Breaking away from the hustle and bustle of the city, we jetted off to Botswana to join Suzuki SA on one of their famous Safaris to explore Northern Botswana and the Suzuki Jimny GL.
When Suzuki South Africa launched the fourth generation Suzuki Jimny, the JB74, in 2018 they couldn’t have anticipated the public reception that it got. Now, several years down the line, there’s still a waiting list for these units. The diminutive 4×4 has captured the hearts and imaginations of the buying public largely due to the stylish retro-inspired styling and capable 4×4 abilities of the model.
Initially offered in base-spec GA and full-spec GLX trim levels, Suzuki South Africa identified that many customers would like some of the creature comforts offered in the GLX but at a price that was more affordable. This lead them to introduce the GL trim level in both manual and automatic. This model forgoes the 7-inch touchscreen in favour of a Bluetooth-enabled radio system but retains the manual air conditioning. The GL does get stylish 15-inch alloy wheels but makes do with a regular rubber steering wheel, black door handles and black mirrors.
Putting the Jimny through its paces
While the model was introduced earlier in the year, the launch was a soft launch, nothing more than an announcement. As such, I was yet to experience the middle child of the Jimny range. I’m rather fond of the model and enjoy driving it, something that happens frequently enough as my wife owns an automatic GLX model, and I was keen to see how the GL experience differs from that of the GLX. For this, Suzuki insisted that I join them in Botswana to put the GL model through its paces and remind myself of how capable and robust these little machines are.
Flying into the northern Botswana town of Kasane we were greeted by the wonderful Botswana heat, a welcomed change from the icy temperatures of Johannesburg. I’ve had the pleasure of visiting Botswana in the past and I was reminded of why it’s such an amazing place; it’s clean, efficient and the inhabitants are welcoming and friendly. The seething animosity and disdain that one experiences on a daily basis in South Africa is nowhere to be found in Bots and this makes it an inspiring and welcomed break from the recrimination of home.
We were met by JJ Du Toit of African Expeditions and a host of Jimnys. The wife and I made a beeline for a Chiffon Ivory GL model, although I’d be lying if I wasn’t attracted to the single Rhino Edition Jimny that was made available to us. The Rhino Edition is a nod to the SJ-series of 40-years ago and includes several accessories to help set it apart. The red mudflaps and decals instantly grab your attention but upon closer inspection, you’ll spot the heritage grille and wind deflectors that it sports as well. Nevertheless, I was rather pleased with my selection of the Chiffon Ivory GL model and secretly yearn for one in that colour, even if I did mock it over the course of the weekend by calling it “Premium Beige”.
Heading out of Kasane, the convoy of seven Jimnys made their way west, taking the tar road to the newly build Ngoma Bridge that crosses the Chobe river over into the Caprivi strip of Namibia. While we didn’t officially enter into Namibia, making a U-turn before the Namibian gate, it was amazing to see the impressive engineering of this modern suspension bridge and revel in the raging rapids of the Chobe.
Day one wrapped with a drive to the Mwandi View lodge run by Anton and Amelia and their staff, Bruno. Here we were welcomed with open arms and ice-cold beers before we settled down for a hearty meal and then retired to our tented chalets, the last semblance of civilized living that we would experience before entering into the wild unknowns of the Botswana landscape.
Day 2 – Fesh-Fesh and the Africa heat
After dropping the pressures in our tyres, a mandatory requirement when driving on gravel and sand in order to provide the best traction and ensure that erosion is kept to a minimum, we set off for our last few kilometres of tarmac before turning off onto some respectable gravel roads. Heading South towards the Chobe National Park the graded gravel roads made way for the fesh-fesh, an extremely fine sand that resembles cement powder and will swallow up any vehicle that fails to run the correct pressure in their tyres. Traffic was fairly scarce but we did happen across a touring family that had bogged down in a rather difficult riverbed crossing, their rental 4×4 beached on its belly. The Jimny convoy stopped to assist and in no time at all, the stricken family was back on their way, ever grateful for the assistance.
The masses of baobab trees from the northern area of Botswana made way for Acacia trees, shrubs, and Mopane as we continued south with the ambient temperatures rising. The wildlife in this area was clearly struggling with the heat and lack of water as the winter months are dryer months and the warmer weather causing them to seek shelter. The fesh-fesh path was only interrupted by the occasional spotting of buck, wildebeest, giraffe and elephant, although considerably less than our guide, JJ, was expecting. Our route took us through the Mbabe gate of the national park and onwards towards the village of Mbabe before we forked off towards the water’s edge.
We made a quick stop at our campsite, only to be greeted by Justin, our camp host who showed us around the campsite where we’d be spending the next two nights; a beautiful spot along the banks of the Khwai river on its Mbabe section. With our bags dropped, it was off along the river to do some animal spotting. Alongside the amazing birdlife, sightings of buffalo, elephant and hippo were offset by the eager searching for a leopard that someone caught only a fleeting glimpse of.
