all-new 2019 Suzuki Jimny revealed…still not confirmed for Australia
Images of the all-new 2019 Suzuki Jimny were revealed in Japan overnight with the local arm of the brand announcing the baby off-roader still isn’t confirmed for Australia.
FOLLOWING A SLEW of spy images spilling onto the Internet and social media over the last month or so, Suzuki in Japan has finally given in and released official images of the all-new Jimny but it’s keeping quiet on details.
The global site for the Jimny states the images are of European-spec vehicles with the local release saying the vehicle will be “officially released globally” but then goes onto quote local boss, Michael Pachota who said: “we can still not confirm whether New Jimny will be available for the Australian market. However, we are hopeful, with Suzuki Motor Corporation’s recent reveal, our request for this vehicle will be confirmed soon”.
The Jimny is still a few months away from its full reveal but the images above and the information we do have suggests the baby off-roader has stuck to its knitting rather than becoming softer and more road-biased. If anything, it probably looks tougher than before, it’s certainly squarer looking with plenty of retro about it.
Apparently, Suzuki’s development of the new Jimny has been based around the feedback from existing owners who weren’t so fussed about on-road handling, but wanted something that was capable when the going got rough. To that end, the brand has confirmed the new Jimny will stick with a ladder frame and three-link rigid axle suspension, part-time four-wheel drive with low-range.
There’s no word on what will power the new Jimny but we do know it won’t be a diesel as the brand recently announced it was pulling all diesel engines from its line-up. So it’ll be a petrol engine of some sort, and most likely Suzuki’s 1.0-litre Boosterjet three-cylinder or 1.4-litre Boosterjet four-cylinder (going off the image above it looks to be a four-cylinder based on the manifold) and possibly the brand’s 1.2-litre naturally-aspirated four-cylinder as an entry-level option. As per the image of the interior, it’ll be mated to a manual transmission, whether Suzuki will incorporate a dial-operated 4×4 system like the Vitara remains to be seen.
The interior of the new Jimny is clearly a case of function-first but it still looks plenty retro and cool. There’s a touchscreen infotainment system high on the dash with most the controls, like the window switches on the dashboard, too.
Buyers will be able to choose from eight colours and will be available in single colour or two-tone with the roof painted black.
