Suzuki Jimny 5-Door

The Suzuki Jimny 5-door answers the question that every two-door Jimny buyer has been asking since the fourth generation launched: can I have the Jimny's off-road character and AllGrip Pro four-wheel-drive in a body that fits my family? The answer arrived in South Africa in 2025, priced from R439,900, and the changes from the standard two-door model are exactly what was needed and nothing more. Suzuki did not soften the Jimny's core engineering to add the two extra doors — the K15B 1.5-litre engine, the part-time AllGrip Pro 4x4 system with high and low range, the ladder-frame chassis, and the 210mm ground clearance are all carried over unchanged. What changes is the body: stretched 360mm longer at 3,985mm overall, with a full-height rear door on each side, a proper third row of headroom for rear passengers, and a boot that grows from 85 litres (seats up, two-door) to 332 litres (seats up, five-door). This is not a cosmetic revision. The 85-litre two-door boot was the most cited practical objection to the Jimny as a daily vehicle — luggage for two people, a camping weekend's gear, or even a weekly grocery run tested its capacity. The five-door's 332-litre load area changes the calculus completely. With five adult occupants, the rear cargo space reduces to approximately 211 litres, which remains practical for day-trip luggage. Fold the rear seats 60:40 and the floor becomes substantially flat for cargo loading. The rear seat itself — a genuine three-person bench with enough headroom for adults up to 180cm — converts the Jimny from a two-adult vehicle into something a family of four can use as a primary car without compromise. The K15B 1.5-litre four-cylinder produces 75kW at 6,000rpm and 130Nm at 4,000rpm. It is the same engine that powers the two-door Jimny, but the five-door body adds approximately 100kg, giving a kerb weight of around 1,170kg and a slightly higher fuel consumption figure — 6.4L/100km on the manual versus 6.7L/100km on the automatic, compared to the two-door's 6.0 and 6.3L/100km respectively. Real-world SA owners report 8.0 to 10.5L/100km in city conditions and 7.0 to 8.5L/100km on national roads — elevated figures relative to conventional hatchbacks, but typical for a body-on-frame 4x4. The trade-off is the AllGrip Pro system: 2H for normal road driving, 4H for reduced-traction surfaces, and 4L for slow-speed extreme off-road — capability that no crossover-based AWD system can replicate. Three variants are offered: the GL AllGrip MT at R439,900, the GLX AllGrip MT at R467,900, and the GLX AllGrip AT at R489,900. The GL is a functional base specification with 15-inch alloy wheels, a 7-inch touchscreen, wired CarPlay, and two airbags — enough for buyers who intend to use the vehicle hard and keep costs low. The GLX adds six airbags, a 9-inch screen with wireless CarPlay, rear camera, cruise control, keyless entry, and active safety in the form of AEB and lane departure warning. The GLX AT replaces the 5-speed manual with a 4-speed torque-converter automatic — the same gearbox used in the two-door Jimny AT, well-proven in SA conditions. The automatic is the choice for buyers who will spend time in slow-moving urban traffic; the manual is the choice for those who prioritise off-road driving engagement and maximum control in low-range situations. At R489,900 for the top GLX AT, the five-door Jimny competes in price with the Grand Vitara GL AT (R381,900) and the lower Fronx GLX AT (R372,900). The comparison is not one-dimensional: the Grand Vitara offers a more comfortable, refined road car with AllGrip Select AWD and the Hybrid option; the Jimny 5-door offers a rigid axle, ladder-frame 4x4 with genuine low-range capability and meaningfully more off-road versatility. For the buyer whose priority is pure off-road competence in a five-seat package under R500,000, the Jimny 5-door has no competitor at any price from any Japanese brand.