The Suzuki Jimny XL takes what has been a cult basic and makes it sensible with the addition of two doorways, extra legroom within the second row, and new infotainment know-how.

Nonetheless, it carries the identical naturally aspirated engine as its smaller and lighter brother – a pure drawback in relation to energy to weight.

Apart from being 340mm longer (3820mm complete size) and having an additional pair of doorways, it may also be distinguished by its distinctive gray metallic grille with chrome accents.

Not like the Japanese-assembled 3-door the Jimny XL is sourced from India, however the engine and main parts are all from Japan. It’s mainly shipped to India in a crate and assembled as a whole knock-down equipment (CKD) after which shipped to Australia.

Our market has had a good bit of say within the automobile’s improvement and loads of the options which might be accessible within the automobile now are a results of stress from the native operation right here.

Greater than 2000 folks put their cash down for one earlier than pricing was introduced this week, and based mostly on Suzuki Australia’s confidence since, that quantity seems to have grown considerably.

This makes the Suzuki Jimny XL prone to be yet one more hit for the Japanese model because it seeks to achieve additional momentum going into 2024 with manufacturing capability for each the 3-door and 5-door fashions rising.

However will or not it’s as huge of successful because the extra conventional mannequin? We spent a number of hours driving it in Sydney this week and our first impressions are that Suzuki Australia goes to want to order extra XLs than it probably anticipated.

How does the Suzuki Jimny fare vs its opponents?

View an in depth breakdown of the Suzuki Jimny towards equally sized autos.

Suzuki

Jimny

How a lot does the Suzuki Jimny XL price?

• 2024 Suzuki Jimny XL handbook: $34,990
• 2024 Suzuki Jimny XL auto: $36,490

All costs exclude on-road prices.

The Suzuki Jimny XL is a reasonably distinctive beast, nevertheless it does compete with a number of off-roaders in Australia. To see the way it stacks up, use our comparability software to construct a side-by-side comparability.

What’s the Suzuki Jimny XL like on the within?

The inside of the five-door is just about an identical to the three-door, moreover the additional legroom within the second row.

It’s a reasonably fundamental setup however keep in mind, this can be a automobile that you could have on street for about $40,000.

As far as we might inform, there was nearly no distinction between the texture and high quality of the three-door and the five-door. In different phrases, the typical individual (not to mention an professional) received’t have the ability to inform which automobile is made in Japan and which automobile is from India.

Over the three-door Jimny, the five-door positive factors wi-fi Apple CarPlay, DAB digital radio, rear parking sensors and, with the automated transmission, adaptive cruise management.

Though nonetheless a four-seater (no center seat belt), the legroom within the again makes an enormous distinction in case you intend to hold extra than simply children. That additional 340mm has gone largely into stretching the second row’s legroom, and it exhibits.

It’s now a extra sensible automobile to hold 4 adults and this opens the automobile as much as considerably extra consumers.

We wouldn’t nonetheless name it spacious as an entire, however given it doesn’t have a center seat there may be beneficiant quantity of room between the entrance and rear passengers so lengthy journeys may be had in consolation – and bouncing round off-road or on the seashore is not going to see your occupants colliding (as simply).

It has 211L of cargo area, increasing to 332L with the rear seatback folded. Suzuki quotes a most quantity of 1113L. Though there are many SUVs within the section that can match greater than double what the Jimny provides in boot area, it’s a vital step up from the three-door’s nearly ineffective cargo area (85L).

What’s beneath the bonnet?

The brand new Jimny is likely to be greater than the two-door, nevertheless it shares its naturally-aspirated petrol engine.

It additionally shares its deal with off-road potential. Strategy angle is 36 levels, break over is 24 levels, and departure angle is 47 levels. Working floor clearance is 210mm.

How does the Suzuki Jimny XL drive?

There isn’t any hiding the actual fact a automobile weighing about 1200kg with simply 75kW of energy and 130Nm of torque goes to be a bit of sluggish. Extra so once you pack 4 adults inside. The three-door (which weighs roughly 100kg much less) was by no means brisk, and the Jimny XL provides extra weight to complicate issues additional.

The attention-grabbing factor is, the noticeably longer wheelbase on the XL makes it a much more planted factor. Though we didn’t get to expertise it on a predominant freeway with cross winds, the place the the outdated one was knocked round a good bit, the Jimny XL simply felt extra steady on the street and fewer prone to transfer round when a truck drove previous.

