Suzuki Jimny and M422 Mighty Mite: "bugs" against "mites"

The word "SUV" alone evokes the image of a mighty car with high ground clearance, huge wheels, a "herd" of hundreds of "heads" under the hood. But are all those who are now designated by the abbreviation SUV capable of crawling on their belly along a dirty rut of half a meter or, even more so, one and a half? Climbing mountains on boulders?


All these strong beauties "Discovery", "Tuareg", "Geliki" are only able to famously leave the city courtyard that has not been cleared of snow. We see Lincoln Navigator, Cadillac Escalade and other off-road vehicles “conquering” smooth asphalt.

The smallest SUVs

But before ... Cars of 25 "horses" with a clearance of 19 cm worked wonders of cross-country ability, conquered the most difficult reliefs. We are talking about them - those tiny (less than 3 m), but stubborn and proud, who boldly rushed to the steepest off-road and won.


They, small but self-confident, were given affectionate well-aimed nicknames: Suzuki Jimny in the first generation was a “bug”, and the M422 Mighty Mite was a “mighty tick” or “omnipotent insect”. We will pay tribute to the excellent models and talented engineers of the middle of the last century. Well, what about modern SUVs? We respect, of course, admire, secretly envy ...

M422 Mighty Mite

The first of the two "bloodsuckers" was born M422 Mighty Mite. It was 1960, the US military needed a compact, lightweight car that could be transported in an airplane or even on a Sikorsky R-4 rotorcraft, dropped by parachute. In this case, the car must carry four people: two in front, two on the rear longitudinal shelves. It was necessary to take on board up to 250 kg of cargo, and pass where there are no roads at all.


The company AMS undertook to fulfill the order. The series was small - 4 thousand copies. M422, when she got into the army and demonstrated her capabilities, received the name "omnipotent bug".

In terms of dimensions, the car turned out as follows:

✅ Length - 2567 mm
✅ Width - 1549 mm
✅ Height - 1679 mm
✅ Clearance - 230 mm
✅ Platform for cargo - 890x1050 mm

With such miniature dimensions, the wheelbase came out at 1650 mm, and the slopes were installed with 6,50-16 tires. Since there were special requirements for weight, light aluminum alloys with a thickness of 1,65 mm were taken for the body: as a result, the curb weight of the car was 790 kg.

The car was made on a solid tubular frame, no doors were provided, the seats were not regulated. At the back there was a tailgate and a towbar for a trailer. The windshield folded down, greatly reducing the height of the army jeep.

Later, a modification of the M422A1 appeared, which differed from the first version in a wheelbase of 1803 mm with an already new machine length of 2 mm. A light tactical truck with a 870x4 wheel formula really showed high cross-country ability, took climbs of 4%. Moreover, the “powerful tick” could swim across ditches 60 m deep: snorkels were designed for this at the inlet and outlet.


The steering wheel was taken from the Willis, 5 necessary dials were placed on the dashboard. Under the hood worked a 55-horsepower V-shaped 4-cylinder air-cooled unit. A torque of 124 Nm was achieved at 2 rpm, and the maximum speed was 000. The engine displacement corresponded to - 3 cm³. The suspension in a circle is independent, but did not save, however, the crew from shaking. The speed was limited to 62 km / h.

And here is an engineering notion: so that stumps, bumps, stones do not gouge the exhaust system, exhaust from the power plant was let through the tubes of the spars. Another original solution: to reduce the weight of the car, drum brakes were moved directly to the crankcases of the main gears. The transmission also had an interesting move: a 4-speed box was combined in one block with a single-stage transfer case. Fuel consumption was 14 liters per 100 km.

The "Mighty Mite" fulfilled the task assigned to him: he fought in Vietnam, where he proved himself to be a real fighter. Most of the SUVs were hit or killed in local swamps, and 1 returning "veterans" fell into the hands of civilians for a lot of money. To the chagrin of the owners, the customer forbade the production of spare parts for cars, and the “insects” soon began to turn into scrap metal.

Suzuki Jimny

The Japanese "bug" "Suzuki Jimny" appeared in 1970. What motivated the developers is not known. Either they set out to create an ultra-compact kei car that occupies a minimum of a parking space, or they took care of the wallets of their fellow citizens: taxes on small cars in Japan are lower. But they almost overdid it with the size - they showed the world a very small, however, just as cute creature.


Autoworld has seen much smaller cars, but for an SUV ... The LJ10 model aroused general interest: it was funny to look at a car no more than 3 m long and 1 mm wide.

Touched and technical characteristics:

✅ Air-cooled engine capacity - 360 cmXNUMX³
✅ Power - 25 liters. With.
✅ Torque - 33 Nm
✅ Clearance - 190 mm
✅ Wheelbase - 1930
✅ Curb weight - 590 kg

In tandem with the engine was a 4-band manual gearbox, the force from the power unit was transmitted to all four wheels. The machine is built on a ladder-type frame structure. The suspension was installed dependent on leaf springs on both axles, drum brakes.


The Suzuki Jimny SUV proved to be reliable and safe, capable of taking on serious obstacles where large and powerful cars gave in. The original version had three seats: two in the front and one in the back. The spare wheel was located immediately behind the driver. There was no roof and doors, the windshield folded. The all-metal body was made of aluminum.

The model lasted 11 years on the assembly line. After a short time, Jimny already had 28 liters under the hood. s., and by 1980 it could generate all 41 hp. With. Cooling became water. The top speed jumped from 72 to 105 km/h.

The public liked the SUV and received a continuation: the power increased, the appearance changed. The car was sold with a canvas or metal top. Users were offered the option of a two-door coupe or "truck" with an increased wheelbase and a ground clearance of 205 mm.


The appearance, however, remained recognizable: a bumper and a characteristic grille with vertical slots, an almost flat windshield and a flat roof. The "bug" grows up, but remains compact, the nickname is forgotten, and the Jimny nameplate continues to show off on all generations.

Without dwelling on the second and third generations, let's say that today the Suzuki Jimny looks very mature and bold, although the length is some 3,7 m. It has a large glass area, massive wheels, and a serious ground clearance of 210 mm. The interior is discreet: the Japanese left the somewhat angular style inherent in their Gimpie. There is no flashy luxury, but the equipment is solid and modern.


True to himself, the manufacturer put a 4-liter in-line 1,5-cylinder aspirated engine under the hood. Speed? You can’t accelerate much on 102 “horses”. And why, if your goal is steep off-road.

Despite the fact that the cars are from different continents, it is worth paying tribute to the talented designers of the two models. True, the American model has gone down in history: "the Moor has done his job ...". Now it is a rarity and a collector's item, few people dare to ride it into the dirt now. But the Japanese "small pretty tank" continues to develop, which, of course, pleases. But at the same time, that’s why I really don’t want him, following fashion, to turn into a chic, but still SUV. In any case, the latest generation of Jimny makes a good impression on fans of off-road.