop If you go on autotrader, you can probably pick up an early 90 or 110 and do twice the things the suzuki would ever dream of doing for around 3k. Also, it kindof... won't fall over.
+Fraser Gordon I doubt a 90 or 110 could do twice the things the Suzuki could, and besides, to make your comment fair you really should have mentioned the fact that you can pick up a used Jimny for £1000...
brynjaminjones You get more car, more reliability, more practicality, more off road performance, more durability, and more stayonitsown4wheels ability. And also, think of the torque figures. A suzuki would be down on power going up a hill.
A Defender 90 weighs about 1700kg, compared with a Suzuki's ~1000kg. the Suzuki will still work out slightly down on power compared with the Defender, but it doesn't seem to hold them back, and isn't as huge a difference as you might think. Also, what on Earth makes you think that a Defender will be more reliable than a Suzuki!? Land rover reliability isn't exactly exemplary, and Jimnys don't seem to have many problems. Again, the off-road performance argument isn't correct. Stock to stock they're not that different, and with a couple of small mods the Suzuki could easily do everything a Defender could, yet still not cost as much! It makes me laugh how so many Land Rover people will argue to the death that their rattly old uncomfortable box is the most capable, reliable, all round best vehicle in the world, just because they don't like to admit that there are plenty of other vehicles out there that are equally capable with better reliability, and that actually offer a little bit of comfort at the same time!
I'm not going any further into this argument with you after this. From my experience, Suzukis are just as capable off road whilst being far cheaper. Everybody I know with a Land Rover has also had reliability issues, whilst the only issues I've seen with Suzukis have been a direct result of hard abuse. Don't get me wrong, I think Defenders are capable, but I'm fed up of this stuck up attitude that most of their owners have towards other brands. At every off roading event I've ever been to, the Land Rover owners wouldn't talk to anyone but each other, whilst all the other brands took interest in each other's vehicles. The moment you mention terms like "Jap crap" I know you're just butthurt that somebody doesn't like your Defender. Don't give me your bullshit about not being able to afford a Defender either. You don't know me, and don't realise that I currently own 2x 4 litre petrol 4x4s, and have been daily driving them for the last four years since the age of 18. And regardless of whether or not I could afford a Defender, it's still an irrelevant comment from somebody who has done his bit to add to the stereotype of Land Rover owners being arrogant, stuck up arseholes. I know they're not all like that, but you're not helping. Also, weight information came from here: www.liveridge4x4.com/Facts/ If I can read correctly, the weight of a D90 seems to be 1602-1727kg, no?
As a defender owner and lover, Jimnys are fucking awesome. Good off road, nice to work on, fairly comfortable, surprisingly difficult to roll (we tried), can fit them through some 2 post road signs. All good stuff. Just a mini defender, but unfortunately with quite a lot of depreciation.
He never mentioned the 2 to 1 low box both in the LR and Jimny or that the LR can tow 3.5 ton making gross train weight of over 6 tons legally. They are both a bit dour on the main road. Thanks for posting.
Love both, but LR is now nearly 2 tons. Back in 1947 it was a Jeep replacement and weighed less than 1200kg. Perhaps it's time for LR to bring out a Jimny-type lightweight. But no, they won't since wealthy Americans and Russians won't pay 75000USD for one. Britain, my country, what has happened?
OK. Fair point. You clearly know more about this than I, so I'll bow to your superior knowledge. I get wound up when people interchange "stress" with "strain" and "force" with "pressure" !!
the Jimny is very capable for "playing" off-road. lets load our equipment and bugout / camping gear, Gas bottles, long range diesel tanks, Jerry Cans, Water tanks, Roof-Top tents, potjies, spades, axes, 2 spare wheels, hook a trailer, and then do the same test... See the Jimny was meant for dropping kids at school, and play at the local off-road track. the Defender was meant for use in the military, serious off-roading, very far tours, and dropping the kids off at school. it is interesting to see them in a comparison test, but in the real world, the Defender can easily keep up with what a Jimny was intended for, but, the Jimny can never ever keep up with what the Defender was intended for. The Jimny is smaller, and cost less, but the differences does not stop just there..
Defender is pretty good, I think only a few off road cars can outperformed it.. but Jimny, with a little bit of adjustment (winch, tyres) can go wherever the defender can
The Jimny is an epic little car and I have seriously enjoyed driving my friend's one in the off road club, but, the axle differentials do sit rather low to the ground. Smaller wheels and higher profile tyres do help it off road though with a lift kit.
I am a long term Land Rover (Defender) owner and love the marque...the Suzuki Jimny is a great little 4x4, and without getting into the constant argument 'Land Rovers are crap' 'Land Rovers are the best 4x4' etc., etc., I think the biggest difference is ability of the Defender, over a long period time, to take the knocks/abuse (because that's what it was designed for). They (the Defender and the Suzuki) are designed for two different purposes. And BTW swapping from road tyres to AT tyres will make the most difference to any cars ability to drive 'off road'...that's a fact!! Just watch very expensive SUV's on 22" road tyres trying to get up a little wet grassy slope!
