The all-new 5-door Suzuki Jimny is here - and it's absolutely brilliant!

​I drove my first Suzuki Jimny back in November of 2005, it was a metallic blue soft top in the U.K. It belonged to my sister, who is still a Jimny fan to this day. After that drive, the diminutive 4x4 went straight to the top of my Cool Cars list. At that time, the 3rd generation Jimny wasn’t available in SA, but I still bragged about it to everyone who would listen. It did confuse people a bit because at the time my job revolved around fast street cars with big turbos and scraping subframes, and the Jimny was the complete opposite. Then at some point in 2008, they went on sale in SA and the first one I saw up close was when fellow journo Mark Jones popped by the office with one. He let me drive it on a lap of the office park, and I was once again smitten. Everything about it was cool, the small size, the ride height, the revvy motor and the fact that it could go almost literally anywhere. When I went freelance, I eventually got behind the wheel of one for a week, and it ticked all the right boxes and went from the Cool Cars list to the Must Have list, although that sadly never happened. In 2012 or 2013 a facelift was released that had a few cool changes, including the addition of an automatic transmission, and that made off road driving even easier. I dove one a few times over the years at various events and activations, and it remained in the Must Have list. In 2017 news leaked of an all-new 4th-generation Jimny, and from the initial reactions online, it looked like the compact 4x4 was going to be quite the sought-after thing. When it arrived in 2018, it was everything it promised to be, and more. The retro styling, a new engine, a revised 4x4 system and all the creature comforts you need were part of the package, and best of all it was affordable. So many people wanted one that dealerships had to set up waiting lists, and that even resulted in some potential buyers selling their spots on the list to impatient buyers who didn’t want to wait. To add a little more to the madness, many initial buyers sold their Jimnys for profit before even taking delivery, something usually seen in the world of sportscars and supercars. 

​Jumping to 2023, the 4th-gen Jimny is still sought-after, and the sales figures are proof. As of the end of October, the 4th-generation Jimny had already racked up 11,090 sales which is 55 % of total Jimny sales in SA to date. To put that into perspective, the 4th-gen has been on sale since 2018, and in that 5-year timeframe there was also a worldwide pandemic that adversely affected car sales (and everything else). The 3rd-generation Jimny racked up 9,232 sales from 2008 to 2018, or 45 % of total Jimny sales. I’ve been lucky enough to drive the 4th-gen Jimny on many memorable occasions, and in all that time the only complaint I’ve ever heard about it is a lack of space. Ok, some want more power, but those people are idiots and don’t get the point of a Jimny. In November of 2018 I covered a few hundred kilometers in one across Mpumalanga through some epic trails and forests during the local launch. The Jimny was every bit as good as it promised to be, and more. When I had the Jimny on test for a week, I loved every minute of it, and it was the first press car I had that I used more than a tank of fuel in – I used 3 tanks, and it’s not because it’s heavy on fuel, it’s because I drove it day and night to every place I could think of. It’s a 4x4 that just makes you want to drive even without a destination. In 2021 I was part of the media contingent that took a convoy of Jimnys through the Northern Cape up to the Skeleton Coast on the inaugural #SuzukiSafari where the car not only proved itself yet again, but was also responsible for some epic lifelong memories. I also tagged along on the 2nd #SuzukiSafari that took us to and through Botswana on another absolutely epic journey that saw us camp in the picturesque Chobe National Park where even more amazing memories were created. Earlier this year I was commissioned to travel to Namibia where I covered over 700 km by Jimny to photograph the naturally occurring Sandhof lilies in bloom. It’s an awe-inspiring natural phenomenon that was made even more memorable thanks to a Jimny. I’ll be posting about that trip in the coming weeks. It amazes me that I've had more seat time and have more interesting Jimny stories than many people who actually own one. I do count myself extremely lucky.

​That brings us up to date, and the launch of the all-new 5-door Suzuki Jimny. To properly put the 5-door Jimny through its paces, the crew from Suzuki SA took us to on a 700 km+ road trip starting off at the stunning 5-star Fusion Boutique hotel in Polokwane, across the Botswana border into the Tuli Wilderness where we camped alongside the Limpopo River, and back. This scenic route took us across long gravel roads, through dry riverbeds and across some terrain that would scare a 4x4 bakkie into submission. As expected, the 5-door Jimny is every bit as capable as its 3-door counterpart, and it some cases, even better. If you told me a Jimny could get better, I’d have called you a liar. With the extra doors comes extra space. "This is the first time in the 50-year history of the Suzuki Jimny that we offer a five-door model. We did this to meet the unprecedented demand for this hardy off-roader from customers who, owing to family size or overlanding requirements, asked for a larger Jimny model," says Brendon Carpenter, Brand Marketing Manager of Suzuki Auto South Africa. This long road trip was more than enough time to see how the 5-door Jimny drives, and it’s every bit as good as the 3-door, possibly even better. It felt like the roadholding was more stable, likely from the increased wheelbase, but other than that the two available Jimnys are undifferentiated. 

