[Philbilly]

I currently have a 93 Vitara wagon. Love it, it goes great and is pretty well ideal for what I need- but it's getting on in age and kays, so I was thinking of buying a latter model Suzuki. First thoughts was a Grand Vitara (say early 2000's), but I'm a little bit put off by fuel consumption- I assume they would use more than a 1.6lt Vitara. But gee I love the Vitaras'.

Now, so I was thinking perhaps a more ecconomic choice would be the Jimnys. I don't mind they're small, so thats not an issue, but since I've never been for a run in one, I'd like to know how they ride. I guess a comparison to a Vitara would be good.

Usage will mainly be running around town, the odd fishing trip (towing a small tinny) up and down the coast and a bit of fun weekend offroading. Keen to do some mods, nothing too full on, just a 2" lift and some bigger tyres.

Any thoughts?

Cheers,

Phil

[royce]

Ive been thinking similar

For me the Vits are more room and maybe more powerful, but the Jimny you can get newer for less money

[steak_knife]

For what you want it for, Jimny

[jimny_timmy]

steak_knife wrote:

For what you want it for, Jimny

x2 mate... Not wanting to start a war, but the Jimny will keep you very happy!!!

That's my VERY biased opinion lol

[squizzytaylor]

How bad is the vit fuel consumption?
If you're down this way you're welcome to come for a run in my Jimny.
The size really does piss me off, there's small and there's small and the jimny storage is fckn small, well it is when you have kids. Some guys on here have done awesome jobs of rear fit outs though.

[woo603]

Jimny. Once you drive it you'll love it

[stocker]

Goooo Vits!!! if you want room, alot more comfort, and the ability to tow something of a decent size without shifting back 2 gears... go a Vit. ^_^


i am bias though...

[BlueSuzy]

shamelessplug-I will have a 99'Jim forsale soon.. They ride good stock, mines abit rough with the lift though. 2"?? Could be softer..

[steak_knife]

BlueSuzy wrote:

shamelessplug-I will have a 99'Jim forsale soon.. They ride good stock, mines abit rough with the lift though. 2"?? Could be softer..

Handle good tho...

[MacDaddy]

Philbilly wrote:

I currently have a 93 Vitara wagon. Love it, it goes great and is pretty well ideal for what I need- but it's getting on in age and kays, so I was thinking of buying a latter model Suzuki. First thoughts was a Grand Vitara (say early 2000's), but I'm a little bit put off by fuel consumption- I assume they would use more than a 1.6lt Vitara. But gee I love the Vitaras'.

Now, so I was thinking perhaps a more ecconomic choice would be the Jimnys. I don't mind they're small, so thats not an issue, but since I've never been for a run in one, I'd like to know how they ride. I guess a comparison to a Vitara would be good.

Usage will mainly be running around town, the odd fishing trip (towing a small tinny) up and down the coast and a bit of fun weekend offroading. Keen to do some mods, nothing too full on, just a 2" lift and some bigger tyres.

Any thoughts?

Cheers,

Phil

If you like the Vits, stay with them !

The Jimny, imo, will be too small for your needs, and a little underpowered if towing... I would go with the GV, and NO, they arnt thirsty, in fact, i would say they use less than a 1.6L Vit... i could easily get over 550kms per tank h'way, and up to 500kms, around town, as you need to push less on the go pedal to get going... plus they have all the power you will need to tow anything !
If you can, get a 2001+ model, they had all the earlier faults fixed, and they had an engine power and torque upgrade... so go the GV !

stocker wrote:

Goooo Vits!!! if you want room, alot more comfort, and the ability to tow something of a decent size without shifting back 2 gears... go a Vit. ^_^


i am bias though...

Exactly!!!

[royce]

settle down mac daddy!

How can you say its too small when he already said the size is ok with him? Jimnys have as much room as a shorty vit btw

they will tow a small boat fine, if my sierra could tow one fine a jimny sure will

how big is a GV tank? 60 - 70l? for 500km? thats worse than my vit with something wrong with it! Stekky makes a point of telling me how he gets 450km to 35l every time he fills up

[steak_knife]

royce wrote:

settle down mac daddy!

How can you say its too small when he already said the size is ok with him? Jimnys have as much room as a shorty vit btw

they will tow a small boat fine, if my sierra could tow one fine a jimny sure will

how big is a GV tank? 60 - 70l? for 500km? thats worse than my vit with something wrong with it! Stekky makes a point of telling me how he gets 450km to 35l every time he fills up

Not bad for a wobble, Hay...

