When the Suzuki Jimny was launched back in 2018, plenty of rumors about a forthcoming long-wheelbase variant with five doors started popping up. According to the latest report by Autocar India, the project now has finally been green-lighted and the five-door Jimny will be launched in India in the near future.
Quoting details from a dealer conference
in India, the publication reports that the longer Jimny will have five doors
and a 300 mm longer wheelbase than the current three-door
variant. As a result, the more practical Jimny will reportedly measure 3,850 mm long and come with a 2,550 mm wheelbase allowing
for increased space for both the rear passengers and cargo. The first
renderings of a five-door Jimny appeared in 2019, followed by a report about a
possible production start in late 2020. A full year later there is no sign of
the model, and the only hard evidence we have on Suzuki working on a second
Jimny variant is a set of spy shots showing a long-wheelbase camouflaged
prototype from early 2021.
Since the Jimny will be four years old in
2022, the five-door variant could come together with a facelift for the
existing three-door model. Under the bonnet, we expect to see an improved
version of the naturally aspirated 1.5-liter petrol engine infused with 12V
mild-hybrid technology already found in other Suzuki models. All-wheel-drive
will of course come as standard since this is an off-road-focused proposal and
one of the few remaining SUVs featuring a body-on-frame chassis.
Despite not being available in the Indian
market, Maruti Suzuki is already producing the left-hand-drive Suzuki Jimny and
will soon start producing the right-hand drive model for export markets. Thus,
the upcoming five-door variant is expected to be produced at the same Maruti
Suzuki Hansalpur factory in Gujarat. Competitors in the Indian market will
include the Force Gurkha, and the Mahindra Thar although none of those models
are offered with a five-door bodystyle. As a reminder, in Europe, the Suzuki
Jimny is only available as a two-seater LCV since last year in order to comply
with the strict emission regulations.
