Suzuki Jimny 5-Door vs Hyundai Kona

A proper head-to-head in South Africa — we cover price, performance, petrol economy, safety and what it'll actually cost you to own each one long term.

Includes a historical vehicle

Current, upcoming and historical vehicles can be compared side by side. Historical records keep their verified specifications, while price labels show last-listed context rather than current new-car availability.

Hyundai Kona Discontinued model
Suzuki Jimny 5-Door in South Africa

Suzuki Jimny 5-Door

1.5 GLX AllGrip AT Petrol 4-Speed Automatic Current
ZAR 489,900 ex-showroom
⚡ 75 kW 🔧 130 Nm ⛽ 14.9 km/l
VS
Hyundai Kona in South Africa

Hyundai Kona

1.0T DCT Executive Petrol 7-Speed DCT Discontinued model
ZAR 565,900 last listed
Discontinued model Verified historical specifications remain visible for owner and used-car comparisons.
⚡ 88 kW 🔧 172 Nm ⛽ 15.5 km/l
Add a 3rd car

Decision summary

Suzuki Jimny 5-Door vs Hyundai Kona: the short answer

Jimny 5-Door and Kona are close on the comparable published fields, so buyer priorities should decide.

Recorded price context Jimny 5-Door: current from ZAR 439,900 · Kona: last listed from ZAR 459,900

Five key differences

Exact selected derivatives
Specification Jimny 5-Door Kona
Maximum Power Jimny 5-Door75 kW @ 6000 rpm Kona88 kW @ 5500 rpm
Maximum Torque Jimny 5-Door130 Nm @ 4000 rpm Kona172 Nm @ 1500 rpm
Engine Size Jimny 5-Door1462 cc Kona998 cc
Combined Fuel Economy Jimny 5-Door14.9 km/l Kona15.5 km/l
Ground Clearance Jimny 5-Door210 mm Kona165 mm

Strongest published figure in that row; no road-test winner is implied.

Evidence for Hyundai Kona 1.0T DCT Executive

Source type: Hagalu catalogue record

What Each Car Gets Right (and Wrong)

Jimny 5-Door

Strengths
  • Stronger listed safety equipment
  • Stronger published ownership cover
Weak Spots
  • Less powerful engine setup
  • Lower fuel efficiency
  • Lower published practicality figures
Best suited to: General Use
Specification evidence leader

Kona

Strengths
  • More powerful engine output
  • Better fuel efficiency
  • Stronger published practicality figures
Weak Spots
  • Fewer listed safety features
  • Lower published ownership cover
Best suited to: Published Performance Published Efficiency Published Practicality

Which One's Right for You?

Jimny 5-Door

  • Buyers prioritising the more complete listed safety equipment
  • Buyers prioritising the stronger published warranty or service cover

Kona

  • Buyers prioritising the stronger published powertrain figures
  • Buyers prioritising the lower published fuel or energy use
  • Buyers prioritising the stronger published space and capacity figures

Full Specs, Side by Side

Archived cars use verified historical spec records. Rows remain comparable; unavailable historical values are shown plainly rather than estimated.

Spec Jimny 5-Door Kona
Engine Position Longitudinal Front-Mounted Front
Gearbox 4-Speed Torque Converter Automatic 7-speed DCT Dual Clutch
Transmission Type Automatic Automatic
Number of Gears 4 Not confirmed
Drivetrain Layout Rear Wheel Drive (2WD) / 4WD with Low-Range FWD
Final Drive Ratio 4.090:1 Not confirmed
Steering Turns Lock to Lock 3.8 Not confirmed
Clutch Type Torque Converter Not confirmed
LSD Available Not Applicable No
Differential Lock Not Applicable Not confirmed
Transfer Case Two-Speed Transfer Case (Hi / Lo Range) Not confirmed
Paddle Shifters Not Applicable Yes
Drivetrain 4WD / AWD Not confirmed
Gearbox Type 4-Speed Torque Converter Automatic Automatic
Gear Shift Type 4-Speed Torque Converter Automatic Not confirmed
Transmission Speeds 4 Not confirmed
Axle Layout 4WD — AllGrip PRO Part-Time Not confirmed
Automatic Shift Paddles Not Applicable Not confirmed
4WD Engagement Not Applicable Not confirmed
4WD Hi Range Not Applicable Not confirmed
4WD Lo Range Not Applicable Not confirmed
Transfer Case Guard Not Available Not confirmed
Low Range Not Applicable Not confirmed
Low Range Ratio Not Applicable Not confirmed
Front Differential Lock Not Applicable Not confirmed
Rear Differential Lock Not Applicable Not confirmed
4WD Selector Not Applicable Not confirmed
Gear Shift Indicator Not Applicable Yes
Spec Jimny 5-Door Kona
Variable Valve Timing VVT on Intake Camshaft Yes
CO2 Emissions 173 g/km 120 g/km
Start Stop System Not Available No
Hybrid System Type Not Applicable Not confirmed
Noise Level 69 dB Not confirmed
Fuel Octane Requirement 93 RON Unleaded Unleaded 95
Particulate Filter Gasoline Particulate Filter (GPF) Not confirmed
Euro Emission Standard Euro 5 Not confirmed
Green NCAP Rating Not Independently Rated Not confirmed
Idle CO2 Output Within Euro 5 Limits Not confirmed
Fuel Evaporation Control Evaporative Emission Control (EVAP) Yes
CO2 Emissions G Km 173 Not confirmed