Totally agree with you RecklessAdventure, James Gillingham, this wasn't a fair test but Land Rovers do make the best 4x4 and Tata in general do build some great cars! The range of available upgrades for the defender is never ending as well, unlike the Jimny. The stats of the Defender is also better, wading depth, Ground clearance, torque. Also the defender can go further on a single tank of fuel hich is important on an off road safari. People saying that they’ve passed Defenders on trails, we all know that you’re either lying or that the defender has been in trouble as a result of the driver and not the vehicles off road capabilities. I’ve been on many SERIOUS trails where only defenders (Not even the discoveries would make it) and custom kit off roaders have managed to pass. Also it’s the status of having a defender and owning one, you wake up knowing that your cars ready for almost anything and that it’s not going to break down. A defender looks right anywhere, place it on top of Mount Everest and it looks worthy of being there! Also a Jimny with scratches and dents doesn’t look right, on a defender, they’re just battle scares that add the legendary skills of the defender. Also this video didn't show the vehicles Articulations or on a rock crawling section. Which the Jimny would of never had a chance with its independent suspension system and no locking diffs or low range.
Very simple. 1 - The Landy is on much more agressive tyres. 2 - the Jimny only beaches where deep ruts have been cut by Landies - just like a LR can't go where tractors have cut the ground. On virgin ground and equal tyres the Jimny will go places where the LR just won't - not least because of size and turning circle. I regularly drive both and the only advantage the LR has is towing ability and room in the back - beyond that the Jimny is all you need.
The power is fine because the weight is so low. You need bigger tyres to raise the diffs higher, which needs a raised ride height to clear the arches but essentially that just changes where you get stuck and makes recovery harder when you do. Mine is standard apart from the tyres and amazing fun off road.
Stress and pressure are identical terms. i.e. force/area e.g. PSI. Strain is the % that something stretches. A 10cm elastic band stretched by +1cm has a strain of 10%.
I'm in love with a Defender 90 TD5, but I still drive my 2 Suzuki Samurais with my full heart. Landylovers say the parts are cheap but with the money I spend on a Landy I can tune 3 decent Suzuki Samurais and still have money left. And to all the smallcocks who say Japcrap to the Suzuki. An old 4x4 stays an old 4x4. They will all need replacement parts like bearings and stuff. And to be honest, many Defender owner have them for the looks and can't drive off road. But not all of them off course!
I dragged a seized up Ford 4000 tractor with my sj 410 ,iv owned and driven series landrovers for over 25 years and was astonished at the reliability and robustness of the Suzuki which I bought for 125 pounds as an mot failure ,I would have thought twice at dragging the tractor with a landrovers for fear of breaking something,I think we can all agree that with decent tyres and good technique you can get most 4x4 ' s to go anywhere
You think something would break in the defender!? When the series 1 came out which was the weakest of the landrover rand there was a video of it pulling a 16ton military plane... We had a Jimmy SJ410 once, put the 1.3 in and broke the gearbox and after replacing that the front half shaft twisted..
I agree with you that the Mercedes G-Wagen had possibly the best off-road performance, but it was only available as a station wagon and moreover it's no longer manufactured, so for those of us who work off-road the Defender probably remains the best choice for its strength, performance and versatility.
It's already spoiled, the defender has AT tires while the Jimny has road tires.... And for people saying the Defender is better at everything including space, you've never driven a small off-roader. The paths and lines you can take with a Jimny, a Samurai, or even a two door Vitara are insane and fun.
yea I have a defender yet I must admit that the Lada Niva is it equal designed as a tool to reach those extreme places without bothering about a hard maintenace , same low consumption great 4X4 makes me remember that I'm crazy to buy one of these to bad that those are rare in my country
It's worth noting these cars were "as supplied" from factory so indeed one could argue the Jimny is better... After forking out for muddies, diff locks and a lift kit. Defender came as standard with all terrains and a centre diff lock. In saying that though, can't go past the price of a Jimny though. The little plucky offroader does pretty good. (Coming from a Defender owner)
Fact: The money saved buying the Jimny allows the buyer to spend on a good set of off road tires and have the car lifted to match the Defenders ride height and still have a few left to spend on other stuff. That will make the Jimny just as capable as the Defender off road. Add the japanese's manufacturers excellent reliability record and that's excellent value for money by my standards.
believe me it's not the tires that really let the Jimmy down. It's the ride height. Yes, the defender has an advantage with all terrains but you could put Trepadors on the Jimny and it still wouldn't follow the defender - its just too low in stock form for some stuff. Give it a lift and some 31's and it'd go anywhere though!
Rented a Jimny on Tortola, BVI..Loved it,,perfect car for for uneven, narrow Island roads...Wish they had them for rent in the USVI...Don't sell them here in the US,,,but wouldn't be the best for hours of droning on 65-75 mph interstates in the US...
Wow. Alex does really good reviews back when he worked with Autocar. Its a shame he is stuck doing comedy crap now with CT as this style suits him so much more.
The older version of the Jimny is the Suzuki Samurai, which by itself was a very capable off-roader. A little lacking in the power, but the offroadability more than made up for it. It outdid most jeeps with its lighter weight. A little more power, some lift, and better tires, those things became off-road monsters. That's why i'm never selling mine. With all this from its predecessor, of course the Jimny is going to have a lot going for it. It's grandpa was a boss :)
I wonder if those who say the Jimny is rubbish have ever really used one properly? I have owned several short wheel base Landrovers and Jimnys and currently have a 2012 hardtop Jimny. It is surprisingly good both on and off road. Reliability and component strength is good. Just look at all those TH-cam videos. A toy it is not.
