In 2023, Suzuki answered the prayers of would-be Jimny owners wanting some extra overall practicality. They took the Sierra version of the Jimny, lengthened it an additional 30cm, and gave it a pair of extra doors.

This transformed the Jimny. Traditionally it has been this tough, no-nonsense, go-anywhere off-roader. But with one key issue, in that it really only is a two-seater on a day-to-day basis. There is space in the back, but you’d have to choose between having people or cargo.

Problems which have been resolved by giving it some additional length. But the changes made aren’t purely functional. There have been some minor cosmetic, drivability and refinement enhancements made to the Jimny too.

For the first time ever, this plucky little 4×4 can truly become a daily driver. If you are willing to put up with some of its quirks.

What Has Changed?

Well, in the 5-door-ification process, nothing really much at first glance. Afterall, it really is just a Jimny with some added length. You still get a boxy off-roader with each of its wheels pushed to the far corners of the car.

You still get a car that is equal parts adorable and equal parts tough. Run through its design with a fine-toothed comb though, and you’ll start seeing some of the alterations they have made to the vehicle.

For starters, the 5 Door comes with its own specific front grille, which now has chrome inserts in each of its vents. From here till around the A-pillar, the car is identical to its shorter cousin. Aside from the obvious addition of the two rear doors, the fuel filler has had to be relocated.

It is also a different shape to that of the 3 Door. Suzuki has introduced two variant specific colours, including Jungle Green, and the shade our tester has been finished in, dubbed Sizzling Red Metallic.

Some Added Refinement

Much of the interior remains the same as the regular Jimny. No soft-touch plastics can be found anywhere in the cabin, though you’d want it to not have said materials anyways. Analogue dials make for easy reading of RPM and speed, with additional car information being displayed on a small TFT screen in the middle of the cluster.

You still have the transfer case lever, which requires a satisfying amount of force to toggle between the three drive modes (2H, 4H, 4L). As this is quite a bit more money than the standard vehicle, Suzuki has fitted a factory-developed touchscreen headunit, which comes with wireless Apple CarPlay and wired Android Auto.

This is something that you don’t get in the 3 Door. It isn’t as advanced as some aftermarket units, but it works well enough. Again, the car simply doesn’t require any fancy accoutrements. Some additional sound deadening has been added to the car, and you physically sitting further away from one drive axles means less road noise to contend with.

In all honesty the front cabin space is identical to that of the standard car, but the rear now has useable amounts of leg room, with much simpler access to boot. However, the bodyshell of the car isn’t wide enough to accommodate three in the rear – this is a strict four-seater.

Charmingly Arachic

A proper 4×4 drives like no other softroader. No rack and pinion steering here; the Jimny uses recirculating ball technology, a true rarity in 2026. This means the front end does tend to wander quite a bit in lane, before any of it is actually transmitted through the steering wheel.

Feedback? Non-existent. Which would have been a negative had it been a road-centric machine. However, this set-up allows you to tackle very rough off-road terrain without a sudden jarring bump twisting your wrists off the steering wheel.

It is also mind-numbingly slow, especially off the line. The 1.5 litre lump doesn’t gain any additional power, despite the car itself being some 100 kilograms heavier than its 3 Door sibling. As a result, consumption does drop about 10% overall.

In our hands, the car averaged around 10.2km/l, which is quite a fair bit off its homologated 13.7km/l. But Jimny owners probably wouldn’t care about any of this, especially when you hit a patch of rough terrain. It so beautifully copes with mud, gravel and grass, with the added wheelbase not denting its ability to deal with the rough stuff to any detectable degree.

The Jimny, Now Complete

The 5 Door doesn’t reinvent the Jimny formula — it simply makes it usable. By stretching the wheelbase and adding two doors, Suzuki has fixed the one compromise that held many buyers back. It’s no longer a charming toy that demands sacrifice – it’s now a compact 4×4 you can drive daily.

Yes, it’s slow. Yes, it wanders. And no, it isn’t refined in the conventional sense. But that’s the point. The Jimny remains charmingly archaic — ladder frame and recirculating ball steering intact — in a world of crossovers pretending to be tough. Crucially, the added weight hasn’t dulled its off-road ability, while the extra space broadens its appeal without softening its character.

If you want comfort and polish, look elsewhere. But if you want a proper old-school off-roader with enough room to bring people along, the Jimny 5 Door finally feels complete. It preserves its quirkiness and niche charm, but in a far less compromised daily package!

Not exactly a rival in the traditional sense, but here‘s our take on another off-roader!

Or if you prefer, we also sampled the latest Suzuki Swift here!