The Suzuki Jimny has been one of the most charming icons of the off-road world for many a moon. Its reputation as the “little off roader that could” has won it legions of fans. From farmers using them as a work tool to those who wanting something with a bucket of character which will hang with the big boys when the going gets tough.
The current Jimny 3-door is such a crowd favourite. Take a quick trip to the shops or your local and chances are you will see two or three while on route. I can remember having a play when it was first launched and finding it to be one of the most fun small SUVs out there, and so capable too.
However, while its popularity and abilities are unquestionable, it certainly wasn’t perfect, namely in terms of practicality. Now Suzuki has given us a new Jimny, one which on paper has that extra space and a couple of extra doors which go with it. Say hello to the new Suzuki Jimny 5-Door.
The 5-door is very much still a Jimny, sporting the same ladder chassis and solid front and rear axles and that square jawed stance, but with extra length thanks to an extended wheelbase of 2590mm, an increase of 340mm over the 3-Door. Because of this, Suzuki can add a couple of rear doors and proper rear folding seats.
These seats are reasonably plush and hold you well enough and head and legroom isn’t too bad either, though let it be known the Jimny 5-Door is very much a four seater, so a family of five may need to consider something else.
Taller folk may find entry and exit a squeeze but it’s certainly an improvement over the 3-Door. You also get a proper boot now too, with a modest 212L of boot space. Not overly capacious but still far more usable than the 3-Door. Plus this increases to 332L with that second row seating folded away.
Powering the 5-Door is a 1.5L four cylinder petrol engine with 75kW and 130Nm of torque. Not a great deal of poke but tipping the scales at a snip over a tonne, or 1200kg to exact, means the 5-Door is still sprightly and eager on the move, but more on that soon. You can have either a five-speed manual as my test car did or a four-stage auto box, the latter being 15kg heavier than the manual. Suzuki claim 7.1L/100km (WTLP) and 165g/km of CO2 (WTLP).
Inside the Jimny is still about durable materials and switch gear, with everything feeling rather chunky and just well put together. You sit rather high up behind the wheel and while rear visibility still isn’t the best, you have a great panoramic view of what lies ahead.
There are a good amount of features on offer, including a new 9-inch touch screen infotainment system, Android Auto and Wireless Apple CarPlay, reversing camera, LED lighting, adaptive cruise control, parking sensors fore and aft, lane departure warning and dual camera brake support which provides a forward facing camera able to detect vehicles, pedestrians and lane markes and will automatically warn the driver or brake accordingly to avoid a collision.
Driving the 3-door Jimny was fun don’t get me wrong, but I found it would bounce around quite a bit around suburbia and if a strong side wind were to blast you on a motorway journey, it certainly felt it. Things are different with the 5-door, the longer wheelbase means things feel more planted while on the move.
The 1.5L four pot provides ample go and its torque delivery kicks in down low, meaning I found myself never really needing to rev the Jimny out, instead I was quite content in short-shifting below 2000rpm. The Jimny is very much a car where subtle application of throttle and steering is immensely rewarding, as is flicking through the gears via that five-speed manual box.
The 5-door is not really a long distance cruiser by any stretch. At 100kph it sits on around 3000 revs and while it feels as tight as a drum with no rattles of squeaks at speed, you get the impression it isn’t really enjoying it.
What it certainly enjoys is when you veer off the blacktop and onto the rough stuff. I thought it would be opportune to point the Jimny’s nose towards the Waimakariri riverbed, a usual stomping ground for all keen off-road enthusiasts.
Suzuki’s proven ALLGRIP PRO 4WD system is on hand giving you total control and the addition of a simple 4WD transfer gear for 4High and 4Low along with aforementioned 3-link rigid axles with coil spring suspension means you quite literally eat up everything in your path.
The Jimny’s 210mm of ground clearance certainly helps in this to no end, as does its hill hold and hill descent control. These are common place additives to any modern off road icon, but Suzuki’s system is very simple and you don’t need a degree in quantum physics to get your head around how it works.
It just abounds around like a spring lamb with all the pluck and capability you would expect in something wtice the size. Glad to see that element of “Jimny-ness” still remains in spades.
The Jimny 5-Door will set you back $40,990 for the manual and $45,500 if you want the four-stage automatic. Regardless of which you go for, the 5-Door makes by far the most sense in my book. It is a bit of a premium over the 3-Door, but after spending a week sauntering about in a variety of disciplines, the 5-Door is by far a more complete feeling package.
Just about everyone who set eyes on this stretched Jimny asked the same thing, “Is that the new 5-Door one?” Questions like that are yet another example of how I reckon the Jimny 5-Door will be a solid seller for Suzuki over the coming years. Plus, it would certainly be my pick of the range by far.
RATING: 7.5/10
