The 5-Door Suzuki Jimny is one of those cars you look at and wonder why Suzuki has never made one before.
It promises to take the existing 3-door, an already proven and popular vehicle, and add a couple of doors and some extra boot space. Now you can have both passengers and some load space. In modifying an already great car, you run the risk of losing some of the qualities that make the original so good
Spending a week and some 500 kms with the new 5-door, how does it stack up?
What We Like and Dislike About The 2024 Suzuki Jimny 5-Door
| What we like | What we don’t like |
| It’s cool Old School but modern Go anywhere Modern features Wireless Android Auto/Apple Car Play 5-door space over the 3-door Value | ANCAP safety rating No easy phone holder Only 2 cupholders for a 4-seater |
What’s In The 2024 Suzuki Jimny 5-Door Range?
The Jimny 5-door range essentially has only two options, 5-speed manual or automatic transmission, and with or without a black roof (Two-tone). The Two Tone simply adds a $510 premium to the base price.
- Suzuki Jimny 5-Door Manual $40,990
- Suzuki Jimny 5-Door Manual Two Tone $41,500
- Suzuki Jimny 5-Door Auto $44,990
- Suzuki Jimny 5-Door Auto Two Tone $45,500
Apart from the choice of “Two-tone” colour or not, the only other differences across the range relate to the transmission. With a manual, you get standard cruise control and a brake and clutch decoupling mechanism, while in the auto, you get adaptive cruise control and a shift lock and key interlock.
The manual is 15 kg lighter, and a fuel consumption that is 0.6L/100km better at 7.1L/100km.
2024 Suzuki Jimny 5-Door Colour Range
Manual/Auto
- Bluish Black Pearl
- White Pearl
- Granite Grey Metallic
- Jungle Green
Two Tone roof Manual/Auto
- Chiffon Ivory Metallic + Bluish Black Pearl
- Kinetic Yellow + Bluish Black Pearl (our review model)
- Sizzling Red Metallic + Bluish Black Pearl
Including the Two Tone roof, our Manual Jimny 5-Door review car’s retail price is $41,500.
For a full list of specs and options available for the 2024 Suzuki Jimny 5-Door, head on over to Suzuki New Zealand’s website.
How Does The 2024 Suzuki Jimny 5-Door Compare To Its Competition?
The Jimny is one of those cars that feels like it’s always been there in an intergenerational kind of way. It is both modern and old-school at the same time. During my time with the car, so many people commented fondly with words like “that’s cool”. It’s been around for so long, doing the same job and filling the same niche, that there exists instant recognition and respect.
Over time Suzuki has freshened its appearance and modernised its features so that now it has a more modern suite of safety features, climate air con and even wireless Android Auto. Fundamentally it’s still the same basic car, that’s great fun to drive and maintains that ‘go-anywhere’ ability it always has.
The Suzuki Jimny is almost in a segment of its own, there aren’t any others offering anything vaguely similar, not with a car this size and with this level of off-road capability, at such a price. In the following comparison, I have included other vehicles, albeit much larger ones, with a similar 4WD focus and priced within $10k of the Suzuki.
| Make/ Model | Engine | Power/ Torque kW/Nm | Seats | Fuel L/100km | Towing capacity | Boot Space litres | Price |
| GWM Tank 300 Lux | 2.0L 4-cylinder Turbo Petrol | 162/380 | 5 | 9.5 | 750/2,500 | 400/1,635 | $49,990 |
| LDV D90 | 2.0L 4-cylinder Turbo Petrol | 165/350 | 7 | 10.9 | 750/2,800 | 343/1,350/2,382 | $49,990 |
| LDV D90 | 2.0L 4-cylinder Turbo Diesel | 160/480 | 7 | 9.1 | 750/3,000 | 343/1,350/2,382 | $49,990 |
| Mahindra Scorpio Z8 | 2.2L 4-cylinder Turbo Diesel | 129/400 | 7 | 7.2 | 750/2,500 | 460/756/1,065 | $47,990 |
| Suzuki Jimny 5-door | 1.5L 4-cylinder Petrol | 75/130 | 4 | 7.1 | 500/1,300 | 211/332 | $40,990 |
| Suzuki Jimny JXN Carry 3-door | 1.5L 4-cylinder Petrol | 75/130 | 4 | 7.1 | 500/950 | 85/377 | $32,500 |
Please note that DriveLife does its best to ensure the information above is correct at the time of publication, however, prices, specifications and models can change over time. Please bear that in mind when comparing models in the comparison table.