[MacDaddy]

royce wrote:

settle down mac daddy!

How can you say its too small when he already said the size is ok with him? Jimnys have as much room as a shorty vit btw

they will tow a small boat fine, if my sierra could tow one fine a jimny sure will

how big is a GV tank? 60 - 70l? for 500km? thats worse than my vit with something wrong with it! Stekky makes a point of telling me how he gets 450km to 35l every time he fills up

Wait til he has to sit in one for hours...

I have sat in a Jimny, i felt like a sardine in a tin...

I agree the Jimny will tow ok, but you will be using the gears alot, and as for fuel consumption towing, hmmm...

Its a 66L tank in the GV... when i had my old Vit, i was very lucky to get 400kms per tank, if the Vit is loaded up, it drops to 350kms, if ur lucky...
I have a toolbox, and a box of of fix it bits, fire extinguishers, etc, probably about 100kgs... and the GV doesnt even know they are there... if i put them in my old Vit, it would definitely slow it down...

But i think he should go and test drive a Jim and a GV, before deciding...

400kms on 35L... Wow

[Philbilly]

As much as I like my Vitara, a latter model Jimny is starting to look real good -sorry MacBear and Stocker . 90 percent of the time I'm just putting around locally, perhaps going 80 kays here and there at most. I've got a nice Camry for highway stuff, so the Suzuki just has to be good on fuel - like really good- and be capable for my beach fishin' and forresty trail bass expoling stuff. I want low kays and reliability, and from a "bang for buck" point of view, the Jimny seems the front runner.

Quick questions- (1) Will those Rola Vortex baskets fit on a Jimny?

(2) What size lift is needed to fit 235 / 75 / 15 tyres?

Thanks for all the info guys

Cheers,

Phil

[fordem]

Philbilly wrote:

I currently have a 93 Vitara wagon. Love it, it goes great and is pretty well ideal for what I need- but it's getting on in age and kays, so I was thinking of buying a latter model Suzuki. First thoughts was a Grand Vitara (say early 2000's), but I'm a little bit put off by fuel consumption- I assume they would use more than a 1.6lt Vitara. But gee I love the Vitaras'.

Any thoughts?

Cheers,

Phil

Suzuki did make a 1.6, 3 dr hardtop Grand Vitara - the SQ416 - between '98 and I think '03 - I believe it would have been available in Australia - it's slightly larger than a 3dr Vitara, and much more comfortable - I'm not that familiar with the Jimny (there is only one here), but it's a tiny thing - I can't see myself driving a few hundred k's in that.

[BlueSuzy]

steak_knife wrote:

BlueSuzy wrote:

shamelessplug-I will have a 99'Jim forsale soon.. They ride good stock, mines abit rough with the lift though. 2"?? Could be softer..

Handle good tho...

Not really, just feel tall and skinny= zookyliz rollover

prefer my locked swb sierra in the corners.. softer, wider, lower

[monley]

Philbilly wrote:

As much as I like my Vitara, a latter model Jimny is starting to look real good -sorry MacBear and Stocker . 90 percent of the time I'm just putting around locally, perhaps going 80 kays here and there at most. I've got a nice Camry for highway stuff, so the Suzuki just has to be good on fuel - like really good- and be capable for my beach fishin' and forresty trail bass expoling stuff. I want low kays and reliability, and from a "bang for buck" point of view, the Jimny seems the front runner.

Quick questions- (1) Will those Rola Vortex baskets fit on a Jimny?

(2) What size lift is needed to fit 235 / 75 / 15 tyres?

Thanks for all the info guys

Cheers,

Phil

There goes all your fuel efficiency .....Unless you correct the gearing which there is not many gearing options for a jimny that come in under $1000

[atari4x4]

i'm a vitara owner & i say get a jimny.

[monley]

atari4x4 wrote:

i'm a vitara owner & i say get a jimny.

[atari4x4]

GV's are getting old, and for what he want's a jimny would suit better, doesn't need the highway cruise speed of a GV + the amount of aftermarket gear available for the jimny is massive compared to the GV if he does want to upgrade.

[jonno_racing]

what are jimnys worth these days?

[atari4x4]

your google broken?

[brindog]

MacBear wrote:

Wait til he has to sit in one for hours...

I have sat in a Jimny, i felt like a sardine in a tin...

I wouldn't say its that bad, 3 of us went down to the snow from the GC (over 3000km round trip) obversely half our gear was on the roof, but there was a snow board inside, food, and a few jackets and it was still a comfy trip, even in the back, (to be honest it was even more comfy because you could lay the seat back)

[MacDaddy]

brindog wrote:

MacBear wrote:

Wait til he has to sit in one for hours...

