When the Suzuki Jimny was launched back in 2018, plenty of rumors about a forthcoming long-wheelbase variant with five doors started popping up. According to the latest report by Autocar India, the project now has finally been green-lighted and the five-door Jimny will be launched in India in the near future.
Quoting details from a dealer conference in India, the publication reports that the longer Jimny will have five doors and a 300 mm (11.8 inches) longer wheelbase than the current three-door variant. As a result, the more practical Jimny will reportedly measure 3,850 mm (151.6 inches) long and come with a 2,550 mm (100.4 inches) wheelbase allowing for increased space for both the rear passengers and cargo.
The first renderings of a five-door Jimny appeared in 2019, followed by a report about a possible production start in late 2020. A full year later there is no sign of the model, and the only hard evidence we have on Suzuki working on a second Jimny variant is a set of spy shots showing a long-wheelbase camouflaged prototype from early 2021.
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This speculative rendering for the five-door variant of the Suzuki Jimny was created in 2019 by Nikita Chuyko for the Russian publication Auto Mail and is neither related to nor endorsed by Suzuki
Since the Jimny will be four years old in 2022, the five-door variant could come together with a facelift for the existing three-door model. Under the bonnet, we expect to see an improved version of the naturally aspirated 1.5-liter petrol engine infused with 12V mild-hybrid technology already found in other Suzuki models. All-wheel-drive will of course come as standard since this is an off-road-focused proposal and one of the few remaining SUVs featuring a body-on-frame chassis.
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The camouflaged prototype spotted on March 2021 featured a longer wheelbase but it still came with three doors.
Despite not being available in the Indian market, Maruti Suzuki is already producing the left-hand-drive Suzuki Jimny and will soon start producing the right-hand drive model for export markets. Thus, the upcoming five-door variant is expected to be produced at the same Maruti Suzuki Hansalpur factory in Gujarat. Competitors in the Indian market will include the Force Gurkha, and the Mahindra Thar although none of those models are offered with a five-door bodystyle.
As a reminder, in Europe, the Suzuki Jimny is only available as a two-seater LCV since last year in order to comply with the strict emission regulations.
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