Got the kids on here saying how they Jimmy, is so reliable and I sooo useful but one thing I can say is that the Jimmy is prone to breaking parts, and before you cry about that, why don't I see a Jimmy in the military?, the Jimmy is for playing in the defender is for serious stuff, can tow 3.5 tons in the defender, less then half that in the Jimmy, my friend has a defender which has been serviced once in 8years, it still works, whereas the Jimmy, we used to have one until we put the 1.3 replacing the 1.0 and broke the gearbox then later broke the half shafts...
Maruti Gypsy/suzuki samurai are serving indian military forces for more than 30 years now and still going on.Suzuki samurai has won malasiya's rain forest challange 4 times. Maruti gypsy won RFC Goa 2 times. Gypsy/samurai also dominated for 10 years in Raid de himalaya- one of the top ten 10 toughest rallies in world. All of these when Land rover were stuck in a mudhole.
Pity that the Jimny wasn't given all-terrain tyres like the Defender - would have been a fairer comparison, even if the ground clearance would have caught it out in certain places. Agree that the presenter was effective and would like to see him used again.
Why are people saying lift the sj,put this kinda tyre on it and diff locks etc the defender is better off road end of story do the same to the Landy and it’ll beat just about anything if you throw enough money at it jeez
Well I have owned several Landrovers and also several Suzukis and I can say that although I liked my Landies a lot, the little Suzuki Jimny is great off road. Of course it cannot haul the weight the Defender can but so what? It is simply designed as a reliable (and very likeable) offroader with its standard 10 forward and 2 reverse gears. I can also vouch for the accuracy of the previous statement re. passing stuck Landrovers as I have seen that myself in our off road club.
And still Autocar magazine in the UK do not even list it! Why not? By the way Landrovers are great for pulling heavier loads and yanking out tree trunks. The Suzuki was not designed to do that, it's just a great wee all terrain vehicle. Liked my Landies too!
the jimny is half the price but for that you are getting half the car the defender is, the defender is the greatest 4x4 ever made for off road. and i see people on here comparing it to lada nivas and other things but the fact is they dont even come close to the landrover. or any other of thier models for that matter.
Great review! Why pay more for a Defender when you can buy a Jimny? If only the Jimny had more ground clearance. It would follow the Rover everywhere. Simple fysics: What would you think that would manouvre the easiest? Gross and heavy or light and small? If the Jimny had the same ground clearance as the Defender (which is possible by upgrading) it would do even better with it's shorter wheel base and lighter weight. On the other hand, the Jimny can take lesser weight while a Defender can transport lots of things without losing power.
With the shorter wheelbase and lighter body the ground clearance is not a big problem. My Jimny is standard height and I've never had any problems with obstacles and I've done all the major off road tracks in Gauteng including Moegatle (it falls under the top 4 off road tracks in South Africa).
in most countries and continents the vehicle of choice is the defender for the very same reasons that the wrangler is not choosen low consumption , reliability that means almost no eletronic parts and riveted aluminium body easy to fix in other words it dont get rusted
some people would thake the 1300cc to 1600cc by enlarge the cilinders and put the gearbox of the 1100cc engine and lift it up a little bit. i am more of defender fan (110 version with the 5.9 cummins :) but the jimny with the right mods it's excellent.
To make it a fair comparison both vehicles need to be on identical or similar tyres. The Defender was on all terrain tyres and the Jimny on road tyres. Change the tyres on the Jimny and it would do even better.
My arse a Niva would come close to the Jimney, let alone the god of off road! The Defender is one of the greatest cars I've ever driven - and that's among big Jags, big Mercs, Ferraris, Lambos, Porches, the works - its just a classic 'characterful' vehicle that's that's totally unlike anything else to drive. Its unique and worth the money for that alone.
This isnt a straight comparison between the defender and jimny. Its just to show that something so cheap can still be amazingly capable off road. A true testament to suzuki and what they have made because nothing of that value comes close to it off road. And it probably will never break
Ultimately the Defender is better of course but look at the price difference! Although the new Jimny is dearer it’s still under £15,000 Although you can get a very nice Defender TD5 for that amount it will be at least twelve years old.
Slight ride height Lift or off-road suspension, snorkel, and new rims with off-road tires would make the Jimny hang with or beat the defender on this terrain. For the price difference I would buy a Jimny and a used hot hatch or something.
I own a Jimny. I bought it brand new. Yes it is good in the environments shown in this video, it can go a lot of places more expensive 4wd's can (even on standard Road Tyres)... But the build quality is total rubbish. At 20,000km (before I'd even started taking it off road) the doors were already rattling, the dash was already rattling, the boot door was clunking around, the windows rattle, the fuel economy is total crap given the size of the car (I have never had any better than 11L/100km on the freeway) the car feels flimsy to drive, my friend who bought one at the same time as me is onto his second gearbox. You really do get what you pay for.
Offroad Tyres are terrible on road, which is where most of it's buyers will use it. The defender is possibly one of the most agricultural 4x4's on the world market (why I like it), so offroad tyres make sense as to use it on the road without then venturing offroad is a bit silly. Tyres being a consumable shouldn't factor into car testing as most people use different tyres on their first change.
