The moment the Suzuki Jimny was showcased at the 2020 Auto Expo, people started wondering if the mini-SUV is close to its Indian market launch. At first, CV Raman, Senior Executive Director (Engg), Maruti Suzuki India Ltd, stated that there were no plans to launch the Jimny in India as the market for three-door mini SUVs is very niche in our country. However, a few spy shots appeared of a LWB Jimny appeared recently, thereby confirming our belief that an XL-size version could be headed our way. Now, according to the latest media reports, the 5-door Suzuki Jimny could make its debut by the end of 2021 or early 2022 as the new Maruti Gypsy. Its market launch is rumoured to take place around mid-2022.
The overall design of the 5-door Suzuki Jimny will stay largely similar to the current model, except for, of course, the additional set of doors and the stretched side profile. There will be projector headlamps, vertical slat grille and rugged bumper for the front end. The side profile will see the biggest difference with the addition of rear doors and a larger rear quarter window. Wheels will be the same 15-inch alloys as the three-door model. Over to the rear, the boot-mounted spare wheel and bumper-mounted taillights will be carried over from the smaller Jimny.
An earlier leaked document revealed the specifications of the 5-door Suzuki Jimny. The dimensions come in at 3,850 mm in length, 1,645 mm width, a 1,730 mm height, and ground clearance is pegged at 210 mm. These dimensions are the same as the current 3-door Jimny, except for the length, which is 300 mm longer. This gives the India-spec Jimny a bigger cabin and 2 rear doors that should aid ingress and egress. Compared to the 3-door Jimny’s wheelbase of 2,250 mm, the 5-door model’s wheelbase comes in at 2,550 mm. The extra length also brings extra weight to the 5-door Jimny, 1,190 kgs compared to the 3-door’s 1,090 kgs. Codenamed the YWD, Suzuki has already finalized drawings and sent the quotation request for the 5-door Jimny.
Powering the 5-door Suzuki Jimny will be the same unit that is in use currently in the 3-door model. The 1.5-litre K15B petrol engine produces 105 PS/130 Nm of max power and torque figures, respectively. Transmission options include a 5-speed manual gearbox or a 4-speed torque converter auto. The Jimny is a full-time 4x4 SUV and also comes with a low-range transfer case if the going gets too tough. Whereas the old Maruti Gypsy was barebones and lacked creature comforts, the Jimny offers features like hill hold control, hill descent control, ABS with EBD and much more. It even comes with a SmartPlay touchscreen infotainment system that supports Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.
