Thread: Fuel Efficient 4WD

Ground clearance is your #1 priority. It is what gets blokes stuck the most, a lack of ground clearance, usually because they were silly and drove into / onto something that they didn't first ask themselves "am I high enough for that?". So to speak... well, you know what I mean.

The Jimny - driven sensibly - will get you most places when it comes to accessing public land hunting blocks. They are remarkable little cars. But they aren't a Hilux, and anyone wanting to get through water filled wheel ruts of uncertain depth must remember they were probably made by a proper 4WD, likely with higher tyres than standard plus a lift kit. That's where the little Jimny and its kind get in problems, trying to use tracks cut up by 4WD utes.

My view on this is if you can afford to run two cars, with specific purposes, do so. A proper 4WD need not be silly expensive, and if you don't plan to put a lot of miles on it and/or smash it up on rough tracks, it will hold its value once its ~10 years old. For your application, I'd keep the town car, and get a simple 4WD ute and use it for what its good at.

Also, I do know one person with the previous model Jimny (my neighbor), they raved about it but inevitably he got overconfident and pushed it to get where he thought it could go. It first got damaged underneath (sill and removeable panel), and then it copped rear corner / light cluster panel damage when it collected a gatepost after losing traction on a muddy slope and sliding backwards. The latter was primarily because he skimped on the tyres and paid for it the wrong way. After that he fell out of love with it.