The Suzuki Jimny is a triumph of off-road design. With tiny dimensions, a light curb weight, good ground clearance, short overhangs, and short gearing in the axles, the little Japanese SUV is just a beast off-pavement, even with only 101 horsepower from a 1.5-liter naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine. With that said, the vehicle would flop in the U.S. market if Suzuki tried selling it here, and the biggest reason for this is that it only comes with two doors — or at least, it used to, because Suzuki just revealed a four-door Suzuki Jimny, and it looks awesome. Check it out.
“The 2018 Suzuki Jimny Is the Off-Road Bargain of Your Dreams, and the Highway Cruiser of Your Nightmares” I wrote four years ago after having driven the little 4×4, off-road. The Jimny is truly a gem, but even I had to admit that, on the highway, it was kind of a disaster. The transmission only has five gears, and, when paired with the Jimny’s short 4.09 axle ratio, yields a buzzy, high-RPM Autobahn driving experience that I wouldn’t want to deal with for more than an hour or two. Part of the issue is that the vehicle only makes 101 horsepower, so a sixth gear might not be able to hold the vehicle’s speed, especially on inclines.
For big, fast American roads, this just won’t work. And you know what else won’t work? Two doors.
I’ve said this since the Jimny came out: As great as it is, it’d never sell in the U.S. without a four-door option. We saw this with the Jeep Wrangler JK — when it debuted for the 2007 model year, Jeep thought the four-door variant would sell in relatively low quantities, but in short order it outsold the two-door three-to-one. America needs doors (two-door vehicles rarely sell in high volumes), and it also needs long-stretch, high-speed freeway capability. The Jimny now has the former. Check this thing out:
And of course, with the extra doors come extra airbags:
Power is still about the same (it’s now at 103 HP versus 101 on the two-door), length is up about a foot (to ~13 feet), but weight has only gone up about 150 to 200 pounds depending on trim (from ~2,500 to ~2,650 on base models). The off-road angles are still quite impressive. Here are the two-door’s off-road angles:
And here you can see that the four-door’s are largely the same, with only breakover angle having dropped by four degrees (departure and approach are a little different, though I recall there being a bit of variation in the two-door’s angles depending upon which brochure you looked at; I’d ignore the one degree difference — the main difference is breakover). Honestly, 24 degrees isn’t bad at all — it’s better than that of a four-door Wrangler, and not far off from the two-door Wrangler Sport (25 degrees).
There looks to be a decent amount of space in that cabin:
And look, the seats fold flat-ish!:
There’s no word on pricing, but anything under about $30,000 would be a bargain in my eyes (the two-door starts in the low to mid 20s, depending upon market).
Come on: A reasonably efficient four-door little off-road beast with solid axles (equipped with a “brake lock differential”) and a ladder frame for under 30 large? I’d be all over it. I’m a fan of small, cheap, off-road Suzukis, after all. It’s a great formula!
From what I’ve read from other outlets, the four-door Suzuki Jimny is to be sold in markets in Africa, Asia, and South America; Europe seems unlikely due to emissions restrictions. The U.S.? That’s also not likely in the cards given that Suzuki no longer sells cars here (perhaps Suzuki could sell the car to Chevy it did with the Tracker?), but I maintain that the Jimny is now one significant step closer to being to being viable for U.S. customers — just add a turbo and one extra gear, beef it up as necessary so it passes our crash tests, and keep the price in the 20’s, I think it’d be a hit.
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All Images: Maruti Suzuki
Given this 4 door version of a Japanese Kei car is likely going to be made in India for the sub-continental, South-east Asian, African and Oceania (including Oz & NZ) markets… I’d say that North America has no chance of seeing it before 2048.
My concern with bringing the Jimny to the US is the Footprint rule, I don’t think it would be fuel efficient enough for its size to be sold in the US as a street legal vehicle. If you made it a BEV the footprint rule wouldn’t apply and it would get rid of the need for dealerships for the most part.
