Ali, myself and Gerrie – the latest addition to the Drive Out team – spent the whole day yesterday evaluating compact 4x4s, specifically the Suzuki Jimny and the Daihatsu Terios.

More accustomed to the big boys of the class, I have to say I was honestly really impressed by how capable these small 4x4s were.
I already knew that on paper the flavour of the month Suzuki Jimny is more than competent offroad, but who would’ve thought the Daihatsu Terios would be so capable in deep sand?
With suitably-lowered tyre pressures it laughed its way through the dunes and with the right off-road tyres it would no doubt handle most of what Namibia and Botswana could throw at it – places like Van Zyl’s Pass and water deep enough to warrant a submarine, being the obvious exceptions.
For most of us, these compact 4x4s are really something to consider especially when looking for something versatile, suitable for commuting, yet capable of taking you offroad when the need arises.
And on top of that they use comparatively so little fuel their sipping will have you gloating at the fuel pumps.