Re: New Suzuki Jimny in 2018 First off; I must convey my heartfelt gratitude to volkman 10 for providing a continuous stream of information and delicious pictures of the 2019 Jimny on the forum.
Throughout its lifecycle Jimny has had a 3 door design, very short overhangs and low ratio transfer case as standard. It was a body on frame design that is likely to be carried over for this generation as well.
Jimny is loved all across wherever it is sold because of its simplicity, capability, compact dimensions and low cost of ownership.
The 5 door rendering though a good attempt simply destroys the character of the vehicle.
Some folks might argue that if a Wrangler can have 4 doors so can Jimny. Wrangler is a much wider platform (1645 vs 1875 mm) and longer as well. The difference can be put into perspective if you compare the lengths of the two door version of the Wrangler with Jimny (4237 vs 3550 mm). Additionally lengthening the platform is a complex engineering endeavor that can be quite expensive & can be justified only if there is sufficient return expected & I’m not even taking into consideration the weight increase & cost considerations. Even if Suzuki is able to pull it off; I’m not sure if Suzuki has a motor in their portfolio to power the vehicle with the added weight. It they power it with the existing 1.5 ltr. motor, it will become one more bumbling, under-powered mall crawler SUV and we have enough of these in Indian market. If Suzuki, for commercial consideration can make a 4/5 door configuration, with a reasonable power train and keep it under 15 lacs; more power to them.
The fact that Jimny is a body on frame platform and all its variants will have a transfer case translates into one thing: choppy ride & low mileage; no matter if it has a diesel or a gas motor. I have driven almost every ladder chassis based vehicle available in North America and India (barring the G Wagon) and they will never ride as well as a monocoque. In such a scenario it is unlikely to become a mainstream vehicle and if at all introduced in India will remain a niche vehicle and that means low numbers. Suzuki folks are fairly smart (more than what some folks are willing to give them credit for) and they have done their homework. They have been selling 15,000 odd vehicles across Europe, parts of Asia, Africa & Australia and will not mind the additional numbers that India can contribute therefore I believe that in all their wisdom Suzuki will introduce Jimny into Indian market sooner or later.
By sticking to tradition and not succumbing to the temptation of over-designing or over complicating this nifty little 4X4, Suzuki effectively (and probably unintentionally) created a classic and they hopefully will not spoil the recipe in a hurry.
I must also add a disclaimer: I’ll be one of the first customers if it comes to India; for a three door version with a 1.5 ltr. gas motor to give company to my 2016 Gypsy King.
Let’s keep our fingers crossed…
Last edited by Vikram Arya : 5th July 2018 at 05:22.
Reason: Typo correction
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