First Impressions Of The 2024 Suzuki Jimny 5-Door
When I collected the Jimny it struck me how seamlessly they have introduced two more doors without losing any of the model’s image and character. The convenience together with some useful boot space makes it way more practical and family useful.
Our car was finished in Kinetic Yellow, and amongst the family, it quickly became referred to as “the highlighter”. It’s a perfect colour for such a car, one that says “fun”, matching the car’s unique character.
What’s The Interior Like In The 2024 Suzuki Jimny 5-Door?
The interior of the Jimny has a very familiar feel to Jimny’s from the past. It is very well put together and with high-quality materials and finishes, showing great attention to detail.
The cabin is compact, and features like the door cards are kept low profile, giving occupants the largest space possible. The lower door pockets, for example, are kept slim-line, making them too small for the likes of water bottles.
While the bulk of the interior is dark, dark grey fabrics and black plastics, the interior is lifted through the light-coloured headlining.
The chunky ruggedness of the dashboard fits perfectly with what the car is. At first glance, the interior conveys the appearance that not much has changed and it remains quite a basic car. However, when you look in more detail, you realise it too comes with a lot of the current convenience and safety features. The spec includes remote locking, cruise control (adaptive cruise on automatic transmission models) with speed limiter, electric windows, rear privacy glass, Bluetooth head unit with wireless Apple Carplay and Android Auto, climate control, LED projector headlamps with washers and auto high beam, lane departure warning, weaving alert, ESP, ABS, EBD, brake assist, hill hold and hill descent control, 6 airbags, front and rear seatbelt pre-tensioners and force limiters, and LSD traction control.
The leather-covered steering wheel gives a nod to the present. It is an attractive three-spoke wheel with cruise control on the right and modes and volume controls on the left. At approx. 7 o’clock on the wheel further buttons manage phone calls. Conventional stalks behind the wheel for lights on the right and wipers on the left, including control for the rear wiper.
Ahead of the wheel, the dash has a rev-counter and speedo, both round analogue in their own square binnacle housings. Located between them is a digital screen used to display trip computer information and drive mode selections.
To the lower right of the wheel are dash-mounted controls for lane departure warning, collision avoidance, parking sensors, headlight washers and headlight height adjustment. Also, there are electric controls to adjust the exterior door mirrors including folding options. In the centre of the dash is a 9-inch infotainment touchscreen above a couple of air vents and controls for the climate air conditioning.
Further down the centre dash are the front electric window buttons, stability and decent control functions, a single USB-A and a 12-voltv power outlet. There is a small tray located beneath these, however, it is not large enough to take a cell phone – a bit of an oversight/lost opportunity?
On the passenger’s side, there is a sturdy grab handle integrated into the dash and beneath that, a glove box that is all but filled with the handbook.
Falling easily to hand in the centre of the car is the five-speed gear shifter, the drive mode transfer gear stick and the handbrake. In the handbrake housing is a second set of window controls for the front seat occupants to operate the rear door electric windows, and the only two cupholders.
The seats are covered in dark grey/black fabrics, with patterned centre panels and plain fabric on the side bolsters and backs. They offer ample manual adjustment when combined with the tilt adjustment of the steering wheel, I readily found a suitably comfortable driving position. Map pockets are provided in the back of both front seats.
The back seat has seat belts for two occupants, with the seat backs able to be locked at one of two angle settings. Legroom for the rear passengers is OK for six-footers, in part as the back of the front seats is stretched fabric and hence forgiving on the knees. Two ISOFIX child seat anchor points are also provided. Headroom in every seating position is fine.
The rear seat backs can also be dropped in a 50/50 split to increase load space. When lowered, the seat backs take up some of the potential luggage space as they remain above the boot floor level.
The boot is small but sized adequately for general errands, shopping and the like, and with square sides it’s stackable. In the boot, there are a couple of bolt anchor points on each side, as well as a light and a second 12-volt accessories power outlet. Tools to change a wheel are located under the floor, and a full-sized spare wheel is mounted externally on the side-hung rear door.
