The all-new 2019 Suzuki Jimny is heading Down Under early next year and these are the five things we know about it.
SUZUKI AUSTRALIA confirmed, last night, the arrival Down Under of the all-new Jimny. While cars will arrive in Australia towards the end of this year they won’t make it into dealerships until early next year (2019). Pricing and final specifications haven’t been announced but we’ve had a look at what will be offered in Europe…
Designed with cues from Jimnys past
Suzuki said it’s paid attention to the Jimnys that have gone before in the design of the new one, borrowing styling cues from every generation for this fourth-generation model. For instance, the round headlights are taken off the original Jimny, while the vertical grille, horizontal slits in the clamshell bonnet and ‘gathered’ rear taillights are all from the second-generation car.
Powering up with a 1.5L four-pot, but is it enough?
The all-new Suzuki Jimny will run a 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine which replaces the old car’s 1.3-litre four-pot. The new engine is physically smaller than the old one and it’s more powerful too, offering 75kW at 6000rpm (up from 62.5kW) and 130Nm of torque at 4000rpm (up from 110Nm at 4100rpm). There will be two transmissions to choose from, a five-speed manual and a four-speed automatic with low-range gearing of 2.002 and 2.644, respectively. Fuel consumption ranges from 7.7-8.4L/100km depending on the transmission.
It’ll still go off-road…
With a turning circle of 4.9m, a ladder frame and a three-link rigid axle with coil springs at the front and the rear, the new Suzuki Jimny continues to be a proper off-roader. Just one you could almost carry in your pocket. Dimensions are 3480mm long, 1645mm wide and 1725mm high with a wheelbase of 2250mm. Ground clearance has been lifted from the old car’s 190mm to a claimed 210mm with approach angle measuring 37 degrees, ramp breakover angle of 28 degrees and departure angle of 49 degrees. This betters the old car’s 34-degrees (A), 31-degrees (D), and 46-degrees (BO). Tyres are 195/80R15.
Functional interior?
Suzuki says the interior has been designed with function and form with all controls usable while wearing gloves. The dashboard and other surfaces you’ll come into contact with are finished in a stain and scratch-resistant finish, according to the car maker. The analogue dials are set in cubic housings and are always lit up for clear viewing on and off-road. Entry models will get a basic a “Bluetooth-compatible Smartphone Linkage Display Audio unit” with a larger 7-inch touchscreen offering sat-nav, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto on higher grades.
Boot space in the new Jimny starts at 85 litres with the rear seats in use and expands to 377-litres (53 litres more than the old car) when the rear seats are folded. The rear seats fold down flat with the backs covered in plastic to make cleaning them easier when carrying dirty gear. Five utility screw holes are available on each side under the quarter windows along with four luggage hook screw holes around the floor area.
What about safety?
Based on European specifications, the Suzuki Jimny will be available with (speed related) autonomous emergency braking but whether that’s a feature of the car when it comes to Australia remains to be seen. Also available, but not confirmed for Australian cars, is lane departure warning and weaving alert function (to help the driver keep alert), and high beam assist which is able to automatically switch on and off the high and low beams. The new Jimny will also offer traffic sign recognition – the first Suzuki model to adopt this system. Other safety features include six airbags, hill hold and hill descent control, tyre pressure monitoring system, and selectable four-wheel drive with low-range.
