Suzuki Auto South Africa has launched the five-door Jimny in South Africa after giving expectant fans a sneak peek at the Festival of Motoring in Johannesburg and later at the Jimny Gathering in Clarens in the Free State.

The media had the pleasure of driving this Jimny to the Tuli wilderness area in Botswana recently. Coming in GL & GLX variants with manual and auto transmissions, the model joins its three-door sibling on showroom floors nation wide. The reliable and much-loved K15B 1.5 litre petrol engine is fitted to all the models in the range.

The demand aside, it was clear from the outset that the engineers and designers of the Jimny were not willing to compromise on five decades of legacy and evolutionary design.

Design.

 The Jimny DNA has been kept intact, and the 5-door comes with the short overhangs, ladder-frame chassis with solid axles and the ability to go anywhere and everywhere. The Jimny has always had a good rep for going off-road.

 Now the wheelbase has been increased to 2 590 mm. This is enough to allow two rear passenger doors to be added, with more room, but not so much as to compromise its off-road capabilities.

The overall length, measured from bumper to bumper, has therefore increased by 340 mm to 3 820 mm. The other vital statistics include a width of 1 645 mm and a height of 1 720 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 front & rear designs are unchanged & this includes the upright grille, round headlamps fitted in an almost utilitarian manner on either side of the grille, the square edges and the fitment of the spare wheel to the side hinging rear door.

The side profile has invariably changed, with a side window after the b-pillar as an addition for more visibility. The five-door model has the same square wheel arch extensions, large side mirrors (painted gloss black on the GLX version), large glass house with privacy glass on the rear windows and integrated drip rails that also allows for the fitment of heavy-duty roof racks and other outdoor equipment, including jerry cans and storage boxes.

All five-door models also have 195/80 on/off road tyres on 15″ alloy wheels. The spare wheel is also fitted with an alloy wheel. It still cuts an attractive figure.

Into the Cabin.

The interior is largely unchanged with the design of the dashboard, seats and controls going directly into the five-door model, with the same high drive feel as before. The cabin is fairly roomy with two quite large men fitting easily into the front seats without getting too close.

All South African versions of the five-door Jimny will have a 50:50 split rear bench, an additional power socket in the luggage compartment and a multi-functional steering wheel that is height adjustable.

The five-door Jimny in GLX specification adds leather cladding to the steering wheel and complements the Bluetooth hands-free phone and audio controls with additional buttons for cruise control. The GLX further adds two inches to the infotainment screen (from 7″ on the GL to 9″ on the GLX). All versions have Apple CarPlay and Android Auto in full colour and will show images from the reverse camera on the infotainment screen.

All models have electric windows on all passenger doors, and the GLX models have automatic climate control as opposed to the GL’s standard air conditioning system.

Engine.

The five-door model has the same 1.5 litre petrol engine multi-point injection, 16 valves with variable valve management a 10:1 compression ratio for more useable power at all engine speeds.

The engine delivers 75 kW at 6 000 rpm and 130 Nm at 4 000 rpm. The power is delivered through a five speed manual transmission (available on the GL and GLX models) or a four-speed automatic transmission (GLX only) to the rear wheels under normal circumstances or all-four wheels when the transfer gearbox is engaged.

It is important to note that the Suzuki Jimny is fitted with a complete off-road system, including a transfer gearbox with 2H, 4H and 4 Low Range modes. This was useful through dry river beds and over rocks, and accomplished the route with ease. If there were issues, they were driver related.

The Jimny also has a new version of the well-known AllGrip system, called AllGrip Pro. This system amplifies the capabilities of the four-wheel drive system with electronic assistance, such as selective braking on wheels with no traction that emulates a traditional differential lock.

All five-door models further have Hill Descent Control, Hill Assist and Brake Assistance as standard. In the Tuli block we drove the manual version which performed well on both terrains.

Safety

All models have Electronic Stability Program (ESP), ABS brakes, side-impact beams in all doors and three-point seatbelts for all four seats. Both rear seats are equipped with ISOFIX child-seat anchors.

The Jimny in GL-specification has two airbags and the GLX-models have six, including front-side airbags and curtain airbags that run the length of the cabin.

All models also have central locking, a digital immobiliser and rear parking sensors as standard. The Jimny felt safe and well planted. My opinion is that off-road it is more comfortable, but on-road it drives well at 120 km/h

 Suzuki will introduce an exclusive two-tone paint option for this model range.

The two-tone colour option matches Chiffon Ivory Metallic, Kinetic Yellow and Sizzling Red Metallic (new) with a roof painted with Pearlescent Bluish Black paint.

For buyers who opt for a single colour, the choices include Celestial Blue Pearl Metallic (new), Arctic White Pearl, Silky Silver Metallic, Bluish Black Pearl, Granite Grey Metallic (new) and Jungle Green.

PRICING.

Jimny 5-door 1.5 GL MT R429 900

Jimny 5-door 1.5 GLX MT R457 900

Jimny 5-door 1.5 GLX auto R479 900

Summation.

The 5-door Jimny will find a host of new buyers, young families, the same buyers that want more space etc. We found it entertaining to drive, capable off-road and a cool car all round.