Suzuki Jimny vs Suzuki Jimny 5-Door

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.

Suzuki Jimny in South Africa

Suzuki Jimny

1.5 GLX AllGrip AT Petrol Automatic
ZAR 466,900 ex-showroom
⚡ 75 kW 🔧 130 Nm ⛽ 15.9 km/l
VS
Suzuki Jimny 5-Door in South Africa

Suzuki Jimny 5-Door

1.5 GLX AllGrip AT Petrol Automatic
ZAR 489,900 ex-showroom
⚡ 75 kW 🔧 130 Nm ⛽ 14.9 km/l
Add a 3rd car

At a Glance — Who Wins What

Performance Tie
Fuel Economy Jimny
🛡 Safety Jimny 5-Door
📦 Practicality Tie
🔑 Ownership Tie
Jimny 5-Door starts ZAR 444900 cheaper Jimny from ZAR 444,900 · Jimny 5-Door from ZAR 439,900

Key Specs Side by Side

The specs that matter most — highlighted where one car leads.

Spec Jimny Jimny 5-Door
Engine Power 75 kW 75 kW
Torque 130 Nm 130 Nm
Engine Size 1462 cc 1462 cc
Claimed Mileage 15.9 km/l 14.9 km/l
Ground Clearance 210 mm 210 mm
Boot / Load Bay 85 l 85 l
Airbags 6 6
Kerb Weight 1115 kg 1170 kg
Seating Capacity 4 4
Warranty 5 5

= leads in this spec

The Bottom Line

Both Jimny and Jimny 5-Door are extremely closely matched, making the final choice dependent on buyer preference.

Where They Actually Differ

Performance Equal
Efficiency Jimny +4 pts
Safety Jimny 5-Door +10 pts
Practicality Equal
Ownership Equal

What Each Car Gets Right (and Wrong)

Jimny

Strengths
  • Better fuel efficiency
Weak Spots
  • Less comprehensive safety features
Best suited to: Fuel Efficiency
🏆 Overall Winner

Jimny 5-Door

Strengths
  • Stronger safety package
Weak Spots
  • Lower fuel efficiency
Best suited to: General Use

Which One's Right for You?

Jimny

  • Buyers looking for better fuel efficiency

Jimny 5-Door

  • Families prioritising stronger safety equipment

Full Specs, Side by Side

Spec Jimny Jimny 5-Door
Engine 1.5L K15B 4-Cylinder Petrol 1.5L K15B 4-Cylinder Petrol
Engine Type Inline 4 Cylinder Naturally Aspirated Inline 4 Cylinder Naturally Aspirated
Engine Code K15B K15B
Cylinder Layout Inline 4 (I4) Inline 4 (I4)
Engine Aspiration Naturally Aspirated Naturally Aspirated
Displacement 1462 cc 1462 cc
Cylinders 4 4
Valves per Cylinder 4 4
Cylinder Bore 74.0 mm 74.0 mm
Piston Stroke 85.1 mm 85.1 mm
Engine Position Longitudinal Front-Mounted Longitudinal Front-Mounted
Variable Valve Timing VVT on Intake Camshaft VVT on Intake Camshaft
Turbocharger - -
Power 75 kW 75 kW
Power @ RPM 6,000 rpm 6,000 rpm
Power 100 bhp 100 bhp
Torque 130 Nm 130 Nm
Torque @ RPM 4,000 rpm 4,000 rpm
Maximum Engine RPM 6800 rpm 6800 rpm
Engine Oil Capacity 3.7 l 3.7 l
Fuel Grade Required 93 RON Unleaded Petrol 93 RON Unleaded Petrol
Top Speed 145 km/h 140 km/h
0-100 km/h 14.5 sec 15.5 sec
Engine Displacement 1462 cc 1462 cc
Engine Displacement Cc 1462 cc 1462 cc
Engine Power kW 75 kW 75 kW
Engine Torque Nm 130 Nm 130 Nm
Max Power kW 75 kW 75 kW
Max Torque Nm 130 Nm 130 Nm
Maximum Torque 130 Nm 130 Nm
Engine Config 1.5L K15B 4-Cylinder Petrol 1.5L K15B 4-Cylinder Petrol
Engine Type Config 1.5L K15B 4-Cylinder Petrol 1.5L K15B 4-Cylinder Petrol
Engine Cylinders 4 4
Engine Valves 4 4
Power kW Rpm 6,000 rpm 6,000 rpm
Torque Nm Rpm 4,000 rpm 4,000 rpm
0–100 km/h 14.5 sec 15.5 sec
Acceleration 0 100 14.5 sec 15.5 sec
Induction Naturally Aspirated Naturally Aspirated
Turbo Type Naturally Aspirated Naturally Aspirated
Battery Capacity - -
Charging Port - -
AC Charging Time - -
EV Range - -
Motor Position - -
Motor Power - -
Motor Torque - -
Motor Type - -
System Output - -
Combined System Power - -
Combined System Torque - -
Engine Displacement Litres 1462 cc 1462 cc
Compression Ratio 10.5:1 10.5:1
Fuel System Multi-Point Fuel Injection (MPFI) Multi-Point Fuel Injection (MPFI)
Maximum Power 75 kW 75 kW
Power Assisted Steering Electric Power Assisted Steering (EPAS) Electric Power Assisted Steering (EPAS)
Spec Jimny Jimny 5-Door
Transmission Type Automatic Automatic
Number of Gears 4 km/h 4 km/h
Drive Type 4WD / AWD 4WD / AWD
Drivetrain Layout Rear Wheel Drive (2WD) / 4WD with Low-Range Rear Wheel Drive (2WD) / 4WD with Low-Range
Final Drive Ratio 4.090:1 4.090:1
Steering Turns Lock to Lock 3.8 3.8
Clutch Type Single Dry Plate Diaphragm Torque Converter
LSD Available - -
Differential Lock - -
Paddle Shifters - -
Drivetrain 4WD / AWD 4WD / AWD
Transmission Automatic Automatic
Gearbox Type Automatic Automatic
Transmission Speeds 4 km/h 4 km/h
Axle Layout 4WD / AWD 4WD / AWD
Automatic Shift Paddles - -
4WD Engagement - -
4WD Hi Range - -
4WD Lo Range - -
Transfer Case Guard - -
Low Range - -
Front Differential Lock - -
Rear Differential Lock - -
4WD Selector - -
Transfer Case Two-Speed Transfer Case (Hi / Lo Range) Two-Speed Transfer Case (Hi / Lo Range)
Transmission Automatic Automatic

