Wrangler

Make
Jeep
Segment
SUV

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.