If Land Rover plans making a Defender "family", besides a modernised classic model, they should add something like the Jimny too. The Jimny should be more capable off-road as is smaller, however the Defender has a more advanced 4x4 and a turbo diesel engine with great low-rev torque.
This was a bullshit, unfair test. What the Jimny lacked on this test was: 1-Proper off road tires, ( which the defender had) 2- Diff lock 3-Competent driver.
that might be so for fart-arsing around in a 4wd play park, but there's only one vehicle if you want to get out bush AND get back... and that's a toyota landcruiser.
If you enjoyed watching these off-road heroes, then check out our mega group-test of the best 4x4's of 2017: th-cam.com/video/t5nPt6cHIe8/w-d-xo.html
Autocar
What? I was not at all expecting Alex here from Car Throttle.
Autocar it's JIMMY NOT JIMNY
At least put the same tires on both....
Daniel Plonka it's definitely not.
Richard Holden Do you now anything about cars
Didn't expect to see Alex from CarThrottle on here
+Oscar Parkin-Christie I'm thinking about buying a Jimny soon, but shhhhh! ;)
+Alex Kersten do it you won't regret it
Mybe this before carthrottle was release
+Alex Kersten why not the DEFENDER?
Oscar Parkin-Christie me too
all-terrains on the defender and road tyres on the Jimmy?
my point exactly, the tyres on jimny are not off-road worthy. some good all-terrains and jimny wouldn't get stuck.
The defender has all terrain tires as standard
It would if it's getting high-centred (due to lack of ground clearance), as in the video.
Not bad for street tires.
Yes, should have been mentioned in the video.
The Defender may be better in the mud with deep track marks but he too can't go to places where Jimny can go, I've seen the Jimny used by the rangers from a mountain reservation, it is amazing how it can climb and it's about the only offroad car that is small enough to fit through the narrow path that goes up the mountain.
This is Alex before Car Throttle? LOL! Great video though.
Here after the 500quid off roader challenge on carthrottle?)
Yup
Winch, better tires, few inches of lift, the jimny would be virtually unstoppable
You can give it all the lift you want but the diffs are still only 5" off the ground, then try doing this course with 1/2 ton in the back and see how far you get.
So,if it does not fit your driving style buy a another car. Buy the way what do you drive, be honest!
@@453421abcdefg12345 no because he said put bigger better tyres on it you moron
@@4wdsome444 You are a fool ! If you put larger diameter wheels on a Suzuki it would hardly drag itself along , what was meant was wider tyres, hence the same diff ground clearance, plus you have the other part of my comment, that it would not do this with anywhere near the load that the Defender can carry.
@@453421abcdefg12345 ln standard form a Defender will outperform a Jimny but when modified a Jimny would be better, l had a LWB SJ 413 with front and rear difflocks, 6.5 to 1 low range transfer gear ratio, a 2" body lift with 30" mud terrain tires, heavy duty drive shafts and clutch and it was better offroad than my 90" Td5 on mud terrains.
2:28 you can easily see they were doing this on purpose. the jimny did not HAVE to use the wheel imprints left by the rover. also, the rover seems to be equiped with ATV wheels, while the jimny tested is using standard road tires. the rover has diff locking, jimny it's an addon.
It was written in the iron-clad rule book, you HAVE to straddle the middle ridge. And there are ridges that the Defender wouldn't be able to straddle. Those of us with brains would know to straddle the ditch, not the hump.
@James Gillingham We all know that the defender is a better off roader. The thing was to see how a little jimny could keep up with one of the best. And it did really good :)
The Suzuki Jimny is going to be my next car in the future Its a great little machine
Same here... I bought one in May, couldn't be happier!
I recently put a deposit on one but because Aus are only allowing 100 of the 2017 models in to the country, (and 2016's are all sold out) i have to wait 2 months for it to arrive :/
Im a Defender driver and whenever I go off road I am always impressed with the Zooks. Not comparable to a Defender but very capable.
The Jimny in this video is on road tyres. The Defender is on ATs. There's your difference in off road ability.
There is really no difference tbh
xS1KProdution Obviously you've never driven off road if you think ATs make no difference.
phatvortex tires make one of the biggest difference in offroad driving but the deffender would still beast in every way compered to that shitty car
Explain to me how a physically larger, heavier vehicle , with a longer wheelbase would "beast" that "shitty car"? Good luck with that. Go back to dreaming about owning a 4x4 in your mum's basement :)
+Mike Elliott larger so better storage and usability,
With diff locks and mud tyres the Jimny will go anywhere the Defender can.
Except anywhere where ground clearance is needed
Scott Porteous Actually, the very short track and wheelbase as well as the small front and rear overhangs give it surprisingly good ground clearance. Most modern offroaders that come out of the factory need a bit of lifting and bigger tyres for offroading anyway, since manufacturers know that the majority of buyers will mostly use them on the road and so they are specced that way.
All things considered, the Defender is the superior vehicle without a doubt, but if you're after a cheap, reliable and low-maintenance 4x4 that can offroad with the best of them after a few mods, you can't go wrong with the Jimny/Samurai.
Or if you need to tow, or carry a load heavier than a gallon of milk, if you don't want to die in a minor collision, or if you want to sell it and actually make money on the purchase.
Then put diff locks and mud tyres on the defender and see where that can go!!! Bye bye suzuki
@@Blackfourtrak then compare prices.. Bye bye defender
Jimny is almost legendary here in Japan.
