Jimny's back and ticking away

Suzuki Jimny has evidently been scarce after the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, but now it's back in full supply, says the company. Not only that, the latest versions are upgraded. That part of the press release grabbed my interest. A 1.6 litre engine, maybe? A wider track, a decent manual transmission, traction control? None of those, just a "more versatile" Sony MP3-compatible audio and a storage pocket and clock below the sound system in the centre of the dashboard. Well, that's something. The Jimny was by my reckoning the only vehicle on sale in New Zealand without a clock. Oh, and the price for the base JX five-speed manual has gone up by $1000 to $19,990, but the higher-spec manual and auto Sierras remain at $22,990 and $24,500 respectively.