Suzuki Jimny 5-Door vs Hyundai Kona

A proper head-to-head in South Africa — compare price, performance, fuel economy or electric range, safety and the details that shape long-term ownership.

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
⚡ 77 kW 🔧 138 Nm ⛽ 16.1 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-Door77 kW Kona88 kW @ 5500 rpm
Maximum Torque Jimny 5-Door138 Nm Kona172 Nm @ 1500 rpm
Engine Size Jimny 5-Door1462 cc Kona998 cc
Combined Fuel Economy Jimny 5-Door16.1 km/l Kona15.5 km/l
Ground Clearance Jimny 5-Door0 mm Kona165 mm

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

Independent editorial assessment

Hagalu editorial ratings

When a variant is selected, its rating out of five applies only to that exact derivative; a model-range review is not inherited. Editorial ratings are separate from the Specification Evidence Index out of 100 and are not customer ratings.

Suzuki Jimny 5-Door

1.5 GLX AllGrip AT

Hagalu editorial rating Not yet rated

No complete editorial rating is published for this exact variant. This is not a zero score.

How Hagalu rates cars

Hyundai Kona

1.0T DCT Executive

Hagalu editorial rating Not yet rated

No complete editorial rating is published for this exact variant. This is not a zero score.

How Hagalu rates cars

Not yet rated means a complete review is not published; it does not mean the vehicle scored zero. Read the rating methodology.

What Each Car Gets Right (and Wrong)

Jimny 5-Door

Strengths
  • More powerful engine output
  • Stronger listed safety equipment
Weak Spots
  • Lower published practicality figures
Best suited to: Published Performance
Specification evidence leader

Kona

Strengths
  • Stronger published practicality figures
Weak Spots
  • Less powerful engine setup
  • Fewer listed safety features
Best suited to: Published Practicality

Which One's Right for You?

Jimny 5-Door

  • Buyers prioritising the stronger published powertrain figures
  • Buyers prioritising the more complete listed safety equipment

Kona

  • 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
Model Introduced Year 2026 2018
Generation Current market generation Second generation Kona on Hyundai's K2 GEN platform; the design is more conservative than the first gen but better resolved
Facelift History Current market specification Second generation launched globally in 2023 and brought to SA; softened styling compared to the sharper first gen, improved interior quality and tech
Facelift Launched Since 2026 2023
Facelift Version Ending Current Not confirmed
Body Style SUV SUV
Model Year 2026 Not confirmed
Production Status active discontinued
Segment SUV SUV
Vehicle Type SUV SUV
Tare Mass Kg - 1460 kg
Spec Jimny 5-Door Kona
Length 3985 mm 4355 mm
Width 1645 mm 1825 mm
Height 1720 mm 1570 mm
Wheelbase 2590 mm 2660 mm
Ground Clearance (Default) 0 mm 165 mm
Ground Clearance (With Full Seating Load) 170 mm Not Officially Disclosed
Fuel Tank Capacity 40 l 50 l
Boot/Cargo Space 211 l 466 l
Kerb Weight 1210 kg 1460 kg
Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) 1545 kg Not Officially Disclosed
Payload Capacity 335 kg Not Officially Disclosed
Towing Capacity 1000 kg Not Officially Disclosed
Seating Capacity 5 seats 5 seats
Number of Rows 2 rows 2 rows
Doors 5 doors 5 doors
Minimum Turning Radius 5.2 m Not Officially Disclosed
Front Headroom 1000 mm Not Officially Disclosed
Rear Headroom 950 mm Not Officially Disclosed
Front Legroom 1050 mm Not Officially Disclosed
Rear Legroom 900 mm Not Officially Disclosed

In depth: how these cars differ

This Jimny 5-Door and Kona comparison uses the exact derivatives selected above for South Africa. 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 42 vs Kona 40.

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

Safety-equipment index: Jimny 5-Door 91 vs Kona 84.

Practicality index: Jimny 5-Door 41 vs Kona 67.

Ownership-cover index: Jimny 5-Door not separately scored 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 5 points

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

Evidence leader 63 /100
Lead 5 points
Data 90% source coverage
63
#1 Evidence leader

Kona

90% source coverage 1 strong categories
Best at Safety 84 Check Performance 40
Performance 40
Efficiency 62
Safety 84
Practicality 67
Ownership 65
Leads by 5 points
58
#2

Jimny 5-Door

77% source coverage 1 strong categories
Best at Safety 91 Check Practicality 41
Performance 42
Efficiency 62
Safety 91
Practicality 41
Performance 24% Safety 22% Practicality 22% Efficiency 17% Ownership 15%
Category leaders What moves the verdict
Performance Jimny 5-Door +2 Efficiency Level Safety Jimny 5-Door +7 Practicality Kona +26

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 84/100
Practicality 67/100
Ownership 65/100

Jimny 5-Door

Performance 42/100
Efficiency 62/100
Safety 91/100
Practicality 41/100

What the evidence means

Evidence index Hyundai Kona leads the specification evidence index with 63 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 models and available derivatives in South Africa 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.