It's a real hardcore off-road SUV that is desirably compact, light, cheap, reliable and fun to drive. there is no other car that could match Jimny.
Defender hands down...but the Jimny is pretty impressive for a tiny car
I would like to see the same test but with the Land Rover with low profile street tires and the Suzuki with high profile mud tires.
me too
I have to hand it to the Jimny. Had a rental one in Iceland last year with off road tires and it was so much fun to throw it against the volcanic landscape!
I have a Defender 110 and son-in-law has a Suzuki Sierra with 2in lift and it goes everywhere and usually easier especially on the soft sands of Oz beaches. It is easy to fix, easy to get parts and costs bugger-all. While I love my Defender, the Suzuki is brilliant fun and more than a match for the big blokes.
Both are capable off roaders. A person who have money to buy Defender will probably won't buy the Jimny, and who buys Jimny probably didn't have enough money to buy the Landy
Great comparison with two factory specs. From experience lesser weight has a lot to do with greater 4x4 capability, plus maintainance in the long run if its a daily offroader. With the price difference the jimny can have the right lift, proper gearing, diff locks, and all terrain tires to make it more capable.
Come and see my Jimny on my channel... this IS what you can do !
Nothing better than Jimny's and Samurai's for offroading; especially for low budget.
With some adjustable coilovers and off road tires the Jimny would beat the defender and still cost less
jervis jagroop If you go on autotrader, you can probably pick up an early 90 or 110 and do twice the things the suzuki would ever dream of doing for around 3k. Also, it kindof... won't fall over.
+Fraser Gordon
I doubt a 90 or 110 could do twice the things the Suzuki could, and besides, to make your comment fair you really should have mentioned the fact that you can pick up a used Jimny for £1000...
brynjaminjones
You get more car, more reliability, more practicality, more off road performance, more durability, and more stayonitsown4wheels ability. And also, think of the torque figures. A suzuki would be down on power going up a hill.
A Defender 90 weighs about 1700kg, compared with a Suzuki's ~1000kg. the Suzuki will still work out slightly down on power compared with the Defender, but it doesn't seem to hold them back, and isn't as huge a difference as you might think.
Also, what on Earth makes you think that a Defender will be more reliable than a Suzuki!? Land rover reliability isn't exactly exemplary, and Jimnys don't seem to have many problems.
Again, the off-road performance argument isn't correct. Stock to stock they're not that different, and with a couple of small mods the Suzuki could easily do everything a Defender could, yet still not cost as much!
It makes me laugh how so many Land Rover people will argue to the death that their rattly old uncomfortable box is the most capable, reliable, all round best vehicle in the world, just because they don't like to admit that there are plenty of other vehicles out there that are equally capable with better reliability, and that actually offer a little bit of comfort at the same time!
I'm not going any further into this argument with you after this.
From my experience, Suzukis are just as capable off road whilst being far cheaper.
Everybody I know with a Land Rover has also had reliability issues, whilst the only issues I've seen with Suzukis have been a direct result of hard abuse.
Don't get me wrong, I think Defenders are capable, but I'm fed up of this stuck up attitude that most of their owners have towards other brands.
At every off roading event I've ever been to, the Land Rover owners wouldn't talk to anyone but each other, whilst all the other brands took interest in each other's vehicles.
The moment you mention terms like "Jap crap" I know you're just butthurt that somebody doesn't like your Defender.
Don't give me your bullshit about not being able to afford a Defender either. You don't know me, and don't realise that I currently own 2x 4 litre petrol 4x4s, and have been daily driving them for the last four years since the age of 18. And regardless of whether or not I could afford a Defender, it's still an irrelevant comment from somebody who has done his bit to add to the stereotype of Land Rover owners being arrogant, stuck up arseholes. I know they're not all like that, but you're not helping.
Also, weight information came from here: www.liveridge4x4.com/Facts/
If I can read correctly, the weight of a D90 seems to be 1602-1727kg, no?
A Suzuki samurai will go just about anywhere [OIIIIIO]
he said it right, wont always keep up with the defender, but you'll have a lot of fun trying! awesome cars good short review
As a defender owner and lover, Jimnys are fucking awesome. Good off road, nice to work on, fairly comfortable, surprisingly difficult to roll (we tried), can fit them through some 2 post road signs. All good stuff. Just a mini defender, but unfortunately with quite a lot of depreciation.
This was my favorite video on YT as a kid.
He never mentioned the 2 to 1 low box both in the LR and Jimny or that the LR can tow 3.5 ton making gross train weight of over 6 tons legally. They are both a bit dour on the main road. Thanks for posting.
Love both, but LR is now nearly 2 tons. Back in 1947 it was a Jeep replacement and weighed less than 1200kg. Perhaps it's time for LR to bring out a Jimny-type lightweight. But no, they won't since wealthy Americans and Russians won't pay 75000USD for one. Britain, my country, what has happened?
OK. Fair point. You clearly know more about this than I, so I'll bow to your superior knowledge.
I get wound up when people interchange "stress" with "strain" and "force" with "pressure" !!
