This moment could have been one of Suzuki’s major turning points, the moment when it sensed that it had in hand a potential hit that could have changed everything – and it was missed. There’s a story here and there’s also an optimistic message at its end.
Exactly two years ago, in January 2023, we told you here about the marvel called the Suzuki Jimny 5-Door for the Indian market. The enthusiastic reactions to the model led the small Japanese manufacturer to start marketing it also in its homeland, but they did not expect the Japanese rush on this vehicle and within just 4 days, when the backlog of orders reached about 50,000 and the waiting time exceeded 3 years, the manufacturer announced that it was no longer allowing orders.
The extended Jimny is a configuration that has been talked about for years in light of the model’s success and the desire to expand the model’s customer base. A customer base that, according to the reaction in the Japanese market, was definitely waiting for it and wants the tough little mini also in an extended configuration.
In terms of the mechanical components, there is no difference between the two configurations of the Jimny. A 1.5-liter engine with 102 hp, rear-wheel drive or four-wheel drive for off-road and low-range gearing, manual or automatic transmission (5 or 4 speeds respectively). The power is transmitted through two live axles and coil springs at all four corners.
The change is in the dimensions—in this configuration it nearly reaches 4 meters (399 cm), which is 35 cm more than the 3-door configuration. The wheelbase increases from 225 to 259 cm, but these do not add a seat in the rear row, which is still intended for two passengers, but instead allow for a small trunk of 208 liters. And that is much more than the sad joke of 85 liters of the short version. The change in dimensions does not alter the excellent approach and departure angles (36 and 47 respectively) and also the ground clearance of 21 cm, but the extended wheelbase reduces the belly angle from 28 to 25 degrees.
The price of the extended Jimny in Japan is 20% higher than the price of the 3-door configuration. That is, when translated and added to the price of the local version, which stands at NIS 160,000, we are looking at NIS 200,000. This is less than half the entry prices of large off-road vehicles such as the Ford Bronco, Toyota Land Cruiser, or Jeep Wrangler. However, either way, the relevance of this version to us has not changed from what it was a year ago—and now it is even less relevant with the sale of the last shipment of the Jimny in Israel. This is because its marketing was halted in Europe due to failure to meet emission standards.
Nevertheless, it is precisely the massive success that this configuration—born for the Indian market, as mentioned—has achieved, which might cause Suzuki to reconsider its course. Perhaps, in this situation, investing in adapting it to emission standards might be economically worthwhile.