There are very few brands you could point to that are big names in both cars and bikes. Even fewer where you could find models on two and four wheels that are a perfect match in engine size and price.
After all, that’d have to be a company that specialised in big scary motorcycles but also very small cars. Oh right, Suzuki.
While working on this issue of RIDDEN we couldn’t help but notice that the new Suzuki Hayabusa had the same engine capacity and sells for the same price as the Suzuki Jimny Safari: both 1.3-litre naturally aspirated petrols and both a snip under $30k ($28,999 for the bike, $29,990 for the SUV).
Even the torque outputs are quite similar: 150Nm for the two-wheeler versus 130Nm for the 4x4. Although the ’Busa has nearly twice as much power (140kW versus 75kW) and only about one-quarter the kerb weight (264kg versus 1065kg).
Here’s where the comparison ends because it just gets silly, right? The Busa was the world’s fastest motorcycle when it was launched back in 1999 (312km/h) and because speed restrictions came into place shortly afterwards, remained top of the tree for a long time.
READ MORE
But Suzuki always maintained that the Hayabusa’s top speed was just a byproduct of its pursuit of other goals like power, handling and aerodynamics.
Despite some common touchpoints, the Jimny couldn’t be more different. The slower you go in a Jimny the better it is: it remains one of the world’s most capable off-road vehicles, although it has joined the Hayabusa in recent years in also being a bit of a fashion model.
So Hayabusa and Jimny: a great fantasy garage?