Rubberised floor mats, one for each passenger, are moulded with sensibly raised side walls to contain any mud and water that is walked in.
What’s The 2024 Suzuki Jimny 5-Door Like To Drive?
Jumping into a Jimny is like stepping back in time. It is wonderfully old school in that vein of “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it”. Its original purpose for being is just as relevant today. It is small, light, largely unchanged, and promises “fun”; simply approaching the car puts a smile on your face. And it had that same effect on everyone who saw the car, a general acknowledgement of “that’s cool” and “that’s fun”.
I am pleased to say that driving the car delivers on that promise of fun. Despite its size, the relatively high seating position gives you great visibility and puts you on par with most utes and SUV’s. While it’s no powerhouse, it is more than capable of keeping up with everyday traffic. Our review car had the manual gearbox, and that’s the one I’d choose. Changing gears was a joy, slick and precise. Through the stick you are directly connected to the mechanics of the car, you can both feel and hear the gears at work in such a satisfying way. I loved it.
It is a proper 4WD with a ladder chassis and solid axles front and rear. Steering is power-assisted via a recirculating ball and with a damper, and motive power is an in-line 1.5-litre fuel-injected four-cylinder petrol via a 5-speed manual. In many ways, it drives better on the road than this specification would suggest. It takes virtually no time at all to get the feel of it. It is a brilliant commuter, an around-town car able to go seriously out of town too.
The suspension is set up to accommodate off-roading and the ride is as expected, a little on the firm side. On our poorer quality roads, it can be somewhat bouncy, however, the bumps are well-damped and no harshness was transmitted into the passenger compartment. The interior is so well detailed and assembled that harsh bumps did not induce any noises from interior linings or fittings. It can roll a little in the corners, but no more than expected for such a car. Road noise was generally well managed, except for the New Zealand coarse-chip seal on some of our out-of-town roads, that broadcast loud and clear.
From the driver’s seat, everything is right there, even the windscreen. Despite the near vertical windscreen and the drip rail around the roof edge, I was surprised there was negligible wind noise. In everyday driving, its handling is predictable and even on the wettest of days, it performed well. The infotainment screen is nicely responsive to the touch, easy to use and has logically laid-out menus. The connection of my phone was simple, it handled phone calls clearly, and using Android Auto over wifi worked faultlessly. The reversing camera is displayed on the infotainment screen and includes a guide frame illustration for the rear door-mounted spare wheel, so you can accommodate for that too.
There were many wet days during my time with the car, and I can confirm the climate air-con worked a charm, keeping all the windows clear. In particular, I like that the controls for the air-con are actual knobs and buttons, and you can operate them simply by feeling. It’s a bit of a pet peeve of mine when these controls are down menus in the infotainment system, it can be quite a distraction from the road, not that dissimilar to using a cell phone.
While it may be largely unchanged over decades, it has been well-modernised, having many of the features and conveniences we have now come to expect in a new car. It’s an easy car to live with. Yes, it is small, but its overall size makes it superb for navigating and parking in the city. While you need the key to start it, there is an unused shape on the dash suspiciously like it could house a press-button start – a future upgrade perhaps?
In my time with the Jimny, I drove almost 500 km over a mix of open and urban roads with up to four adults onboard, and with mixed weather conditions, the air con was on for most of that. The fuel economy I recorded was 7.2l/100km, almost bang on Suzuki’s quoted 7.1l/100. Well done Suzuki.
ALISTAIR’S POINT OF VIEW
Ya know, cars today are excellent, and the average buyer has access to some of the safest, most fuel-efficient and technologically-advanced, tarmac chariots ever to grace the road. Sadly, in the pursuit of the most advanced, bubble-wrapped and ever-refined modern motorcar, we’ve also developed some of the most bland and uninspiring vehicles ever.
It’s a sad reality for anybody with an appreciation for four-wheels, knowing that many cars are now essentially rolling kitchen appliances.
My inner enthusiast couldn’t give a toss about the latest crossover with more and more tech. I want something unique, fun-to-drive and ideally something with a personality. A car where the engineers employed weren’t held in a headlock by management to meet KPIs or other consumer-driven nonsense.
