Five-door Suzuki Jimny’s extension as much as 300 mm

In spite of its unveiling slated for next year, Suzuki has continued testing of the five-door Jimny with a batch of new reports from India alluding to a possible launch date earlier than expected.

Back in January, it was reported that a backlog of some 50 000 three-door units from the Hansalpur plant in Gujarat state, as well as the worsening effects of the Coronavirus in India, had delayed introduction of the extended wheelbase Jimny to 2022 instead of this year.

Reportedly slated to use Daihatsu’s New Global Architecture (DNGA) platform, which is spun-off from Toyota’s TNGA and, more specifically, the GA-B used by the Yaris, Yaris Cross, Raize and Rocky, the five-door Jimny’s dimensions have now turned up online, adding further fuel to the fire of an earlier than forecast debut.

According to Autocar India and indianautosblog.com, the five-door Jimny, like the current global model, will be based on the non-kei car Jimny affixed with the Sierra suffix in Japan, and measure 3 850 mm in overall length with the wheelbase coming to 2 550 mm, the width to 1 645 mm and height to 1 730 mm.

RELATED: Production backlog delays five-door Suzuki Jimny till 2022

Compared to the three-door, the five-door, which could revive the Gypsy moniker in India, measures 300 mm longer overall with the wheelbase, width and height remaining unchanged. The claimed ground clearance of 210 mm also stays put.

While still comfortably conforming to the Indian sub-four metre regulations, the added length will reportedly infringe on the Jimny’s weight with both publications reporting a gain of 100 kg to 1 190 kg. Expected though is more room for rear passengers, a bigger boot and rear air-conditioning vents.

Up front, the five-door Jimny will keep hold of the normally aspirated 1.5 K15B petrol engine used in the Vitara Brezza and its Toyota Urban Cruiser twin, with the outputs of 75kW/130Nm also unchanged. Transmissions will again comprise a five-speed manual or a four-speed automatic with selectable low range.

Expect more details and images, as indicated by both publications and by motor1.com, to emerge over the coming weeks and months.