We have seen the original Defender kick ass alongside James Bond in Spectre. And they LITERALLY crash the new one on screen in its commercial, also involving the James Bond franchise. The Defender is badass, rugged, and off-road ready from the showroom floor.
Would you believe us if we say that the new 2021 Suzuki Jimny is a ‘cut-price’ version of the Defender? We have 8 reasons to prove our point
1. Utilitarian Exterior
The Original Defender does not hide its intentions. You know it was built for off-road works. Likewise, the Jimny is rough and ready. It’s a boxy exterior which is extremely functional, with design flairs playing second fiddle. It certainly looks the part.
2. Which is built for off-roading
And the figures match up to the claim. Compared to the new Defender, the Jimny has an almost similar approach angle (Jimny: 37 deg / Defender: 38 deg), bang on breakover angle (Jimny 28 deg / Defender: 28 deg), and way better departure angle (Jimny: 47 deg / Defender: 40 deg).
Plus, the overall dimensions are so compact, with its overall length nearly 200mm shorter than a Myvi. This means the Jimny can tackle our jungle with relative ease.
3. Functional Interior
It’s the inside that has an extremely similar resemblance to the Defender. Its pure function over form. If you looked at what type of abuse the interior gets when you REALLY take a car off-road, you would know why the interior is designed the same way. This is a car they want you to get down and dirty with.
4. Still equipped with tech and safety features
Here’s where it shares a little similarity with the new Defender. It’s loaded with all the useful tech a road user will need today. You have a Touchscreen, Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay, and a digital display in the instrument cluster. Aside from that the car comes with ABS, ESP, hill descent, and hill start assists. It even comes with twin ISOFIX mounts.
5. Ladder frame chassis
Which means it has the skeleton structure of a Lori Hantu. The cabin of the car ‘sits’ on a heavy duty metal frame. Which will be able to take a whole lot more impact when you are off-road. Meaning it’s going to work well a long way from Civilization.
6. Live Axle suspension
Probably the most striking similarity this car has with the original Defender, the live axle front and rear suspension. Suzuki calls it ‘Rigid Axle suspension’, but essentially it is a suspension system with far lesser moving parts than your average SUV / Pick Up truck. Technically, this setup will allow the Jimny to be far more robust off-road than anything else. Even compared to some pickup trucks!
7. Proper mechanical low ratio ‘box
Just like the original Defender, the Jimny has a low ratio box. And its no push button system, it’s a proper mechanical item. Aiding the low ratio box is a system that simulates locking differentials. The Jimny uses brakes to simulate lock, to ensure the car maintains traction at all times, on all terrain.
8. Lightweight
The original Defender’s body was made out of Aluminium, and the current Defender’s structure also features extensive use of Aluminium, with weight saving being one of the advantage the material offered. This is where the Jimny absolutely shines, with a kerbweight of ‘only’ 1095kg, which is nearly 200kg lighter than a Proton Iriz. Which is why the 100bhp and 130Nm from the non turbo 1.5 litre engine will be more than enough to power this car up slopes and hills.
The last retail price of the ‘old’ Land Rover Defender was well about the RM200,000 mark. The new Defender would see a price tag close to the RM400,000 – RM500,000 mark. Both cars offer an extremely unique experience from behind the wheel. Which is exactly what the Jimny offers, in a much more compact package.
This is not a conventional car that you buy for its practicality, or resale value. It’s the lifestyle that you’re buying with a car like this. The same way cars like the Porsche GT3 RS, Lotus Exige, and the Satria Neo R3 Clubsport does. Only difference is, instead of the track, it’s our rainforest. And for that, the RM 168,900 price tag could be acceptable. It all comes down to how it really performs in the real world.
