Suzuki Jimny XL a $3k premium

SUZUKI Australia has priced the new larger Jimny XL at a $3000 premium over the smaller three-door model, and the Japanese brand has also switched orders back on for the three-door auto, after a several-month pause due to extreme demand.

The all-new Indian-built Suzuki Jimny XL is priced from $34,990 +ORC for the five-speed manual, and $36,490 +ORC for the four-speed automatic, with the specifications largely mirroring those of the cheaper three-door model.

That pricing means the new Jimny XL sits well below rivals like the Mahindra Scorpio (from $41,990 drive-away) and GWM Tank 300 (from $46,990 drive-away), and Suzuki Australia general manager, Michael Pachota, says the brand has already taken 2000 orders for the new, bigger Jimny.

“Dealers are excited about this, and I can't wait for our customers get a glimpse of it too, in terms of testing the product itself seeing the value in it and then seeing the price obviously matches the value,” said Mr Pachota.

“We see incremental opportunities in 2024 for stock supply, which is why I have also switched on the three-door automatic Jimny sales as of this morning,” Mr Pachota said at the launch of the Jimny XL

The new model doesn’t stray too far from the formula in terms of spec and powertrain details; there’s still the same 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine producing a modest 75kW and 130Nm, with all versions sold offering a low-range transfer case for off-road driving. Transmission choices are a cheaper five-speed manual or more in-demand four-speed auto.

Surprisingly, the Jimny XL has the same official fuel consumption figure as the three-door, at 6.4 litres per 100km for the manual and 6.9L/100km for the auto. Fuel tank capacity is identical, too, at 40 litres.

The Jimny XL offers a decent stretch over the three-door, measuring 3985mm nose to rear-mounted-spare (up 340mm), on a 2590mm wheelbase (also 340mm longer). It is identical in terms of height (1720mm) and width (1645mm).

Off-road angles for the five-door model pay a small price, with break over angle (24 degrees, instead of 28), approach angle (36 degrees, instead of 37) and departure angle (47 degrees, instead of 49), and the extended wheelbase means the Jimny XL isn’t a nimble in tight turnaround situations, but still has a small-ish 11.4m turning circle (9.8m in three-door). Minimum ground clearance remains at 210mm.

There are some distinguishing features for the Jimny XL aside from its longer body and wheelbase, including a chrome-trimmed grille finish, while it also has a measured-opening side-swing tailgate with a full-size spare wheel and cover. As with three-door, it has 15-inch alloy wheels, projector LED headlights and halogen daytime running lights.

Inside it scores a new 9.0-inch touchscreen media system with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, DAB radio, and a reversing camera display, while the five-door model gains a four-head rear parking sensor array, and the autonomous emergency braking system uses a stereo camera setup rather than the single-cam system seen in three-door models.

Safety could be a consideration for customers, though, with the Jimny XL unlikely to achieve a higher ANCAP rating than the existing three-door, which managed three stars in 2018. Even so, it has the aforementioned AEB system with day and night pedestrian detection, lane departure warning, ‘weaving alert’, and cruise control - standard in the manual, but adaptive cruise control for auto models (speed usage range - 40km/h to 130km/h).

An ANCAP spokesperson said that the safety authority will “need to review technical evidence from Suzuki to assess whether the existing three star rating can also extend to include the 5-door Jimny,” referencing “potential considerations around performance in the side impact and oblique pole tests”. The spokesperson said ANCAP has reached out to Suzuki and is awaiting a response.

To the end of November 2023, Suzuki has seen the registration of 4673 Jimny models across the country, a drop of 11.5 per cent compared with the same time in 2022.

The reason for that slip in sales is due to supply of the highly sought after automatic version, and the brand says the throughput of the auto models will improve now and into 2024.

Suzuki Australia more generally has seen a dip of 21.6 per cent year-on-year, with the loss of the Baleno budget hatchback having a clear impact on sales, despite sales of the Swift hatch picking up by 62 per cent compared to last year.