Though it's not sold in the United States, the Suzuki Jimny is extremely popular in other markets. In certain countries, Jimny demand is sky high with a 20-year waitlist in some cases. Think of the Jimny as a baby Jeep Wrangler; it's designated as a Kei car in Japan, meaning it falls within very tight size and engine requirements. Due to the Kei car restrictions, the Jimny is only offered in two-door form (or as a pickup truck) with a minuscule 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine producing just 100 horsepower. Suzuki could expand the Jimny (quite literally), as Japanese outlet Autoc-One just reported.
Rumors of a larger five-door Jimny have been swirling around since 2020, but this is the most concrete news we've heard about it recently. The Japanese publication claims the five-door Jimny was planned to debut at the 2021 Tokyo Motor Show, but that event was canceled due to Covid-19 concerns.
With the auto show canceled, Suzuki will instead reveal the car in 2022. The car will use the name "Jimny Long" and arrive with a wheelbase that is approximately 11.8 inches longer than the three-door model. This will greatly improve its passenger and cargo space, which are lacking in the three-door version. Adding more metal to an already underpowered off-roader is a recipe for disaster, but Suzuki reportedly has a plan to rectify this issue.
The Jimny Long will reportedly gain a turbocharger on top of its 1.5-liter engine, as well as a mild-hybrid setup. The exact output figures from this setup are currently unknown, but a turbocharger and the 48-volt system should help the Jimny Long produce significantly more than 100 hp.
The five-door Jimny Long will arrive alongside a mid-cycle refresh for the standard three-door model sometime next year. We expect the styling to change minimally, with the five-door model priced around $3,000 higher than the base, non-turbo model. Though Suzuki seems to have no plans to offer the Jimny in the US, the mild-hybrid turbo setup should help the company meet stricter European emissions standards, which previously forced Suzuki to stop sales there.