Its turning circle isn’t fairly pretty much as good as earlier than, nevertheless it’s nonetheless one of many best automobiles to get round in and park within the metropolis. The width of the automobile has remained, making it a slim however sensible factor to string by means of tight areas on- or off-road.

The handbook transmission is unquestionably the one to go for in case you aren’t going to each day the automobile and wish to have some enjoyable. It feels quicker and extra responsive however realistically, if you’ll commute in your XL and spend appreciable time in site visitors, the four-speed transmission continues to be the way in which to go. Don’t really feel unhealthy, your pals will get the jokes out of their system as a result of greater than 60 p.c have up to now opted for the automated.

We do must commend Suzuki for not taking place the trail of a constantly variable transmission (CVT). As old style because the four-speed is, it’s nonetheless a greater choice than pairing a small engine with a CVT.

The trip is a bit more settled than the three-door as nicely, with a bit extra weight and an extended wheelbase, the Jimny XL didn’t bounce round as a lot as we anticipated and absorbed the bumps nicely. It’s the form of automobile you may simply drive on a regular basis.

We spent extra time off-roading with the Jimny than driving on the street, which emphasised what the true objective of the automobile is. Though it has an extended wheelbase the core performance of the Jimny stays, whether or not it’s a 3 or a five-door.

We took it up and down loopy hills and thru muddy water, together with just about some other factor you may throw at it. Whereas it positively bottomed out a number of occasions, it by no means batted an eyelid.

The hill descent management, the 4WD LO and HI modes labored a deal with and given how little the automobile nonetheless weighs, you’ll have no problem taking this nearly wherever, however it would profit from higher off-road tyres in case you begin to get a bit of critical.

In the end, the Jimny XL is stable and can really feel proper at dwelling on an off-road observe or any given seashore.

What do you get?

The Jimny XL comes commonplace with the next gear:

• 4-seat structure
• Computerized projector LED headlights with handbook levelling
• Entrance fog lights
• Privateness glass
• Hill descent management
• 15-inch alloy wheels
• 15-inch alloy spare
• Leather-based-wrapped steering wheel
• 9.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system
• Wi-fi Apple CarPlay
• Wired Android Auto
• DAB digital radio
• Cruise management
• 1 x USB outlet
• 2 x 12V shops
• Material upholstery
• 2 x top-tether little one seat anchor factors
• 2 x ISOFIX little one seat anchor factors

The Jimny XL is offered within the following colors:

• Arctic White Pearl
• Chiffon Ivory Metallic
• Bluish Black Pearl
• Granite Gray Metallic
• Scorching Purple Metallic
• Jungle Inexperienced

Scorching Purple and Chiffon Ivory may be had with a Bluish Black Pearl roof.

Is the Suzuki Jimny XL protected?

The Suzuki Jimny XL doesn’t but have a security ranking from an NCAP physique.

Customary security gear contains:

• Autonomous emergency braking
• Lane departure warning (at speeds of over 60km/h)
• Entrance, front-side and curtain airbags
• Reversing digicam with rear parking sensors

The automated positive factors adaptive cruise management, which works at speeds of between 40 and 130km/h.

That is the form of automobile consumers are conscious is made for a selected objective, which is to be a cult-classic SUV with insane off-road capabilities for its dimension and worth. For that cause, its security credentials in relation to energetic security options are seldom known as into query.

How a lot does the Suzuki Jimny XL price to run?

The Suzuki Jimny XL is backed by a five-year, unlimited-kilometre guarantee.

Suzuki provides capped-price servicing for the primary 5 years or 100,000km, whichever comes first, with servicing required each 12 months or 15,000km.

The primary 5 providers price $449, $429, $589, $449, and $349 respectively beneath the model’s capped-price service plan.

CarExpert’s Take

The Suzuki Jimny XL is doubtless a automobile that many consumers have been asking for. Combining the practicality of extra legroom within the rear with the benefit of entry supplied by the extra two doorways makes this a much more compelling case for individuals who want the additional area.

It’s additionally priced nicely, which implies many consumers of the three door could look to improve – or others who would have dominated it out beforehand will now look towards the XL as a viable SUV for not simply off-roading, however internal metropolis commutes.

It’s positively missing a little bit of go and might definitely do with a extra highly effective turbocharged engine, however for what it’s and what it prices, Suzuki Australia has one other winner on its fingers with the Jimny XL.