Suzuki no longer sells cars in the United States, but in other markets, the automaker's Jimny compact SUV has has plenty of success as a capable off-roader that doesn't break the bank and doesn't come with over-sized proportions. This week, Suzuki introduced a bigger, more practical, five-door version of the Jimny at the Auto Expo in New Delhi, India, and it looks awfully familiar. While creating a boxy, practical five-door off-roader limits styling choices, the new five-door Jimny looks as if it were a knockoff of the Jeep Wrangler with some styling nods to the Hummer H3 and a bit of the Mercedes G-Class.
Baby Wrangler Puts Up A Fight
Action shot of green Suzuki Jimny front view.
Ever since the fourth generation Jimny debuted in 2018, car enthusiasts around the globe have commented that it looks like the Jeep Wrangler had a baby with a Mercedes G-Class. Certainly those cars don't exclusively own the box aesthetic, yet the similarities are remarkable even down to the iconic seven slot Jeep grill, which is mirrored in the Jimny's five slot grill. And those round headlights with the slotted grille remind us of the old Hummer H3. It's not just in looks where the Jimny compares to its big boy counterparts. While a base Wrangler from the factory on 31.5-inch tall tires has a ground clearance of 9.7 inches, the Jimny comes from the factory with its tiny 15-inch wheels sporting 10.63 inches of ground clearance, and both sit on ladder based frames which make them very capable playing in the dirt. Though from there, the Jimny quickly gets outpaced by its bigger Doppelganger. The length of the new five-door Jimny comes in at 118.43 inches compared to the Wranglers 192.2 inches, the width on the Jimny is a skinny 64.76 while the Wranglers is 74.57, and for height the Jimny towers in at 67.72 inches while the Wrangler dominates over it at 72.36 inches. It's not just sheer size that sets the Wrangler apart off-road. While the new five-door Jimny has a very respectable 36 degree approach, angle it simply cannot match the four door Wranglers 43.9 degree approach angle. However it's a different story when it comes to the rear as the big boy Wrangler clocks in at 37 degrees of departure angle, the five-door Jimny dominates it with 50 degrees of departure angle, making this baby box quite the formidable off-road adventurer.
Tiny Car Tiny Engine
The biggest knock Americans usually have with cars sold abroad that don't make it to the states is their paltry engine sizes compared to our freedom-loving V-8s and the Jimny is certainly no exception. The Jimny has only one engine - its 1.5-liter four-cylinder makes a snooze-worthy 103 horsepower and 106 pound-feet of torque, numbers that simply don't move the needle in a country where there's no replacement for displacement. By comparison, the Wrangler comes with a myriad of different engine options from a turbo four-cylinder making 270 horsepower and 290 pound feet of torque all the way up to the monster Wrangler 392 with a Hemi V-8 making a jaw-dropping 470 horsepower and 470 pound-feet of torque. While it's clear the Wrangler and the Jimny may be similar vehicles in design and intended use, the way they go about delivering on the drivers' desires may differ slightly. No matter, though, as the Jimny is only set to go on sale in Africa, Australia, India, and Latin America, so the dream of a small and capable off-roader coming to America will have to stay as such.