CHEAP, cheerful, chunky and looking like a baby Merc G-Wagen, this is the all new Suzuki Jimny and it will be coming to the UK next year.

The outgoing model has been around for 20 years, so it was high time that the Japanese company came-up with a new take on a formula that has brought it 2.85 million sales worldwide since the first Jimny appeared in 1970.

Originally designed for Japan's tax-friendly minicar market, it was the one and only four wheel drive model in its segment when it made its debut - and it was astonishingly capable off road.

Details of the new, 2019 version of the Jimny are scant at the moment but we do know that it will have a ladder frame, three-link, rigid axle suspension and part-time four wheel drive with a low range transfer gear.

The design is distinctly retro and squared off on the outside with slab sides and bulging wheel arch extensions, but the cockpit looks bang up-to-the-minute with a large infotainment touch screen built into the fascia.

Further details are expected later in the summer ahead of the car's Japanese launch with European and UK sales expected to begin next year.