Watch a Suzuki Jimny keep up with a Mercedes-AMG G63 in off-road race.
We’ve seen these two face off before in a bizarre tug of war where it took three Jimnys to take on a single G63. That still didn’t quite equal the Mercedes in terms of power, but it finally exceeded the big G-Wagon in terms of weight.
However, the AMG G63 costs ten times as much as the Jimny, so buying three Suzukis for the equivalent towing power of a single G63 is a pretty good deal.
Now Carwow is back to showcase how the Jimny is also a great little off-roader and can keep up with a ute many times more powerful and expensive for a fraction of the price. It’s a rally race through a mud-covered course, with just a Mercedes and a Suzuki vying for first place.
On paper, the G63 is the clear favorite. It has a 4.0-L twin-turbo V8 engine with 577 horsepower, 627 lb-ft of torque, and can launch from zero to sixty in just 4.4 seconds. A 9-speed automatic provides power to all four wheels, while each differential can be locked in whatever way the driver demands. Lo and hi ranges also assist with off-road capability, as does the extremely high stance and adaptive suspension.
Meanwhile, the Jimny has a tiny 1.5-L inline 4-cylinder with just barely over 100 horsepower. You can get it in either a 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic transmission, with a zero to sixty taking roughly 12.4 seconds. No locking diffs, but it does have low-range gearing and a set of solid axles just like a Jeep Wrangler.
As you can see in the video above, the Jimny isn’t exactly sprightly off the line, but it’s able to keep up with the larger Merc with relative ease. The G63 pulls away on the straights, but the Suzuki catches up in the corners where the muddy terrain prevents the heavier Mercedes from taking corners too quickly.
At one point the G63 drives through an enormous puddle that goes up to the SUV’s grille but would go OVER the Jimny’s. The Jimny gamely follows and still manages to pull through, although not without releasing a cloud of steam from where the water touched the hot engine.
For the money, there’s probably no better off-road vehicle out there. Too bad Suzuki doesn’t operate in America, otherwise we’d surely all go out and get one.