Conquering Every Corner with the Rugged and Refined Suzuki Jimny

The Suzuki Jimny is a 4×4 mini SUV produced by Suzuki in 1970 and is currently in its fourth generation. Off-roading cars such as the Jeep CJ and the Toyota BJ were very common in World War II and were transformed for civilian use in the post-war period. During this transformation, Suzuki began working on a project for a small 4×4 that qualifies as a Kei car and while working on this project, Suzuki bought a car company known as Hopestar. Hopestar had produced a line of lightweight offroad vehicles and the available technology at Hopestar sped up Suzuki’s small 4×4 project which resulted in the birth of the Suzuki Jimny in 1970.

First Generation 

LJ10

In 1970, the Suzuki Jimny LJ10 (Light Jeep 10) was introduced as a more compact, off-road, and nimble alternative to the other existing 4×4 vehicles at the time. The Jimny became the first and only mass-produced 4×4 car that qualified as a “Kei” car in Japan. The three-seater LJ10 was built on a body-on-frame with lightweight body panels covered by a soft-top roof, zipped canvas doors, and leaf springs that can manage big loads and traverse hills with ease. Suzuki had to sacrifice the fourth sit-in-place for a spare tire behind the front passenger seat. The LJ10 came with  2-stroke 2-cylinder air-cooled 359cc engine with 25 hp and was later upgraded to 27 hp which mated to a four-speed manual transmission.

LJ20

The LJ received some upgrades and was renamed the LJ20 in May 1972 with changes including flipping the grille bars from horizontal to vertical, and later became the Jimny signature grille. The air-cooled engine was replaced with a water-cooled unit and hardtop and left-hand models were also introduced for exports.

LJ50

In 1975 the Jimny was upgraded again with the introduction of the LJ50/SJ10 for export markets. The spare tire relocated to a hanger on the rear door which was possible due to changes in the Kei car specification. The LJ50 came with a two-stroke 550cc three-cylinder water-cooled engine with 33 hp.

LJ80

In 1977 the LJ80/SJ20 Jimny was released as the last of the first generation LJ series. Exterior changes included larger front and rear flared wheel arches and the hood was slightly raised to house the new slightly larger engine. There was also a pickup truck model known as the LJ81. This LJ80 came with a four-cylinder, water-cooled 800cc engine with 42 hp.

Second Generation

In 1981 the second generation of the Suzuki Jimny SJ30 was released. The SJ410/413 had various names in different markets such as Samurai, Sierra, Maruti Gypsy, Holden Drover, Caribbean, and more. Under the hood, Jimny was still powered by the 550cc LJ50 engine while those for export were powered by a 1000cc (F10A) four-cylinder engine with 44 hp mated to a four-speed manual transmission.

The SJ410 was available in several body styles including a long-wheelbase pickup, half-door convertible, raised-roof hardtop, no-glass hardtop, and two-door hardtop. In 1984 Jimny launched SJ413 which was an upgraded SJ model with a lightweight 1.3-liter four-cylinder engine with 64 hp mated with a five-speed manual transmission.

Third Generation

In 1997, Suzuki unveiled its brand-new Jimny JB23, with a significant change that was more modern, with a slogan “smart in the city, tough in nature”. The JB23 Jimny offers a different design and style that makes it look nice and balanced. It was available in a closed or open-roof (convertible) body. At the rear, it featured a side-hinged tailgate with a spare tire on it.

The cabin provides with as much comfort as possible and comes with two front bucket seats, a bench for two at the rear, and a washable plastic dashboard. The Jimny JB series comes with a 658cc (JB23) inline-3 petrol engine, or a 1298cc (JB33) inline-4 petrol engine, or 1328cc (JB43) petrol engine, and a turbocharged 1461cc (JB53) diesel engine, mated with a four-speed automatic or five-speed manual.

Fourth Generation (Present)

The fourth-generation Jimny featured several modern technological upgrades such as the 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system, automatic cruise control, and other practical and functional technologies. The exterior is boxy and simple with its front face consisting of a clamshell bonnet, a straight-up windshield, round headlamps, and the traditional Jimny grille in black.

The cabin is authentic and a bit modern with firm, supportive, and comfortable seats that offer enough legroom for front-seat occupants. Cargo space can be extended by folding flat the rear seats, creating a 377-liter cargo area with utility screw holes and luggage anchors. The JB64/74 Jimny comes with a turbocharged 660cc three-cylinder petrol engine and a 1462cc four-cylinder petrol engine coupled with either a 5-speed manual or a 4-speed automatic transmission. 

Generally

The Suzuki Jimny has been around for more than 50 years and kept on evolving by becoming even more practical, beautiful, and functional while maintaining its 4×4 abilities. You can browse the Suzuki Jimny stocklist for more available and affordable models.