THE name of this little car is more than enough to let you know exactly what sort of mischievous motor this really is. No vehicle that calls itself Jimny can afford to take itself too seriously.

And that’s the ultimate charm of this car. While it is lumpy, bumpy and lively in both its ride and handling, it is an absolute hoot to drive.

Styled unashamedly as a little Jeep, the Jimny hops around city streets while retaining proper off-road capability.

Since it went on sale in 1998 it has built up a loyal following of people who enjoy a quirky alternative to a supermini. Its tough and capable reputation has seen more than 22,000 sold in the UK with many owners on their third or even fourth new Jimny.

Priced from just over £12,000 on the road, the Jimny is a simple offering. Two doors, four seats, a basic interior with lots of plastic, wafer-thin door bins and next to no storage space is the deal.

But despite all those apparent drawbacks, the Jimny is just great fun.

Power comes from an all-alloy, 16 valve, 1.3-litre engine which is available with either a manual or automatic transmission, delivering more than enough power to speed the Jimny up towards motorway speeds.

Not that motorway cruising is a particular forte of the Jimny which is much happier at lower speeds.

The Jimny also possesses surprising off-road ability, thanks to an electronic four-wheel-drive system that can switch from two- to four-wheeldrive and then into low-ratio at the touch of a dashboard button.

Last year, Suzuki marked the 44th anniversary of its 4x4 heritage by upgrading the Jimny, which includes a tyre pressure monitoring system for added safety, a gearshift indicator to help improve fuel consumption and an electronic stability control system as standard.

The SZ4 test model features new design dark silver 15-inch alloy wheels, synthetic leather seats, air conditioning, leather-trimmed steering wheel and rear privacy glass as standard.

Steel silver and khaki green have been added to the metallic paint range of five shades available for the higher specification SZ4 model with three metallic and one solid colour available for the SZ3. Metallic paint is a £399 option.

All Jimny models are covered by a threeyear/ 60,000-mile new vehicle warranty, one-year AA Suzuki Assistance, providing 24-hour UK and European roadside assistance, recovery and associated services and by a six-year perforation warranty.

Despite its jokey name and chirpy road manners, global sales of the Jimny total 2.8 million across 188 countries making it a serious sales success for Suzuki.