12900 VS 39000
the Jimny is very capable for "playing" off-road. lets load our equipment and bugout / camping gear, Gas bottles, long range diesel tanks, Jerry Cans, Water tanks, Roof-Top tents, potjies, spades, axes, 2 spare wheels, hook a trailer, and then do the same test... See the Jimny was meant for dropping kids at school, and play at the local off-road track. the Defender was meant for use in the military, serious off-roading, very far tours, and dropping the kids off at school. it is interesting to see them in a comparison test, but in the real world, the Defender can easily keep up with what a Jimny was intended for, but, the Jimny can never ever keep up with what the Defender was intended for. The Jimny is smaller, and cost less, but the differences does not stop just there..
Defender is pretty good, I think only a few off road cars can outperformed it.. but Jimny, with a little bit of adjustment (winch, tyres) can go wherever the defender can
For the price of the Defender you just get better tires, a turbo and taller suspension for the Jimny and you're set.
Still would go for the defender I mean it's such an old lovely model.
Nice review, if it was my money I'd take the Jimny. Always loved that little cute off-roader!
The Jimny is an epic little car and I have seriously enjoyed driving my friend's one in the off road club, but, the axle differentials do sit rather low to the ground. Smaller wheels and higher profile tyres do help it off road though with a lift kit.
I am a long term Land Rover (Defender) owner and love the marque...the Suzuki Jimny is a great little 4x4, and without getting into the constant argument 'Land Rovers are crap' 'Land Rovers are the best 4x4' etc., etc., I think the biggest difference is ability of the Defender, over a long period time, to take the knocks/abuse (because that's what it was designed for). They (the Defender and the Suzuki) are designed for two different purposes. And BTW swapping from road tyres to AT tyres will make the most difference to any cars ability to drive 'off road'...that's a fact!! Just watch very expensive SUV's on 22" road tyres trying to get up a little wet grassy slope!
actually a massive amount of the defenders made are still in use today it one of the most reliable 4x4s very simple car
Totally agree with you RecklessAdventure, James Gillingham, this wasn't a fair test but Land Rovers do make the best 4x4 and Tata in general do build some great cars! The range of available upgrades for the defender is never ending as well, unlike the Jimny. The stats of the Defender is also better, wading depth, Ground clearance, torque. Also the defender can go further on a single tank of fuel hich is important on an off road safari. People saying that they’ve passed Defenders on trails, we all know that you’re either lying or that the defender has been in trouble as a result of the driver and not the vehicles off road capabilities. I’ve been on many SERIOUS trails where only defenders (Not even the discoveries would make it) and custom kit off roaders have managed to pass. Also it’s the status of having a defender and owning one, you wake up knowing that your cars ready for almost anything and that it’s not going to break down. A defender looks right anywhere, place it on top of Mount Everest and it looks worthy of being there! Also a Jimny with scratches and dents doesn’t look right, on a defender, they’re just battle scares that add the legendary skills of the defender. Also this video didn't show the vehicles Articulations or on a rock crawling section. Which the Jimny would of never had a chance with its independent suspension system and no locking diffs or low range.
Very simple. 1 - The Landy is on much more agressive tyres. 2 - the Jimny only beaches where deep ruts have been cut by Landies - just like a LR can't go where tractors have cut the ground. On virgin ground and equal tyres the Jimny will go places where the LR just won't - not least because of size and turning circle. I regularly drive both and the only advantage the LR has is towing ability and room in the back - beyond that the Jimny is all you need.
The power is fine because the weight is so low. You need bigger tyres to raise the diffs higher, which needs a raised ride height to clear the arches but essentially that just changes where you get stuck and makes recovery harder when you do. Mine is standard apart from the tyres and amazing fun off road.
Stress and pressure are identical terms. i.e. force/area e.g. PSI.
Strain is the % that something stretches. A 10cm elastic band stretched by +1cm has a strain of 10%.
Thanks for your contribution, but in the video they mention that the Land Rover has "All-Terrain" tyres and the Jimny "Standard Road" tyres.
In fact the Jimny can do a hundred mph. But it's only for the brave ones.
New Jimny much better !
I'm in love with a Defender 90 TD5, but I still drive my 2 Suzuki Samurais with my full heart. Landylovers say the parts are cheap but with the money I spend on a Landy I can tune 3 decent Suzuki Samurais and still have money left. And to all the smallcocks who say Japcrap to the Suzuki. An old 4x4 stays an old 4x4. They will all need replacement parts like bearings and stuff. And to be honest, many Defender owner have them for the looks and can't drive off road. But not all of them off course!
I dragged a seized up Ford 4000 tractor with my sj 410 ,iv owned and driven series landrovers for over 25 years and was astonished at the reliability and robustness of the Suzuki which I bought for 125 pounds as an mot failure ,I would have thought twice at dragging the tractor with a landrovers for fear of breaking something,I think we can all agree that with decent tyres and good technique you can get most 4x4 ' s to go anywhere
You think something would break in the defender!? When the series 1 came out which was the weakest of the landrover rand there was a video of it pulling a 16ton military plane... We had a Jimmy SJ410 once, put the 1.3 in and broke the gearbox and after replacing that the front half shaft twisted..
I agree with you that the Mercedes G-Wagen had possibly the best off-road performance, but it was only available as a station wagon and moreover it's no longer manufactured, so for those of us who work off-road the Defender probably remains the best choice for its strength, performance and versatility.
It's already spoiled, the defender has AT tires while the Jimny has road tires....