​The new, longer Jimny is available in GL and GLX spec, and even the lower spec GL doesn’t really need anything more. The higher spec version has a few more creature comforts and slightly better tech but we’re sure buyers will take whichever they can get, I know I would take the first spec available. Both retain the bulletproof 75 kW / 130 Nm 1.5-litre K15B petrol engine, in the GL it’s paired with a 5-speed manual and in the GLX it can be had with a 5-speed manual or a 4-speed auto transmission. Both have a transfer gearbox with 2H, 4H and 4 Low Range modes that utilise Suzuki’s brilliant AllGrip 4x4 system that’s been tweaked over the 3-door version and is now called AllGrip Pro. All models also feature Hill Descent Control, Hill Assist and Brake Assistance as standard. To create more space, the wheelbase was extended to 2 590 mm, and the overall length has therefore increased by 340 mm to 3 820 mm. Ground clearance remains an impressive 210 mm, while the approach, breakover and departure angles are measured at an impressive 36 degrees, 24 degrees and a very handy 47 degrees respectively. The 5-door is just over 100 kg heavier than the 3-door, which is not much at all and you'd never know it when driving it. The only visual change on the 5-door version is the profile thanks to the extra doors, extended wheelbase, and longer body. Another obvious difference is the small rectangular side window between the rear doors and the rear pillar that was added to keep the same visual signature as on the 3-door model, while also allowing more light into the cabin. A few things in the underpinnings have been changed, like the propshaft is beefier and the front brakes now feature ventilated discs to make sure they can stay cool with the extra weight on board.

​Besides extra space, the 5-door is the same as the 3-door inside. The GLX adds leather cladding to the steering wheel and has Bluetooth hands-free phone, audio controls and additional buttons for cruise control. It also gets a 9-inch infotainment screen, 2 inches larger than in the GL. Both have wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto that display in full colour, the infotainment screen also shows images from the reverse camera. The GLX has climate control while the GL has a regular aircon setup, and both models feature ESP and ABS brakes. The GL has two airbags while the GLX now features six airbags, both have central locking, a digital immobiliser and rear parking sensors. The rear seats can fold individually or together, increasing the rear load space from 211-litres to 332-litres, and the cabin has 1,113-litres of space in total. Just like the 3-door, the 5-door has a unique design feature that allows the front seats to fold completely flat and integrate with the rear seats to offer two lay-flat beds. I can do this in the 3-door and fit just right, but I’m not a lengthy chap and don’t take up much space. I just love the simplicity of a new-generation Jimny cabin, it’s comfortable for long tar roads and off-road exploits, has all the right buttons in all the right places, and thanks to the upright design it also has excellent visibility. The latter is a must for going off road so you can see your surroundings and choose the correct wheel placement over technical obstacles.

​As you would have no doubt surmised by now, I’m a die-hard Jimny fan, and that can make me blind to any shortcomings it may have, but there really aren’t any. Space used to be the only issue, and that’s been taken care of. Having only 75 kW of power might not be enough for some, but more power really isn’t needed. It will be great for the daily commute and you can easily get over 120 km/h on the highway. Thanks to the high and low range availability, the 130 Nm of torque is more than enough to get the compact 4x4 up and over just about any obstacle that an off-road trail can throw at it. Of course, if you must have more power, there are local companies that offer turbocharger conversions to bump the power. This option will see your 5-year/200 000 km warranty relegated to the bin though. I’m not sure if the 3-door or the 5-door is higher up on my Must Have list, but I do know that if I ever get the opportunity to own either, I’ll jump at it. 

The new 5-door Suzuki Jimny can be had in two new colours; Celestial Blue Pearl Metallic and Granite Grey Metallic, along with the usual Arctic White Pearl, Silky Silver Metallic, Bluish Black Pearl, and Jungle Green shaded. The two-tone colour options are Chiffon Ivory Metallic, Kinetic Yellow and the new Sizzling Red Metallic, all with a Pearlescent Bluish-Black roof. Sizzling Red Metallic is the one for me…
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Pricing is as follows, and I’m sure you’ll agree it’s pretty damn good:
 
Jimny 5-door 1.5 GL 5MT       R429,900
Jimny 5-door 1.5 GLX 5MT     R457,900
Jimny 1.5 GLX 4AT                   R479,900

I have to end off by sending a massive thanks to the entire Suzuki SA team. The experiences and memories that I have thanks to the Suzuki SA team have been and continue to be amazing, I count myself blessed to know you all. Much love 💙 Oh, and you can catch a full album pf photos over on the CWMedia Facebook page.