“…(J)ust add a turbo and one extra gear, beef it up as necessary so it passes our crash tests, and keep the price in the 20’s, I think it’d be a hit.
Is it realistic to believe that those changers could be made and the car sold at that price?
I’ve always admired the Jimny from afar and a four door version is a welcome addition, but I’m extremely skeptical that Suzuki will ever make it available for the US market.
I am actually fine with the 2 door versions as well. the biggest issues I think they would have if they returned is not the extra doors, it is the lack of locking diff and t-case. The lack of removable roof and doors, and the price most likely. it would have to undercut a basic Jeep in price by a decent margin.
The Solid axles are a plus, but I think many who would buy this as it sits would cry about death wobble and terrible ride quality in most reviews
Nice! The Suzuki Jimny and it’s new 4-door variant, the Suzuki Jimnimny!
Argh, I’m so close to going and putting my name down for one. I like the look of the 3 door more. But with a 3 (almost 4) year old and a 7 year old I can’t see how a 3 door can work. My son and I drool over these things. Honestly I think its his dream car (after a white Tesla, where did I go wrong).
I want so so badly! I have been around them in Iceland and love them. A for door would be great (I have a JKU) the problem here in the US is most buyers would not buy them because there is not enough plastic cladding to pretend to be off-road-able and the Jimny would not be smooth enough on the highway. We buy fake off-roaders because that is who we are.
I think the ship sailed on Jimny ever coming to the US when GM sold its remaining stake in Suzuki (~2008). If it ever happens, it will be an EV and probably be a lot like the Jeep Recon and similarly priced. 🙁 <–sad face
Passing crash tests would be no easy task in an SUV that small, and you’d need a special company to want to take the damage to the corporate image of having a 2* or 3* vehicle in their lineup. I wouldn’t hold your breath on a federalized version being in the 20s either with bespoke EPA compliant engine and transmission and safety gear.
OH – maybe Mitsubishi could import it as a Trooper reincarnated? They have nothing to lose and everything to gain by having a desired vehicle in their lineup!
https://www.ancap.com.au/safety-ratings/suzuki/jimny/cee648
3 star safety rating in 2019 due to not having a full suite of active safety systems…but it crashed well.
Anyone into the original Jimneys should check out the Golden Nugget videos at Matt’s Off Road Recovery on yt. They dragged one (literally: at one point it was completely under water) out of a valley it had been stuck in for 28(?) years after a landslide took out the road, had it rebuilt & painted, and gave it back to the guy who parked it there originally. Fun to watch.
Forgive the shilling. I don’t have any stake in MORR-just find it interesting to watch. And beautiful Western vistas for someone in the Mid-Atlantic.
Must be the era I came of age, but I dislike 4-door SUVs, pick ups, and so—called coupes. I’m not saying they shouldn’t exist for those who prefer (or need) them, but I want 2-door versions, too. I’d never consider owning a Gladiator, Maverick, Santa Cruz, Ridgeline, etc. for that reason alone. I’m glad the 2-door Wrangler persists and that the Bronco can be had with just a pair of doors, also. I’d seriously consider the 2-door Jimney, too, were it available here as I loved beating around in a Samurai. I’ve owned an MB-40 (OK, admittedly, it had no doors), a CJ-5, and a CJ-8 and would take any of those over the land barge versions of their modern descendants, despite the newer vehicles obvious advantages in suspension, braking, and drivetrain technology. A good restomod can offset most of those advantages. So here’s hoping if Suzuki does ever again sell cars here, they make the Jimney available in both boxers and briefs.
Don’t even get me started on automatic transmissions …
The small Suzuki SUV’s are the Jeep Wrangler and Cherokee Done Right 🙂
Huh. I wonder if this ever be imported to just one state!?!?
Be the official state car of Colorado, it could.
I’d love the idea of it coming to the us as a cheap fun small car with a manual, but it doesn’t have lockers or an articulating suspension and to top it off it isn’t a convertible. In my opinion it also needs independent front suspension in addition to a turbo and 6th gear.
