The Suzuki Jimny 5-door has been leaked ahead of its planned reveal and 2023 Australian launch, with undisguised shots run by Autocar India.
The highly anticipated stretched Jimny ‘long’ is expected to make its premiere at India’s Auto Expo in January 2023 – reflecting Suzuki’s dominant presence on the subcontinent.
We’ve been seeing camouflaged test versions getting around for ages now. Unlike the Japan-made three-door, it’s currently expected Jimny 5-door models will be built in India for Australia.
Jimny Long leaked, revealing the rear door and window design
We’d bank on the wheelbase being around 300mm longer, and well-placed sources suggest the overall length will be around 3850mm, against 3480mm for the three-door.
As revealed in September, Suzuki Australia says it’s already fielding a great deal of enquiries about the long-wheelbase five-door Jimny 4×4 – a vehicle that officially does not yet exist, but which is clearly around the corner.
Expected to commence production in the first half of 2023, the Jimny five-door will build on the success of the three-door – a rugged little mountain goat that’s selling like hotcakes in Australia and is subject to ongoing wait times.
Spy image
That said, Suzuki Australia says it’s confident of improved supply for next year. Jimny sales for 2022 in Australia sit at 5280 to the end of November, up 82 per cent, making it a bigger seller than either the Swift (3988) or Vitara (2908).
It’s clear Suzuki Australia is highly interested in getting the five-door here to tap into this unrelenting demand. The Jimny’s famously devoted fan base is showing great interest, as confirmed to us by Suzuki Australia general manager Michael Pachota recently.
“It is still a hypothetical vehicle. But with that said, the awareness around spy shots and so forth, [it] has intrigued so many potential buyers out there in the market, especially in Australia,” Mr Pachota said, adding some people had already tried placing an order, despite the car not actually being revealed or even officially confirmed.
Jimny three-door
“I can tell you, just based on the level of intrigue, and the amount of customer feedback that we have had through our social channels, and even general enquiries of people hitting us up asking when it’s coming, that it [would do] as well as, if not better, than the three-door, in my opinion.”
There are still more questions than answers around the longer Jimny, including what engine it will use. The three-door’s 75kW and 130Nm 1.5-litre petrol mated to four-speed auto or five-speed manual transmissions would not be much for a five-door car.
Previous rumours have suggested the five-door Jimny would nevertheless share this naturally aspirated powertrain, but our spy photographer noted one prototype was driving “without any engine noise”. This suggests some form of electrified hybrid powertrain option.
Spy image
We’re also not clear on what safety features will be used in the back seats, with export models likely being held to higher standards than base models in the Indian market.
More details will no doubt emerge in the new year.
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