The evening wrapped as we sat around the campfire with our Jimnys tucked away, dusty and grubby, looking on as the sun set. Our quiet Saturday night was only disturbed by a bloat of hippos, grazing peacefully along the banks of the river, a mere 30-metres from our campfire. While hippos are known to be the most deadly animals in Africa, killing more humans than any other species, we were fairly confident that they were not alarmed and not too bothered with us, they were simply grabbing a snack before moving further down the river.
Day 3 – Exploring the area and angering a hippo
Day three was to be a quieter day. With the majority of the driving having taken place the day before, we used the camp as a base from which to explore the surrounding areas of the river. Slightly cooler weather brought some of the animals out with several giraffes and elephants being spotted along the way. This casual itinerary allowed us to come and go at leisure and gave me a chance to turn my attention to the Jimny I had been commandeering over the last few days.
While it may not have all the features of the GLX model, you save yourself over R20 000 by opting to go this route. I did miss the SLDA infotainment unit, I’ll say that much, but the Bluetooth unit does what it needs to. The automatic climate control of the GLX wasn’t missed all that much but if I’m being perfectly honest, I drove with the window down and my arm perched on the sill, enjoying the fresh air, sounds and smells of the wilderness. I still had electric windows, steering wheel controls, and remote locking and for a rough and tumble adventure like this, I’d frankly feel a little bad taking the GLX over some of the paths.
The K15 engine in my GL model was mated to a 5-speed manual but if you prefer your cars with two pedals rather than three, then there’s a 4-speed auto option as well, something that you’re unable to request in a GA-spec Jimny. At no point in time did the 75 kW and 130 Nm torque feel like it wasn’t enough. Even with deflated tyres (the stock Dunlop AT20s that are fitted as stock, not aftermarket all-terrains) and soft sand, the power delivery was perfect and the light weight of the Jimny meant that it simply skipped over the soft sand and terrain.
Our second outing for the day was nearly our undoing though. Further up the river, deep in the vegetation, we not only spotted a massive crocodile basking in the sun, but several elephants and some hippos, all enjoying the cool waters of the Khwai river. We parked up, line astern, to watch the hippos as they dunked themselves and then reemerged from the water, just their ears and eyes poking out. One hippo didn’t take kindly to our presence and began to display signs of agitation. It’s never our intention to interrupt the ongoings or routines of these animals, we merely wish to sit peacefully and admire them in their native habitat. This hippo though was having non of it and rose up out of the water and opened its mouth wide in an act of intimidation. It was a successful one and we casually retreated back, as quietly as we could to a safer distance before making out way back to camp.
Day 4 – wrapping things up
An early start is easy when in the bush. The heat of the African sun soon makes your tent a sauna and the lions in the distance will make sure that you know they’re awake. Either way, it was with a heavy heart that we rose, knowing that it would be our last day in the beautiful Botswana, our last day with our fabulous hosts and our final journey with the Jimnys.
The heavily rutted road from Mababe village through to Maun was only broken by a quick stop at the local spaza shop where we had previously procured some of the best magwinya I’ve ever tasted. We bought a few cold drinks from the owner, ever grateful for the business, and snapped a few photos with our new friends, before hitting the road out to Maun. Long, undulating expanses of heavily corrugated gravel roads put the Jimnys’ suspension to the test and I must admit that I was suitably impressed with how compliant the Jimny is over this rough terrain. Nary a rattle or squeak presented itself, aside from some dusty suspension bushes protesting over some larger humps. This is quickly rectified with a good wash though.
I was genuinely sad to lock the Jimny for the last time. The wife and I had bonded over the previous days and fell in love with the little Premium Beige 4×4. We were sad to be leaving out hosts and most definitely sad to be seeing Botswana fade into the distance as we took off en route to a chilly and unforgiving Johannesburg.
It was once again proof that you don’t need a million Rand 4×4, or any aftermarket accessories, all you need is a little Suzuki Jimny, some free time, and the spirit of adventure.
Chad LückhoffWith over 18 years of motorsport commentary and a passion for 90s Japanese Sports Cars, Chad Lückhoff is happiest when surrounded by drift cars and smoking tyres. His experience as the Technical Editor of the country’s top tuning magazine means that it’s the nuts and bolts of motoring that tickles his fancy. As comfortable in front of the camera as he is behind it, he’ll take you behind the wheel with his video reviews, written recounts, and invoking photography. One of the first to join the AutoTrader fray, Chad has been living his passion at AutoTrader for over 7-years.View News & Reviews
Keyword: Suzuki Safari 2022 - Big in Botswana