One of the aspects of the new 5-door Suzuki Jimny that I was not particularly happy with is the standard speakers that come fitted. They just don’t sound good. When you turn up the volume, the sound distorts, which led me to believe that the standard speakers must be of a non-branded type.
Chatting with the guys in the parts division at Suzuki SA, I was intrigued to find out that they had an upgrade kit available for the Jimny from Pioneer. This got me excited, as I am very familiar with Pioneer products. I’ve been DJing since the 90s, and I currently own Pioneer turntables and headphones, so I know the quality of Pioneer products is excellent!
Fitment day arrived, and on opening the boxes, I was thrilled to see a set of 4 Pioneer 260W (max) speakers with an additional pair of tweeters (which don’t come standard on the Jimny).
Comparing the standard speakers against the Pioneers. It was very easy to spot the difference as the standard ‘non-branded’ speakers had no weight to them and were flimsy, whereas the Pioneer speakers were much heavier and of better quality.
The fitment took roughly two hours. The door panels were removed, and it looked to be a simple ‘plug-n-play’ process with no drilling required.
What impressed me at this point was seeing that also included in the kit were soundproofing panels. They were applied behind the speakers onto the door panel, which, having an understanding of how this works, gives better acoustics, taking away that tinny sound.
What also impressed me was that the tweeters were developed specifically for the Jimny as they are housed in a plastic part that replaces part of the front door trim. They look the business and could easily be mistaken as a factory-fitted part.
How about the sound? Overall, I am very happy with the upgraded Pioneer speaker kit. They have a much clearer, crisper sound than before; the bass is better (although if you are looking for more bass, then there are options available to fit an additional amplified subwoofer under the passenger seat). For me, this is not necessary as I am satisfied with the basic upgrade, especially now that I can play my music at full blast without any more distortion.
See the comparison video below of old vs new speakers…
Note: This was recorded with a lapel microphone, so the sound isn’t the same as hearing it for real. But it should give you a good indication of what I am saying…
For more information, visit your local Suzuki dealer at www.suzuki.co.za
