After another successful year in monthly car sales and market share,
Suzuki Auto South Africa is already looking ahead to an exciting 2024. Together with the likely introduction of an all-new Swift hatchback, this Japanese brand has on two occasions in the past few months teased its forthcoming
5-door Jimny.
Unveiled as a surprise inclusion on the programme for the SA Festival of Motoring in August, this exciting new model for the brand was also present at the inaugural
Jimny Gathering, hosted in Clarens in the Free State Province. This latter event saw close to 800
Suzuki Jimny owners congregate at the Langkranz farm for a fun-filled weekend that included the setting of a new Guinness World Record for the most vehicles to switch on their headlights simultaneously.
A massively popular vehicle for
Suzuki since it was introduced in 1970, the current fourth-generation
Jimny was launched in 2018. With its plucky stance, compact wheelbase length and impossibly short overhangs, front and rear, the
Jimny’s reputation as a giant slayer when it comes to off-road ability is legendary. The
new 5-door derivative aims to grant this package a touch more comfort and broad practicality compared with the modern two-door model.
Sharing the same platform yet with a 340 mm stretch in wheelbase length,
the 5-door Jimny is a 360 mm longer car that’s 125 kg heavier than its popular sibling. All other dimensions, including track widths and 210 mm worth of ground clearance are carrying over unchanged.
Suzuki says that this model sacrifices just 4 degrees' worth of break-over angle with its stretched profile.
Set to be introduced as part of a forthcoming mid-life update for the
Jimny range, the
5-door version features a more modern interior compared with the current car. This includes a new 9-inch touchscreen infotainment display and wireless mobile phone charging and screen mirroring. Top-of-the-range GLX specification will also feature electrically operated side mirrors with a fold-away function and parking assistance that includes a reverse camera.
Aimed at addressing well-documented shortcomings in terms of interior packaging, the
5-door Jimny introduces rear passenger doors for access to vastly more comfortable back seats compared with those in the two-door vehicle. Furthermore, a claimed 211 litres worth of luggage space is available behind this second row of seats. An intriguing inclusion in the new Big Brother
Jimny is the ability to fold the front seat backrests flat to combine with the rear seat cushion to form a makeshift bed.
The
5-door Jimny will inherit the same 75 kW/130 N.m naturally aspirated 1,5-litre petrol motor and the choice between a 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic transmission as its smaller sibling.
Suzuki Jimny 1.5 GL AllGrip 5-door manual - R429 900
Suzuki Jimny 1.5 GLX AllGrip 5-door manual - R457 900
Suzuki Jimny 1.5 GLX AllGrip 5-door auto - R479 900