I think it does need a removable top. But I don’t think it needs IFS; that SFA represents a lot of aftermarket opportunities, even if I’m not really a three-link man (five link ftw).
Yes the 3 link is a problem, but imho IFS is necessary for a vehicle this small to handle at speed. My thought process is I don’t think it will ever be as good off-road as the JL and Bronco, might as well go for maximum fun to drive and take advantage of the light weight with a good handling suspension.
I love these Jimnys. Hopefully they will offer a more powerful and cleaner engine. I just checked the UK Suzuki site and they only sell it as a “commercial” vehicle at the moment with front seats only: https://cars.suzuki.co.uk/new-cars/jimny/?
Its funny, suzuki has had roughly the same power per hp for a long time. My 93 sidekick weighs about as much as the modern jimny, and makes a little under 100 hp. The around town gearing is a hoot, but it certainly runs out of steam around 60ish. Thats a 5 speed too, I dread to think what the auto is like. My 01 Vitara/Tracker makes roughly 127 hp, but weighs around 400 pounds more. They aren’t fast, but I’ve never felt they were dangerous.
*Power per lb
My 1981 LJ80 ragtop made 41hp claimed and weighed in at 1640 lbs on a scale.
It would manage 60 deafening mph on the highway with a top out speed of 70 on downhills or slipstreaming semis. It was great offroad and being 4′ 4″ wide would go places it shouldn’t.
When I see tales of over 100 hp, I’m in awe until I see the modern weight and think oh well it would do better on the highway than the LJ.
The Auto is also just a 4 speed as well.
Jimnies rule, all my homies love Jimnies
That sure is some interesting wording in the pic describing the airbags saying “To safeguard you against every eventuality”
So what you, Suzuki, are telling me is that at some point I’m going to wreck the shit outta this thing? Thanks for the heads up!
If not you exactly, a multiverse version of you.
Selling it through Chevy could be a great Blazer/Bronco-fighter
Not sure Chevy would want to cannibalize Blazer sales though…
The Blazer, inexplicably, sells extremely well. I see the damn things everywhere. The NPCs just eat mediocre, phoned-in crossovers up. So Chevy absolutely wouldn’t want to eat into those sales…however they could call the Jimny something else and have it out there as a Bronco Sport alternative.
National Potato Council ?
Non Player Characters. You know, all the extras in the video game of life.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NPC_(meme)
As a complement to the Trax which is getting a major glow-up but also pushed right to the “station wagon” end of the crossover spectrum and the Tahoe which is a serious body-on-frame SUV but also huge and expensive, this would be a fine addition to the Chevy lineup.
At this point the Blazer is a Malibu-based minivan without sliding doors.
Malcolm Bricklin needs to get off his ass and set up a Jimny America import operation already. Yeah, it would be a total scam and collapse in a few years, leaving franchisees and investors in the lurch, but at least they’d sell some of them that would be here to kick around for years as used cars
Oh, how times have changed. Only five gears? Is that what we’re complaining about these days?
I had a Samurai in high school and college which I loved to death. Only 63hp of raw fury from that 1.3L powerplant. I drove that thing on the highway with the top down every day for several years.
I daily-drive my 2000 Chevy Tracker with a 5spd and similar buzzy highway tendencies, but that doesn’t mean it’s acceptable for 2023. Just give us another gear and 30 more ponies!
Forgot to add the obligatory “get off my lawn”!
Alternate headline: Out Daydreaming Designer Imagines a Honda Element SUV
The Suzuki Jimny Unlimited.
Can we get a Jimny Trackhawk?
Suzuki does make the 1.3L Hayabusa motor…
I think we could take a page from the EV sales pitch and say that these are designed for limited runs and shorter trips, rather than for long-haul travel. It’s not a bad niche.
(I hope this posts: I got a 403 Forbidden error trying to post in the Google data thread)
Farm use like the tractors they are.