Five Door Jimny for South Africa!

[Mad Manny]

In August 2020 (nearly 2 & a half years ago) I started this Thread...

viewtopic.php?f=24&t=1050&p=23976#p23976

In the first post I stated:

"There are reports that India may produce a 5 door Jimny (Sierra).

Our two 'Jimny Whisperers' Flipside & Saxj both dispute this.

Background:
The previous Jimny (the 1300) was around for 20 years.
India never got that model.
India still runs the previous SJ called the Gypsy.

The only reason they got the Gypsy is that the Indian military buys it & that kept production going.

The Gypsy was discontinued over 2 years ago, but you can still get it on order (in India) - I assume they do limited runs as & when the military places an order.

But effectively, for the past 2 years, Indians can't buy a SJ/Gypsy/Jimny.

The Indians are crying out for the new Jimny Sierra

Maruti Suzuki
Maruti Suzuki is big & powerful.
Suzuki's sell very well in India thanks to Maruti.
Maruti sell a re-badged RAV as a Suzuki in India.
Two Suzuki's are re-badged as Toyota's there.

Suzuki cannot keep up with demand of the Jimny - this despite the fact that they pulled the Jimny from Europe & it isn't sold in North America.

Suzuki Japan & Maruti have built a factory in India to produce the Jimny - this will solve the demand issues.
The Jimny's from this factory will apparently NOT be sold in India.
Production from this factory will start soon (? September 2020)
So the poor Indians, who are desperate for the new Jimny, will make it, but can't buy it.

The rumours are that another factory will be built to supply India only.
The Jimny's in this2nd factory may be 5 door & may or may not be 4x4.

Indians have large families - a 5 seater is essential there.

Even the Gypsy was (apparently) fitted with rear side bench seats facing one another.

So let's see.

SAXJ, amongst others, was very skeptical...

But not only was the 5 Door Jimny revealed at the Auto Show in India on 13 January, but it has been confirmed for South Africa, arriving THIS Year...

[Mad Manny]

The naysayers should learn to never doubt Siener De Freitas.

Remember when, on the 'other' Forum, I suggested buying & storing one of the last (Old SFA) Defenders as they will become very sought after.
Most people disagreed - strangely, the strongest opponents were the Land Rover guys.

But those last Defenders are now selling for DOUBLE their last selling price.

I was also right, at the outset, about:
Brexit (Will result in economic decline)
Trump (will serve but One Term)
Covid (should be ignored)
Putin (Won't win the war)
This Forum (will be a success)
Despite most people disagreeing with me (some still do - despite all the evidence to the contrary)...

I did however think that Rick Springfield would become a megastar but Bruce Springsteen will fade away - so clearly I'm not a Musical Siener...

Anyway, enough about my prohetic visions

So, what do you guys think about the 5 Door Jimny?

One thing I like is that you can slide the front seats forward & then fold the rear seats flat making a large flat area.
So you could overland with it (if you can carry enough fuel)...

[Redman]

I like it...

Will be interesting to see the final spec level. Current 3 door Jimny has a carrying capacity of 315-340kg. (GVW 1435kg). 5 Door GVW (from what I could gather) is 1545kg. Longer vehicle so my guess is payload of around 335-350kg.

So it will in essence remain a 2 person vehicle for overlanding with more interior space. Not sure if this version will also have 40L fuel tank?

Will most likely sell out first batches that goes to the markets.

[Wave]

I think it will sell well, the JK Wrangler was the first Wrangler to be offered un "Unlimited" - fancy marketing for LWB 5 door, and it now outsells the SWB version, why? Because people actually have families and like boot space.

A few years back I wanted to get the Mrs a Jimny, she shot me down because of the boot space, and I agreed, but now with a bigger version available it will appeal to a much wider market. Now to see if Suzuki can supply enough to fill demand, as 3 door Jimny's still have a waiting list...

