Ever since the Maruti Suzuki Gypsy was discontinued for civilians, everyone has been waiting for the next SUV to compete with the Mahindra Thar. For a long time, rumours have been doing the rounds that the Jimny will be making its way to India. Now, we all knew that it was going to be a 5-door variant of Jimny, but the rumours are finally coming true.
Maruti Suzuki has finally begun testing the 5-door Jimny in Europe as spy photos indicate. However, reports online suggest that the SUV was made in India and sent overseas for testing. This is also the same car that is expected to be made available in India once it is launched.
Design and dimensions
The Jimny that was spied being testing was heavily camouflaged. So, most of the design cues are hidden. What is apparent however, is the clear presence of a second set of doors for the second row. What you also get to see is the obvious increase in length of the car, along with a new set of black alloys. At the front, even with the camouflage, the same type of grille and big round headlamps can be seen. At the rear too, the bumper seems to be the same unit as the one on the current short-wheelbase Jimny with the tail lamps on either side.
The 5-door variant’s wheelbase is expected to increase by 300 mm to 2,550 mm from the 3-door variant’s 2,250 mm. Other dimensions, too, have been spotted online with the length measuring in at 3,850 mm, width at 1,645 mm and height at 1,730 mm. Of course, with the added length and the two extra doors, the weight of the car is also expected to go up by at least 100 kg to 1,190 kg. Ground clearance should be identical at 210 mm.
Powertrain
The current line-up of 3-door Jimnys utilises the K15B 1.5-litre petrol engine, and this will most likely make its way to the 5-door variant as well. This churns out 100 hp of maximum power at 6,000 rpm and 130 Nm of peak torque at 4,000 rpm. However, Maruti Suzuki has been replacing the K15B engines with K15C engines in their India line-up of cars. This means, both the 3-door as well as the 5-door variants, when launched in India, should see a similar shift to the K15C engine. Currently, the new 1.5-litre petrol engines produce 103 PS of maximum power and 137 Nm of peak torque. In terms of transmission, both 5-speed manual as well as automatic options should be available. Four-wheel-drive, as well, will continue as to be used in the new car.
But the most important aspect would be the addition of Suzuki’s mild hybrid tech. The addition of this could see wonders in fuel economy. With the use of the 1.5-litre engine, despite the sub-4m dimensions of the Jimny, Maruti Suzuki will not be eligible for the compact car excise benefits. Switching to the smaller 1.2-litre may help and will definitely lower the entry price for the Jimny, but is fairly unlikely to happen.
Features
Most of the interiors should be largely similar to what we currently see on the 3-door Jimny. The addition of cabin space is obvious thanks to the increased length, but we will have to wait and see if Maruti Suzuki decides to add in a third row as well. One upgrade could be the new 9-inch infotainment system that we have already seen on the newer Maruti Suzuki and Toyota cars. This means connected car tech and the new SmartPlay Pro+ system. Other than that, the spy pictures largely showcase a similar-looking dashboard with an identical steering wheel for the 5-door variant. The instrument cluster seems to be two round analogue dials in square housings, circular AC vents, and a similar automatic gear stick.
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