And for people saying the Defender is better at everything including space, you've never driven a small off-roader. The paths and lines you can take with a Jimny, a Samurai, or even a two door Vitara are insane and fun.
yea I have a defender yet I must admit that the Lada Niva is it equal designed as a tool to reach those extreme places without bothering about a hard maintenace , same low consumption great 4X4 makes me remember that I'm crazy to buy one of these to bad that those are rare in my country
It's worth noting these cars were "as supplied" from factory so indeed one could argue the Jimny is better... After forking out for muddies, diff locks and a lift kit. Defender came as standard with all terrains and a centre diff lock. In saying that though, can't go past the price of a Jimny though. The little plucky offroader does pretty good. (Coming from a Defender owner)
Fact: The money saved buying the Jimny allows the buyer to spend on a good set of off road tires and have the car lifted to match the Defenders ride height and still have a few left to spend on other stuff. That will make the Jimny just as capable as the Defender off road. Add the japanese's manufacturers excellent reliability record and that's excellent value for money by my standards.
believe me it's not the tires that really let the Jimmy down. It's the ride height. Yes, the defender has an advantage with all terrains but you could put Trepadors on the Jimny and it still wouldn't follow the defender - its just too low in stock form for some stuff. Give it a lift and some 31's and it'd go anywhere though!
Rented a Jimny on Tortola, BVI..Loved it,,perfect car for for uneven, narrow Island roads...Wish they had them for rent in the USVI...Don't sell them here in the US,,,but wouldn't be the best for hours of droning on 65-75 mph interstates in the US...
Wow. Alex does really good reviews back when he worked with Autocar. Its a shame he is stuck doing comedy crap now with CT as this style suits him so much more.
+CAElite ikr... it would be great so see a few comedic videos funny for 14 year olds and mostly legit ones like this,
The older version of the Jimny is the Suzuki Samurai, which by itself was a very capable off-roader. A little lacking in the power, but the offroadability more than made up for it. It outdid most jeeps with its lighter weight. A little more power, some lift, and better tires, those things became off-road monsters. That's why i'm never selling mine.
With all this from its predecessor, of course the Jimny is going to have a lot going for it. It's grandpa was a boss :)
of them. For cruising the safari or offroading most peoples choice is the G550
I wonder if those who say the Jimny is rubbish have ever really used one properly? I have owned several short wheel base Landrovers and Jimnys and currently have a 2012 hardtop Jimny. It is surprisingly good both on and off road. Reliability and component strength is good. Just look at all those TH-cam videos. A toy it is not.
Got the kids on here saying how they Jimmy, is so reliable and I sooo useful but one thing I can say is that the Jimmy is prone to breaking parts, and before you cry about that, why don't I see a Jimmy in the military?, the Jimmy is for playing in the defender is for serious stuff, can tow 3.5 tons in the defender, less then half that in the Jimmy, my friend has a defender which has been serviced once in 8years, it still works, whereas the Jimmy, we used to have one until we put the 1.3 replacing the 1.0 and broke the gearbox then later broke the half shafts...
Furthermore, the Jimmy might get up the hill, but good luck engine breaking on the way down, not gonna happen with a petrol 1.3 at most
if you wanna get there take a land rover, if you wanna get there and make it back, take a land cruiser
joseph billman finally you get it
Maruti Gypsy/suzuki samurai are serving indian military forces for more than 30 years now and still going on.Suzuki samurai has won malasiya's rain forest challange 4 times. Maruti gypsy won RFC Goa 2 times. Gypsy/samurai also dominated for 10 years in Raid de himalaya- one of the top ten 10 toughest rallies in world. All of these when Land rover were stuck in a mudhole.
Pity that the Jimny wasn't given all-terrain tyres like the Defender - would have been a fairer comparison, even if the ground clearance would have caught it out in certain places. Agree that the presenter was effective and would like to see him used again.
Do you think the Lada Niva would be a good challenger?
True. Then again you could adjust the ride height and buy a set of offroad tyres for the Jimny and still keep 15k in your pocket.
You're correct my friend. I wonder though how much it would cost to do it.
You can go anywhere with both of the cars if the little suzuki increase the highride little bit more and right tiers.
Jimny is for fun ,not for work
Why are people saying lift the sj,put this kinda tyre on it and diff locks etc the defender is better off road end of story do the same to the Landy and it’ll beat just about anything if you throw enough money at it jeez
Are those defenders reliable ? I know landrovers have a bad reputation on reliability, but I'd think defenders are an exception
How expensive would a defender be as a first car??? And what kind of MPG would it do???
Well I have owned several Landrovers and also several Suzukis and I can say that although I liked my Landies a lot, the little Suzuki Jimny is great off road. Of course it cannot haul the weight the Defender can but so what? It is simply designed as a reliable (and very likeable) offroader with its standard 10 forward and 2 reverse gears. I can also vouch for the accuracy of the previous statement re. passing stuck Landrovers as I have seen that myself in our off road club.
What? How dare you talk sensibly and express a balanced opinion! This is the internet sir!
LOL
Like the host, would love to see him more on autocar. Not a boring family father telling you that the backseats are tiny...
