The studious folks over at Spanish publication km77 have put the new Suzuki Jimny through the dreaded Moose Test, with the tiny Japanese off-roader managing to scrape by on a “moderate” rating after struggling through the evaluation.
In the video below, the new Jimny – here wearing 15-inch alloys wrapped in Bridgestone Dueler H/T 684 II rubber in 195/80 size – is subjected to one of the toughest handling tests out there, designed to simulate an animal suddenly running in front of a moving vehicle.
But, as we’ve pointed out before, whereas the Swedes usually perform the evaluation at about 60 km/h, this test from the Spaniards is conducted at higher speeds.
The Jimny was put through the test first at the standard 77 km/h (or, in this case, slightly slower at 76 km/h), but struck a number of cones as the driver struggled to retain control (fighting understeer). The publication put this down to “very slow” steering and a lack of grip from the tyres.
Eventually, the driver successfully completed the Moose Test at a highest speed of 68 km/h, which km77 describes as a “very low figure”. Indeed, the footage shows the softly sprung Jimny bouncing along after swift directional changes (the tyres are also seen dramatically deforming), with the electronic stability control scrubbing off speed.
Watch the video below, which includes a slalom test, to see just how the Jimny performed (take note that the commentary is in Spanish, but has the option of English subtitles)…