Overall Verdict Score

Decision-grade view of the winner, score gap and category strengths.

Weighted / 100
Verdict readout

Jimny 5-Door leads by 1 points

Both Jimny and Jimny 5-Door are extremely closely matched, making the final choice dependent on buyer preference.

Winner 58 /100
Lead 1 points
Data 98% confidence
58
#1 Winner

Jimny 5-Door

98% data confidence 2 strong categories
Best at Safety 92 Check Performance 32
Performance 32
Efficiency 57
Safety 92
Practicality 45
Ownership 71
Leads by 1 points
57
#2

Jimny

98% data confidence 2 strong categories
Best at Safety 82 Check Performance 32
Performance 32
Efficiency 61
Safety 82
Practicality 45
Ownership 71
Performance 24% Safety 22% Practicality 22% Efficiency 17% Ownership 15%
Category leaders What moves the verdict
Performance Level Efficiency Jimny +4 Safety Jimny 5-Door +10 Practicality Level Ownership Level

Very close match. Final decision depends on buyer preference.

Why this score View full breakdown
Overall Winner

Jimny 5-Door

Performance 32/100
Efficiency 57/100
Safety 92/100
Practicality 45/100
Ownership 71/100

Jimny

Performance 32/100
Efficiency 61/100
Safety 82/100
Practicality 45/100
Ownership 71/100

So, Which One Should You Buy?

🏆 Suzuki Jimny 5-Door wins with 58 pts vs 57 pts for Jimny

In structured scoring, Jimny 5-Door emerges as the stronger overall package. However, Jimny may appeal to buyers prioritising different factors. Ultimately, the right choice depends on your driving priorities in South Africa.

Buyers Also Looked At These

Other comparisons that people in the same boat tend to check out.

Questions Buyers Usually Ask

On our scoring the Jimny 5-Door edges ahead overall. That said, the right choice depends on what you actually use the car for — the breakdown above shows exactly where each one wins and loses.

Efficiency scores: Jimny 61 vs Jimny 5-Door 57. In the real world, diesel variants of either car will beat the claimed figure on long highways and fall short in Joburg traffic.

Safety scores: Jimny 82, Jimny 5-Door 92. Check each model page for NCAP ratings and which trim levels include AEB and blind-spot monitoring — those features aren't always standard.

Long-term ownership scores: Jimny 71, Jimny 5-Door 71. Service intervals, parts availability in SA, and whether a service plan is bundled all factor in — check the individual variant specs for that detail.

Practicality scores: Jimny 45, Jimny 5-Door 45. This covers boot space, seat flexibility, and day-to-day usability — not just interior dimensions on paper.

Performance scores: Jimny 32, Jimny 5-Door 32. This looks at real-world pace — 0–100 kph, highway flexibility, and how either car feels when you actually need to overtake on an N-road.

Resale varies with colour, spec, and market timing, but Japanese brands — and Toyota specifically — have a strong track record in SA. Check current used prices for both on AutoTrader to see the real gap right now.

Ground clearance and 4WD availability are what matter most here. Scroll to the spec table above to compare both side by side — if either model offers a 4WD variant, that's the version worth comparing.

Fuel, insurance, and service costs are the big three. Diesel variants of both models typically save R800–R1,500/month in fuel at current SA pump prices. The Jimny 5-Door edges the overall ownership score, but check whether either variant includes a service plan — that changes the monthly maths significantly.

The Jimny 5-Door scores better overall, but neither car is a bad buy here. It comes down to what features matter to you — check the full spec table above to see exactly what you gain and lose at each price point.

In Depth — Breaking It All Down

The comparison between Jimny and Jimny 5-Door in South Africa evaluates performance, efficiency, safety, practicality and long-term ownership value.

Performance: Jimny scores 32 vs 32.

Efficiency: Jimny scores 61 vs 57.

Safety: Jimny scores 82 vs 92.

Practicality: Jimny scores 45 vs 45.

Ownership: Jimny scores 71 vs 71.

Final structured scoring gives Jimny 5-Door the advantage in this comparison.