THE little Suzuki Jimny looks a great vehicle for a bit of urban fun, and it is certainly more than capable at getting through the rough stuff.

But out on the open road on a longer journey, it is very hard to live with.

They are funky looking - like an overgrown toy Tonka truck - but make no mistake, this is not a softie.

That means tough, long travel suspension to soak up the lumps off-road without damage, and proper low ratio gears like a Land Rover Defender.

The little 1.3-litre engine is more than enough for this, and to give reasonable acceleration up to 50 miles an hour.

But above that it struggles and when cruising at 70 miles an hour on the motorway, economy drops considerably.

The hard suspension combined with short wheelbase makes for a very lumpy, choppy, uncomfortable ride and over distance, this becomes very wearing indeed.

And although the road-holding is reasonable, it will not corner anywhere near as quickly as a car.

Inside things are fairly utilitarian and there are only four seats, with the rear two right above the rear wheels giving a very lumpy ride.

: Daihatsu Terios