Five doors, four-wheel drive, three days and two countries later
Our route was set. ‘Wheels-up’ in Polokwane, evade potholes all the while taking in big African skies and wildlife as we cross into Botswana via the Platjan border control. Then, witness the gorgeous Tuli Wilderness, catch our breath, and ultimately set up camp right beside the Limpopo River for a night under the stars. Bliss.
The Suzuki Jimny, if we’re being totally honest, has a cult following like few others. It is as iconic as it is impractical, with a lunchbox-on-wheels profile that looks as at home in an urban setting as it does in the wilds of Botswana. Well, in addition to sprouting two more doors, the new Jimny also gains 340mm of length – which you really appreciate inside the cabin. Besides the extra space and row of seats, you also have 126l more luggage capacity than before, which can be further expanded when the pews are dropped flat. Luggage space has been bumped up from just under 90l in the 3-door to 211 litres in this new 5-door model. Drop down the seats and you’ll have access to a very un-Jimny 1311 litres, fantastic. As a result, the curb weight has risen by 105kg despite the power output remaining the same. That’s a familiar 75kW and 130Nm, returning 6.4l/100km from the prolific K15B engine. Slower then? About the same actually, based on our experience driving from Polokwane to Moleme and back again, incorporating a bit of tarmac and a lot of gravel and sand thanks to the dry riverbeds along our route. But before we elaborate on the drive, let’s reflect on this legacy.
This fourth generation of Jimny was launched in 2018. Two years later (in 2020) marked 50 years of Jimny globally. In the past 15 years, 20,422 Jimnys were sold in SA – just over 9,000 third gens versus 11,000+ of the current shape. Where the three-door model is produced in Japan, the 5-door hails from a factory in India. File this information however you see fit, but from my 800km or so at the wheel, their countries of origin didn’t manage to manifest any discernible difference. This car remains to be a box of laughs, sturdily built and robust enough for the task at hand – that is, 4x4ing under the African sun.
On that note, it’s Suzuki’s All Grip Pro 4WD system at work here, featuring part-time 4×4 with low range available when you need it. The construction is a body-on (ladder) frame design, longer than before and with a new cross member for added rigidity. It also features a thickened propshaft and solid front and rear axles. It boasts near identical ability thanks to similar ground clearance, approach and departure angles to the 3-door, helped by its characteristic tiny overhangs. Like before, the K15B has been paired to a 4-speed auto (GLX only) or 5-speed manual. It’s no highway cruiser, but gets on with the job all the same. Drop your tyres onto the dirt and the Jimny immediately feels at home, twisting and scything on gravel ‘roads’. Depending on which model you buy, you’ll get a 7-inch infotainment system (GL) or 9-inch unit (GLX) with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Also in the GLX, climate and cruise control plus six airbags compared to just two in the GL. But, no matter which model of 5-door Jimny you opt for, you’ll get that new revised chrome front-end of which I’m a fan. Add to this a new colour palette (as well as returning favourites such as Jungle and Kinetic Green) and the Jimny will continue to turn heads on our roads and on the dunes. Especially here in Botswana veld, as a long convoy of colourful little 4x4s meander into the horizon along Solomon’s Wall, like a line of jellybeans before our final push across the Pont-drift Border post, and back to Polokwane.
Over the course of our adventure, we appreciated the extra room and enjoyed the overall new aesthetic of the bigger Jimny. And have nothing else to report really – the character is retained, the driving experience unchanged but the living experience has been subtly updated with a handful of quality-of-life improvements. The flip side to this is that nothing has been ruined or lost in the transition from plucky little 4×4 to something you can finally bring your family along in. More Jimny, more often and for more people. And for only R40,000 more than the three-door derivative overall – we reckon they’ll be printing money.
PRICING
Jimny 5-door 1.5 GL MT R429,900
Jimny 5-door 1.5 GLX MT R457,900
Jimny 5-door 1.5 GLX AT R479,900
Jimny 3-door 15 GL MT R390,900
Jimny 3-door 1.5 GL AT R412,900
Jimny 3-door 1.5 GLX MT R416,900
Jimny 3-door 1.5 GLX AT R438,900
Pricing includes:
5yr / 200 000km promotional warranty, 4yr / 60 000km service plan