And still Autocar magazine in the UK do not even list it! Why not? By the way Landrovers are great for pulling heavier loads and yanking out tree trunks. The Suzuki was not designed to do that, it's just a great wee all terrain vehicle. Liked my Landies too!
the jimny is half the price but for that you are getting half the car the defender is, the defender is the greatest 4x4 ever made for off road. and i see people on here comparing it to lada nivas and other things but the fact is they dont even come close to the landrover. or any other of thier models for that matter.
Great review! Why pay more for a Defender when you can buy a Jimny? If only the Jimny had more ground clearance. It would follow the Rover everywhere. Simple fysics: What would you think that would manouvre the easiest? Gross and heavy or light and small? If the Jimny had the same ground clearance as the Defender (which is possible by upgrading) it would do even better with it's shorter wheel base and lighter weight. On the other hand, the Jimny can take lesser weight while a Defender can transport lots of things without losing power.
fysics...
With the shorter wheelbase and lighter body the ground clearance is not a big problem. My Jimny is standard height and I've never had any problems with obstacles and I've done all the major off road tracks in Gauteng including Moegatle (it falls under the top 4 off road tracks in South Africa).
in most countries and continents the vehicle of choice is the defender for the very same reasons that the wrangler is not choosen low consumption , reliability that means almost no eletronic parts and riveted aluminium body easy to fix in other words it dont get rusted
I've towed many a Jimney out of the mud all over the UK. Fun value for money but hardly a direct comparison for a Defender.
Yep, people also put Ls1/2/3's in the old ones.
I have a Jimny and happy with it !
some people would thake the 1300cc to 1600cc by enlarge the cilinders and put the gearbox of the 1100cc engine and lift it up a little bit. i am more of defender fan (110 version with the 5.9 cummins :) but the jimny with the right mods it's excellent.
We try the same test but not with onroad tires.
The Jimny can follow the Defender everywhere!!!
Jimny is the better car!
And I think I see what you mean. The engine was under "stress" going up the hill as opposed to strain, no?
Can't find the force one though
Yet small Suzukis are the preferred weapon of choice in many off road competitions.
So if i get a Suzuki Jimny, turbo charge it for more power, and raise the ride height a bit. I would have an epic off rider right?
To make it a fair comparison both vehicles need to be on identical or similar tyres. The Defender was on all terrain tyres and the Jimny on road tyres. Change the tyres on the Jimny and it would do even better.
My arse a Niva would come close to the Jimney, let alone the god of off road! The Defender is one of the greatest cars I've ever driven - and that's among big Jags, big Mercs, Ferraris, Lambos, Porches, the works - its just a classic 'characterful' vehicle that's that's totally unlike anything else to drive. Its unique and worth the money for that alone.
Does the Jimny have the same problem as the Samurai, flipping over when cornering
Jimny with MT tyres kills everything. I know. I have.
You can raise the ride height of a jimny though, I believe. There's one near where I live that looks significantly raised
This isnt a straight comparison between the defender and jimny. Its just to show that something so cheap can still be amazingly capable off road. A true testament to suzuki and what they have made because nothing of that value comes close to it off road.
And it probably will never break
Ultimately the Defender is better of course but look at the price difference!
Although the new Jimny is dearer it’s still under £15,000
Although you can get a very nice Defender TD5 for that amount it will be at least twelve years old.
Slight ride height Lift or off-road suspension, snorkel, and new rims with off-road tires would make the Jimny hang with or beat the defender on this terrain. For the price difference I would buy a Jimny and a used hot hatch or something.
Why did they not fit all terrain tyres on the Jimmy like on the landy.
The main difference is that a Jimny rusts like buggery and a LR doesn't. The LR works better as a vacuum cleaner too.
I own a Jimny. I bought it brand new. Yes it is good in the environments shown in this video, it can go a lot of places more expensive 4wd's can (even on standard Road Tyres)... But the build quality is total rubbish. At 20,000km (before I'd even started taking it off road) the doors were already rattling, the dash was already rattling, the boot door was clunking around, the windows rattle, the fuel economy is total crap given the size of the car (I have never had any better than 11L/100km on the freeway) the car feels flimsy to drive, my friend who bought one at the same time as me is onto his second gearbox. You really do get what you pay for.
The Jimny is surprisingly capable off road.
On road it's worse than Defender though neither vehicle was made for motorway driving.
Offroad Tyres are terrible on road, which is where most of it's buyers will use it. The defender is possibly one of the most agricultural 4x4's on the world market (why I like it), so offroad tyres make sense as to use it on the road without then venturing offroad is a bit silly. Tyres being a consumable shouldn't factor into car testing as most people use different tyres on their first change.
If Land Rover plans making a Defender "family", besides a modernised classic model, they should add something like the Jimny too.
The Jimny should be more capable off-road as is smaller, however the Defender has a more advanced 4x4 and a turbo diesel engine with great low-rev torque.
All said here in the comments about the defender on bf Goodrich all terrain tyres . The jimny on normal road tyres not a fair trail
as a Land Rover driver, i have to say , Land Rover is a fun 4X4 u can have , but Suzuki is not bad at all
This actually made my day
This dude has more subs than autocar now😂😂
This was a bullshit, unfair test. What the Jimny lacked on this test was: 1-Proper off road tires, ( which the defender had) 2- Diff lock 3-Competent driver.
aky19832001 you realize it a land rover right?
I agree.
that might be so for fart-arsing around in a 4wd play park, but there's only one vehicle if you want to get out bush AND get back... and that's a toyota landcruiser.