Suzuki Jimny old vs new - Major differences

Suzuki has been in the news recently. Obviously not for their outstanding sales record (which is just a continuity every month) and also not because of their partnership with Toyota for new electric vehicles. It is because, you guessed it right, of the new Jimny which was unveiled to the public on July 5. The fourth generation Suzuki Jimny has been talked about mainly because of the way it looks and the fact that it is tiny and yet the most capable off-roader Suzuki has built to date.

Fans of the Jimny had been waiting for this moment with bated breath and we are sure they aren’t disappointed. So, what’s all the hullabaloo about? Let’s find out what are the major differences between the old and new Jimny in this story here.

Looks

As different as chalk from cheese. This is truly an evolution of the Jimny. While the third-gen Jimny had a few curves, this one is slab-sided. In a good way. Always admired the Mercedes G-Class but couldn’t afford one? Well, Suzuki is here to rescue with the new Jimny. The new vehicle looks and feels like a mini Gelendwagen in every sense. The upright windscreen, the chiselled bumpers, blunt nose, flat hood, round headlights, dual-tone paint schemes, all hark back to the Mercedes SUV.

In contrast, the third-generation car was a tad more rounded at the corners while maintaining the upright stance. The third-gen car also had its turn indicators on the sides of the front fender whereas the latest one has it next to the headlight. Speaking of which, the new Jimny has an all-LED set-up in the front and hosts its tail lights on the rear bumper. The second-gen Jimny had them vertically stacked next to the tailgate. The 15-inch alloy wheels have a slimmer profile for the new SUV whereas the older one had a fatter profile.

Length, width and height of the new Suzuki Jimny is 3,645 mm x 1,645 mm x 1,725 mm respectively. The wheelbase is put up as 2,250 mm.

Off-road technology

Agreed the Suzuki Jimny has been legendary when it comes to off-roading. However, there are a few changes to the fourth generation Jimny that set it apart from the outgoing SUV. These include a ground clearance of 210 mm compared to the 190 mm of the older car, approach angle of 37° compared to the 34° of the older car, breakover angle of 28° as opposed to the 31° before and finally the departure angle of 49° with respect to the 46° earlier.

Not only this, the new Jimny also has its front bumper placed a tad higher than before allowing it more wading capability. Hill launch assist, recirculating ball joint steering wheel, Limited Slip Differential brakes, hill descent control, and a low range transfer case with shift on the fly 4-wheel drive are some of the other ammunition in the new Jimny’s arsenal.

Cabin

Yes, there is a big improvement here too. While the previous Jimny used hard materials preferably so that nothing comes out when driven off-road, the new Jimny takes it to a different level. The materials are softer than before but Suzuki assures us that they are as durable as before, if not more.

There is auto climate control, power windows, seat height adjuster for the driver, multi-function display instrument console, touchscreen infotainment system called SmartPlay that also houses Android Auto and Apple CarPlay functionality as well as onboard navigation. The steering wheel itself has controls for the music and Bluetooth telephony. Push button start for the engine as well as passive entry is also now part of the Jimny fare. Since the rear lights have been moved to the bumper, Suzuki engineers didn’t have to compromise on the space at the back for cargo. This means a wider aperture as well. The boot space stands at 185 litres which is expandable to 830 litres.

Safety

Safety has also been taken care off well enough and while there have been no crash tests done on the new Jimny yet, we can say that it is one of the safest iterations of the SUV Suzuki has ever made. The SUV has a 1,000 kg kerb weight, which is a tad lower than before, has six airbags (two on the outgoing Jimny), ABS with EBD, Autonomous Emergency Braking, Electronic Stability Program, Hill Launch Assist, and Lane Departure Warning.

Engines and transmission

Suzuki offers the new Jimny with a 1.5-litre that makes 104 PS of power and 130 Nm of torque. This engine will also be shared with the new Ertiga as well as Ciaz facelifts. Suzuki has replaced the earlier 1.3-litre motor from the Swift and Esteem with this 1.5-litre unit. The engine can be optioned with a 5-speed manual or a 4-speed torque converter. Claimed fuel efficiency for the automatic is 13.33 kmpl while the manual returns slightly higher numbers at 14.70 kmpl. European markets also will get a 1.2-litre naturally aspirated and 1.0-litre turbocharged petrol engines. No diesel option has been announced yet, though we feel that for certain Asian markets, there could be one shoehorned.

Exclusive to the Japan market is a 660 cc engine that allows it to fall under the small car classification there. This in return helps Suzuki to price the Jimny very aggressively, thereby allowing for a good entry-level pricing. Power to weight ratio too has been improved considerably - 89.87 PS/tonne as compared to 78 PS/tonne of the third generation Jimny SUV.

In short, Suzuki’s Jimny has a lot going for it and this new generation vehicle is a leaps and bounds improvement over the older car. All this while still retaining the solid reliability as well as the off-roading capabilities of each generation before it. Expect a slight increase in price for this latest Jimny. In the meanwhile, keep your eyes peeled for offers on the outgoing SUV as Suzuki will like to liquidate its stocks to make way for the new car.