If you identify with this, you may find a cure in this bright and effervescent, boxy-bruiser of a small SUV – the 2024 Suzuki Jimny.
This shape of Jimny, or the 4th generation Jimny, has been with us since 2018, but this is the first time it’s been offered as a five-door. The five-door is naturally longer, but not by much. You wouldn’t call the Jimny a large-car by any stretch.
On the inside, the 2024 Jimny is more of the same. Hard, bashable plastics, basic creature comforts, and bugger-all storage for loose items if we’re being perfectly honest. The boxy interior dimensions mean there’s plenty of headroom, and the basic trimmings mean you’re not going to be precious about this interior (it’s an off-roader, after all).
There is a new infotainment system – a 9’’ unit by Pioneer – which is miles better than Suzuki’s old infotainment system that it had been using since the middle of last decade.
From behind the wheel, the Jimny feels delightfully old-school. Honestly, it feels more like a truck than a Ford Ranger does these days. Its engine is a coarse-sounding, 1.5-litre naturally-aspirated 4-cylinder. It’s enough to move the Jimny’s light frame, but on the highway, it can feel like it converts more petrol to noise than forward propulsion. The manual gearbox feels surprisingly-good, with tight ratios and a moderate throw. The throttle pedal has a long travel, and the perfect sensitivity for off-roading.
On the road, the Jimny has a way of projecting its confidence in that it feels bigger, and bolder, than the exterior dimensions suggest. In the corners, the Jimny does have a propensity to pitch and lean, but it’s difficult to get it truly bent out of shape. The ride? It’s not great. Truck-like, one might say.
So yeah, the Jimny does feel a bit agricultural behind the wheel, but that’s also part of its charm. It is a rugged, old-school feeling, bashable off-roader, that’ll hold its own against Toyota Land Cruisers and it’ll never let you down. It has character, and it isn’t trying to be something it’s not.
Also, the Jimny’s compact dimensions and high clearances almost encourage you to mount every kerb and bunny-hop every speed bump. You needn’t often reverse parallel park the Jimny, because you can just mount the kerb instead. In that sense, the Jimny is a great city car.
So, that’s the Suzuki Jimny. Objectively, it is probably not a great car for many people. It’s slow, not all that safe, not particularly refined on-road, and although improved, it’s still behind the times technologically.
But honestly, I don’t care. Because subjectively, the Suzuki Jimny is bloody brilliant. It’ll get under your skin, with its old-school driving feel and charm. It’s hardy, mechanical and capable of climbing rocky trails like a mountain goat, and now that it has 5-doors, the dog can get in without dirtying the front seats.
Simply, there’s nothing quite like it any more, and nothing that could match its off-roading chops for the money.
In short, I loved driving the Suzuki Jimny. It’s cool, unique, and I even started looking at used ones after living with it.
2024 Suzuki Jimny – Specifications
| Vehicle Type | Compact SUV |
| Starting Price | $40,990 |
| Price as Tested | $41,500 |
| Engine | 1.5-litre 4-cylinder |
| Power, Torque kW/Nm | 75/130 |
| Transmission | 5-speed manual with low ratio |
| Spare Wheel | Full-sized on the back door |
| Kerb Weight, Kg | 1,200 |
| Length x Width x Height mm | 3,820 x 1,645 x 1,720 |
| Boot Space / Cargo Capacity, Litres (seats up/seats down) | 211/332 |
| Fuel tank capacity, litres | 40 |
| Fuel Economy, L/100km | Advertised Spec – (WLTP) Combined – 7.1 Real-World Test – Combined – 7.2 Low Usage: 0-6 / Medium Usage 6-12 / High Usage 12+ |
| Towing Capacity Kg, unbraked/braked | 500/1,300 |
| Turning circle metres | 11.4 Small: 6-10m / Medium 10-12m / Large 12m+ |
| Warranty | 5 year Warranty Package 3 year 100,000km new car warranty 2 year additional powertrain extension warranty 5 year unlimited km Suzuki Roadside Assist |
| Safety information | ANCAP Rating – 3 stars – Link (applies to 3-door variants from 2018. Rating expires Dec 2024. 5-door has not been tested) Rightcar.govt.nz – 5 Stars – QJY448 |
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