In depth: how these cars differ

This Jimny 5-Door and Kona comparison uses the exact South African derivatives selected above. The catalogue index covers performance, efficiency, safety equipment, practicality and ownership cover only where comparable source-backed fields are present.

Performance index: Jimny 5-Door 29 vs Kona 40.

Efficiency index: Jimny 5-Door 57 vs Kona 62.

Safety-equipment index: Jimny 5-Door 90 vs Kona 87.

Practicality index: Jimny 5-Door 49 vs Kona 67.

Ownership-cover index: Jimny 5-Door 71 vs Kona 65.

These figures are Hagalu catalogue-comparison indicators, not customer ratings, crash-test scores, resale guarantees or a substitute for a road test. Each page shows its weighted source coverage beside the result.

Specification Evidence Index

A transparent comparison of published catalogue fields. This is not a road-test score, owner rating or editorial review rating, and it appears only when every vehicle clears the same comparable-data threshold.

Evidence / 100
Evidence-index readout

Kona leads by 6 points

Jimny 5-Door and Kona are close on the comparable published fields, so buyer priorities should decide.

Evidence leader 64 /100
Lead 6 points
Data 89% source coverage
64
#1 Evidence leader

Kona

89% source coverage 1 strong categories
Best at Safety 87 Check Performance 40
Performance 40
Efficiency 62
Safety 87
Practicality 67
Ownership 65
Leads by 6 points
58
#2

Jimny 5-Door

95% source coverage 2 strong categories
Best at Safety 90 Check Performance 29
Performance 29
Efficiency 57
Safety 90
Practicality 49
Ownership 71
Performance 24% Safety 22% Practicality 22% Efficiency 17% Ownership 15%
Category leaders What moves the verdict
Performance Kona +11 Efficiency Kona +5 Safety Jimny 5-Door +3 Practicality Kona +18 Ownership Jimny 5-Door +6

Close catalogue match. Buyer priorities should decide the outcome.

Why this score View full breakdown
Evidence-index leader

Kona

Performance 40/100
Efficiency 62/100
Safety 87/100
Practicality 67/100
Ownership 65/100

Jimny 5-Door

Performance 29/100
Efficiency 57/100
Safety 90/100
Practicality 49/100
Ownership 71/100

What the evidence means

Evidence index Hyundai Kona leads the specification evidence index with 64 pts vs 58 pts for Jimny 5-Door

In Hagalu's specification evidence index, Kona leads. However, Jimny 5-Door may suit buyers prioritising different confirmed fields. Ultimately, the right choice depends on your driving priorities in South Africa.

Jimny 5-Door vs Kona questions

There is no universal winner. Use the comparison table to match the exact South African derivatives on price, safety equipment, space, powertrain and ownership cover. The category indicators summarise published catalogue data; they are not a road test or customer rating.

Compare the published consumption or mileage rows for the exact derivatives using the same unit and test basis. A catalogue figure is useful for like-for-like comparison, but traffic, speed, load, weather and driving style can change actual fuel use.

Compare only equipment explicitly listed for each derivative, including airbags, stability control and driver-assistance systems. Confirm the exact trim with the manufacturer, and treat any independent crash-test result separately because equipment and ratings can differ by market.

A reliable five-year total cannot be calculated from catalogue data alone. Add the exact purchase and finance cost, fuel or electricity, insurance quotes, scheduled servicing, tyres and expected resale value. Check whether the selected derivative includes a service or maintenance plan.

Use the seating, boot or load-space, ISOFIX and safety rows as a first check. Then test the exact cars with your child seats, passengers and typical luggage, because published dimensions do not show every access or comfort difference.

Compare the published power, torque and 0–100 km/h rows when they are available for both exact derivatives. Vehicle weight, gearing and power delivery also matter, so catalogue outputs alone do not establish real-world overtaking or response.