Good news, fans of small, Japanese off-roaders – there’s a new Suzuki Jimny!

Yep, it’s a little car with a big cult following – even here in the Middle East. You can thank simple engineering and surprisingly good off-road performance for that.

Clearly, the brand doesn’t want to mess with the formula too much. The Suzuki Jimny isn’t exactly the world’s biggest seller, but of those who do buy it, there’s a loyal following. As a result, this new model was built with current owners in mind.

So, underneath that rough-and-ready body styling sits a ladder-frame chassis. You’ll also get three-link rigid axle suspension and part-time four-wheel-drive. There’s even a proper transfer box with low range.

So the new Suzuki Jimny will probably still be pretty good off-road. But Suzuki says that it’ll be significantly better on the road, too. The suspension has been upgraded for a better ride, and there are likely to be improvements to the steering, too.

Things look more comfortable on the inside, too. There’s a touchscreen at the top of the centre console featuring Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and a couple of other luxuries that old Jimny owners wouldn’t have seen in their wildest dreams.

Still, the whole thing is wrapped in a very utilitarian package. All the materials look to have a hose-down quality to them, and like the outside, it’s all very boxy – almost like it’s a baby Mercedes G-Class.

Engine-wise, nothing’s been confirmed yet, but it’s likely there’ll be two variants. The range-topper could be a new turbocharged, 1.0-litre three-cylinder, while the base model may come with Suzuki’s existing 1.3-litre four-pot.

So, what do you think? Are you a die-hard Suzuki Jimny fan, and if you are, does this new one look like it stacks up?