Suzuki DR150 Designed for Practical Use on New Zealand Dairy Farms
While quads and LUVs are a major part of the rural landscape, on many New Zealand dairy farms 2-wheelers continue to be an important part of the logistics puzzle.
Much like Vegemite, with lovers and passionate haters, the Jimny, with its distinctive, boxy retro looks, has carved a niche for itself in a market dominated by much larger SUVs.
While the current three-door version is cuter than Kylie Minogue, the 340mm longer fivedoor takes on a more oblong profile, perhaps signalling middle age after a six year wait since the three-door launch in 2018.
While the width and height of the five-door remains the same as the three-door, length extends to 3820mm. Despite the increased length, the rear passenger compartment still only offers two seatbelts, but boot capacity expands to 211 litres, compared to only just 80 litres in the three-door. But what were Suzuki engineers thinking by not ensuring those rear sets could be folded flat?
It retains a ladder frame with 210mm ground clearance, but the front suspension gets upgraded coil springs, revised shock absorber rates and a heavier duty anti-roll bar, alongside an upgrade to ventilated front disc brakes.
The 1500cc, 4-cylinder, naturally aspirated K15B multi-point injection engine has a maximum output of 75kW (100hp) at 6000rpm and peak torque of 130Nm at 4000rpm, with the manual version we spent a week with returning around 7.2 litres/100km consumption – suggesting dated technology, as it was the same number as this hack’s own hybrid Toyota Highland, an much larger vehicle.
The manual version offers five speeds with 2-high, 4-high and 4-low options. Out on the farm, despite appearing to be a little lacking in most of the current technologies, the Jimny is best described as terrier like. Throwing it at a soggy hole or slippery slope, there was never any real danger of not completing the task, thanks to its light weight and endless enthusiasm.
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The 1500cc, 4-cylinder has a naturally aspirated K15B multi-point injection engine. |
It’s easy to see why the Jimny is a firm favourite with seasoned off-roaders as the limiting factor is mainly the driver’s ability.
Out on the open road, the vehicle now a little larger and heavier, it can be a little asthmatic, with the claimed 100hp only coming on stream in the higher reaches of the rev range. Interestingly, while it might be a few years since we reviewed the three-door, the five-door certainly appeared to be more of a handful on windy Manawatu days, requiring a great deal of input to keep things straight.
In summary, the Jimny takes you back to the times of an involved drive, with plenty of feedback through the steering wheel, tyres and the seat of your pants. If you have a family of four six-footers the Jimny is not for you, but if want to smile when you walk out onto the yard or driveway in the morning, this little SUV certainly warrants a closer look.
