Suzuki has finally revealed the production-ready long-wheelbase (LWB), five-door variant of its globally popular Jimny compact off-roader at the Auto Expo 2023 in India … and word is that this longer, more spacious version will soon be available locally alongside the existing three-door range.
However, one cannot but mull over the incredulity of a global launch in the country where the model is manufactured but not available yet … Yes, Suzuki Auto South Africa sources the three-door Jimny (and most likely now the five-door) from India but it is not sold there … India still only get the Maruti Gypsy, a basic model based on the LWB, second-generation SJ40 Jimny … (although the new five-door Jimny is now slated for introduction to India).
Also, it is incredible when one realises those from Generation Z and Gen Alpha naissance have so far missed out completely on a LWB version of the Jimny … as the last of these derivatives were made available here 25 years ago – nearly half the lifespan of the Jimny.
It needs to be stated that the new five-door model is not the first LWB Jimny derivative in the 50-year plus history of the nameplate (far from it) and also not the first five-door variant … No, the history of the LWB Jimny can be traced back to the LJ81 derivative of the SJ20 Jimny introduced in 1979.
When the SJ40 Jimny was launched in 1982, a LWB version, the SJ40T, was made available and marketed worldwide under various names, including Maruti Gypsy, Santana, SJ410/413, Samurai, Sierra, Potohar, Fox, Katana, and Caribian. The SJ410 LWB assembled in Indonesia from 1984 (as a chassis-cab and only with 4×2 rear-wheel drivetrain) was named Katana – and soon became known as the “Kalong” – an abbreviation of Katana Long.
First Five-Door Jimny
For about eight years (until 1992), the Alexander car body company in Indonesia (now part of Armada Mobil in Magelang) produced a version of the SJ40 Jimny LWB called the Katana Corsica. This variant was the first Jimny with five doors (the rear doors had window winders) and a distinctive rear cabin with high windows, reminiscent of earlier Land Rover Discovery models.
According to the Indonesian website Cintamobil.com, these models, as well as the Thai-built Jimny Caribian extended cab pickup based on the SJ413 LWB with 1.3-litre engine and introduced 12 years later (in 2004), are now again gaining in popularity in Indonesia, and are in high demand …
So, how does the new five-door model, based on the same underpinnings as the three-door JB74W version, differ from its popular stablemate? Well, it is 360 mm longer than its three-door brother (but slightly shorter than the Gypsy), and its wheelbase has been stretched by 340 mm to 2 590 mm (compared to 2 375 mm for the Gypsy), while its width, height, and ride height of 210 mm remain unchanged.
It also keeps the 1.5-litre petrol engine (75 kW/130 Nm), a choice of five-speed manual or four-speed auto transmission, the AllGrip four-wheel drive system, and low range 4WD system. However, the approach angle of the five-door is 36 degrees (vs. 37 for the three-door), its breakover angle is 24 degrees (vs. 28 degrees for the three-door), and the departure angle is 50 degrees (vs. 49 degrees for the three-door).
Suzuki Auto South Africa has confirmed the new five-door Jimny will be added to the local Jimny line-up “sooner rather than later”. More information on the local launch date, the exact line-up, specifications, and range will be made available at a later stage.
Text: Ferdi de Vos | Images: Suzuki Auto South Africa/Pinterest