[Bugger]

Will they increase the engine capacity

[Redman]

Nope same 1.5 naturally aspirated 75kw 130Nm petrol engine...

Not sure if we will get lucky and receive the mighty upgrade the Indian market gets. 1.5 naturally aspirated 77kw 134Nm petrol engine...

[Mad Manny]

Same weezy low torque motor, but the 5 door is 100kg heavier than the 3 door - so itll have more space but wont carry more weight.
They really, really, really need to drop a more powerful forced induction motor in there.

[Mad Manny]

What I found interesting is that, for 2 years, all reports claimed the wheelbase and overall length increase by 300mm.
But it actually is longer, wheelbase up by 340mm, I think, and overall length by 360mm.

[Redman]

The 1.4-litre turbocharged K14C Boosterjet engine (used in the Swift Sport and Vitara) @ 103kW and 230Nm should do the trick.

[jakeslouw]

1) I never doubted or disputed the inevitable increase in real Defender prices. And yes, it was strange that many Defenders owners argued about that, especially some chops like BruceT. If I had the money back then, I should have bought all the skedonk Defenders and stored them on my farm. Would have made a KILLING.
2) 5-door 4x4s: anybody who has driven a 3-door will admit that a short wheel base 4x4 with a correspondingly high CoG has limited attractiveness in real life, regardless of whether you are on the open road or a trail. The only time I would consider a 3-door is if it was a weekend toy or a Cape Town city car. Or if I was less than 1.5m tall and thin. Because if you tried to put Manny and me in a Jimny at the same time, we'd need to have half our bodies out the bloody windows. And we're not gigantic people, just somewhat porky. I shudder to think how REALLY big okes would even attempt to fit in one.
2) Putin: the jury is still out on that, but Russia is hammering Ukrain. We only hear the Western side of the story.

[LX]

It's actually a nice build. They should have done it earlier, now the SJ Owners/wishers will demand a double cab version.

[Saxj]

The naysayers should learn to never doubt Siener De Freitas.

Remember when, on the 'other' Forum, I suggested buying & storing one of the last (Old SFA) Defenders as they will become very sought after.
Most people disagreed - strangely, the strongest opponents were the Land Rover guys.

But those last Defenders are now selling for DOUBLE their last selling price.

I was also right, at the outset, about:
Brexit (Will result in economic decline)
Trump (will serve but One Term)
Covid (should be ignored)
Putin (Won't win the war)
This Forum (will be a success)
Despite most people disagreeing with me (some still do - despite all the evidence to the contrary)...

I did however think that Rick Springfield would become a megastar but Bruce Springsteen will fade away - so clearly I'm not a Musical Siener...

Anyway, enough about my prohetic visions

So, what do you guys think about the 5 Door Jimny?

One thing I like is that you can slide the front seats forward & then fold the rear seats flat making a large flat area.
So you could overland with it (if you can carry enough fuel)...

It's not quite as practical as it looks at first glance. They way the front seats fold makes it as practical for sleeping as a Gen 3, which folds in the same manner, i.e. not practical at all unless you are around 4ft tall.

The back seats don't fold flat like they do on the 3 door, so not very practical at all.

It does however have a bigger boot, which for day to day use makes it a bit more practical, but as an overlander not very practical at all.

[Mad Manny]

It's not quite as practical as it looks at first glance.
They way the front seats fold makes it as practical for sleeping as a Gen 3, which folds in the same manner, i.e. not practical at all unless you are around 4ft tall.

The back seats don't fold flat like they do on the 3 door, so not very practical at all.

It does however have a bigger boot, which for day to day use makes it a bit more practical, but as an overlander not very practical at all.

It's still a Jimny, so it won't be as practical as say...
Every bakkie based SUV.
Every Bakkie.

In fact, the only off roader LESS practical will be a SWB Wrangler Limited.

[Saxj]

The five door Jimny was launched locally at the Festival of Motoring.