I have sat in a Jimny, i felt like a sardine in a tin...

I wouldn't say its that bad, 3 of us went down to the snow from the GC (over 3000km round trip) obversely half our gear was on the roof, but there was a snow board inside, food, and a few jackets and it was still a comfy trip, even in the back, (to be honest it was even more comfy because you could lay the seat back)

Ok, they arnt that bad, they are comfy... but they do feel small inside to me... and i have owned one of the first basic 1L Sierra's from new, and it only had 3/4 seat backs, with wire in the seats, and no carpets... but i drove it all over the North West of WA... and the Sierra felt more roomy to me, than the Jimny... i guess all the modern stuff takes up more room inside... anyway, if Philbilly is happy with the Jimny, then thats all that matters !

[jimny_timmy]

Philbilly wrote:

As much as I like my Vitara, a latter model Jimny is starting to look real good -sorry MacBear and Stocker . 90 percent of the time I'm just putting around locally, perhaps going 80 kays here and there at most. I've got a nice Camry for highway stuff, so the Suzuki just has to be good on fuel - like really good- and be capable for my beach fishin' and forresty trail bass expoling stuff. I want low kays and reliability, and from a "bang for buck" point of view, the Jimny seems the front runner.

Quick questions- (1) Will those Rola Vortex baskets fit on a Jimny?

(2) What size lift is needed to fit 235 / 75 / 15 tyres?

Thanks for all the info guys

Cheers,

Phil

Do a few searches for jimnys on here mate, there've been a few diff setups, but as for your lift question... 40mm will get you outta trouble

[squizzytaylor]

Hmmmm, the one thing that I do love about the Jim is the headroom, Im 6'1"
and easily have 4-5 inches headroom left, width isnt huge but still enough to fit a Monza reclinable race seat in, as for the back, its a 4 seater anyway so plenty of room there, my only beef is storage.

[Kennel]

I have just finished a quick lap around Australia in the 2010 Jimny covering 22 000km in two months, I towed a trailer all the way. Some of your mountains over east had it in 2nd gear but that's ok cause it revs nicely.

Never got worse than 10.5km/l, usually achieved 11.5 and a tailwind across the Barkly tablelands saw over 12! Sat on 100 kph most of the time.

Comfort... acceptable, I am not tall, (5'6") better than my old Sierra.

Only passenger was a small kelpie, had a fridge and day gear in the cab, the rest in the trailer.

Only major mod was extractors, slightly better tyres, still has stock suspension.

I went wherever I felt like, but avoided the Gibb River road as I didn't see the point of killing my daily driver.

But I can't offer a comparison to the Vit as I have never even driven one. The new ones were too big for what I wanted.

Either way, its a Suzi

[nato78]

Philbilly wrote:

As much as I like my Vitara, a latter model Jimny is starting to look real good -sorry MacBear and Stocker . 90 percent of the time I'm just putting around locally, perhaps going 80 kays here and there at most. I've got a nice Camry for highway stuff, so the Suzuki just has to be good on fuel - like really good- and be capable for my beach fishin' and forresty trail bass expoling stuff. I want low kays and reliability, and from a "bang for buck" point of view, the Jimny seems the front runner.

Quick questions- (1) Will those Rola Vortex baskets fit on a Jimny?

(2) What size lift is needed to fit 235 / 75 / 15 tyres?

Thanks for all the info guys

Cheers,

Phil

yeah mate, the vortex baskets will fit, they just clamp directly to your roof racks. The racks don't even have to be rola brand, coz they come with 2 different sizes of clamps

[masterA]

woo603 wrote:

Jimny. Once you drive it you'll love it

That's a very nice way of putting it

I've got a couple of Sierra's, Hilux and a 2005 Landcruiser and i still enjoy driving my mum's Jimny when i get a chance

For a small car it's quite comfortable and has all the bells and whistles that you'll ever need

She also has an automatic and although i haven't been bush with it (yet) it's very nice on road and handels very well for a solid axle vehicle

[Chop]

As monkey said, youve got bigger tyres down so there goes the fuel consumption.
Ive owned them all over the years, jimny, sierra, vitara and now a GV. And i think this is the best by far, comfort and power not for extreme stuff by any means .Thats what i used the sierra for, the gv is a daily which tows a trailer and i'll set it up for camping/touring.
I'd say go find some for sale and take each one of them for a drive, best way to make up your mind, everyone on here is way to bias