Power Wheels Magazine A Notch Above
Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), the renowned artist, painter, draftsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect during the High Renaissance once opined that “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication”. These words came to mind when we had the 2025 Suzuki Jimny 5-door GLX for a week-long test drive. In this age where vehicles are becoming more complicated and complex to comply with increasingly stringent safety standards and higher customer expectations, the Jimny, whether in 3-door or 5-door guise, is like a welcome breath of fresh air.
Uh, isn’t that a scale model of the Mercedes-Benz Geländewagen? (Nope. It’s a full-size Suzuki Jimny 5-door.)
The first time we drove a Jimny 5-door was during the “One Suzuki Kick-Off Ride” in January this year to mark the start of 50th Anniversary celebrations of Suzuki Philippines, Inc. (SPH). We drove the red Jimny from the SPH factory grounds in Carmelray Industrial Park, Calamba, Laguna to the Pico de Loro Beach and Country Club in Nasugbu, Batangas, and then back the day after. We’ve driven the Jimny 3-door several times prior to that and we were glad that Suzuki was able to maintain the Jimny’s iconic character in both the 3-door and 5-door body styles.
We’ve driven the Suzuki 3-door in 2019 and again in 2023. We first drove the 5-door in January.
Iconic Simplicity
One of the Jimny’s iconic characteristics is its inherent simplicity. Suzuki has stuck to its guns in making the Jimny as dependable, reliable and capable on the road and off. They started with a proven chassis design that off-road and 4×4 enthusiasts absolutely love – a separate high rigidity ladder frame, which endowed the Jimny with high torsional rigidity and ensured that the body does not flex under stress when traversing rough terrain or crawling through obstacles. (Kindly note that the Willys Jeep survived WWII intact and several examples are still drivable today because of this separate body-and-frame design.)
A separate High Rigidity Ladder Frame adds strength and functions as the base to the Jimny’s 5-door body shell.
Instead of complex independent suspensions systems with lots of moving parts, Suzuki again opted for elegant engineering simplicity and equipped the Jimny with front and rear 3-link rigid axles and installed coil springs, shock absorbers and stabilizer bars to ensure stable handling, excellent road holding and tenacious off-road capability. A power-assisted recirculating ball steering system, front disc brakes and rear drum brakes complete the undercarriage while 15-inch 10-spoke 5-lug aluminum alloy wheels wrapped with 195/80R15 Bridgestone Dueler H/L tires with tall sidewalls help absorb road shock while providing sure-footed traction.
Simple yet effective 3-link rigid axles with coil springs form the Jimny’s suspension system. Note the front discs and rear drum brakes.
Its stylish 15-inch 10-spoke alloy wheels are shod with 195/80R15 Bridgestone Dueler H/L tires.
Making the Icon More Practical
To create more interior space for the rear passengers of the 5-door version, Suzuki engineers redesigned the Jimny’s ladder frame and stretched the wheelbase by 340 mm (around 13.4 inches) from 2,250 mm to 2,590 mm, which resulted in improved stability and a smoother ride. Despite the longer wheelbase, the overall length of the Jimny 5-door grew by just 170 mm (around 6.7 inches), which gave it almost the same maneuverability and off-road capability as the 3-door with a 5.7-meter turning radius, 36° approach angle, 24° ramp break-over angle, and 47° departure angle.
The Jimny 5-door’s wheelbase is 13.4 inches longer than the 3-door’s for increased practicality and improved stability but the overall length grew only by 6.7 inches to maintain its trademark maneuverability.
Suzuki designers, on the other hand, maintained the Jimny’s familiar boxy profile and retro design cues with the 5-door. The only noticeable changes are the longer rear overhang to accommodate the longer wheelbase and, of course, the extra set of doors. The rear doors enable easier access to the backseat while the longer overhang added space for the rear cargo area. While we love the cute appearance of the 3-door Jimny, we absolutely love the roomier cabin, improved ride, and increased practicality of the 5-door version.
Yep. That extra set of doors at the back is difficult NOT to notice…
Iconic Performance and Efficiency
The Jimny 5-door is powered by a KB15B 1.5-liter 4-cylinder engine with 4 valves per cylinder and double overhead camshafts (DOHC) that churns out 100 horsepower and 130 Newton-meters of torque. Power is routed through a 4-speed automatic transmission and sent to Suzuki’s proprietary All Grip Pro 4WD system, that can switch between 2WD (for everyday driving) and 4WD (for increased traction on rough terrain), including a low-range gear (4L mode) for driving on muddy roads, steep slopes and extremely difficult terrain.
We removed our Jimny’s 100-hp KB15B 4-cylinder gasoline engine to take a closer look at its 16V, DOHC configuration…
…and then stuffed it back into the engine bay before anyone at SPH would notice.
We experienced the All Grip Pro 4WD system in action when we took the Jimny 3-door to the boondocks, when we played with it in the mud, and when we bullied bigger SUVs on the sands in 2023. We felt that the little Jimny was unstoppable! However, we didn’t have the chance to experience the Jimny 5-door’s off-road prowess since the bad weather and floods confined us to driving within the city. We wished we had more time to take it off-road but thankfully, we experienced its improved ride, better stability and celebrated fuel efficiency on city streets, despite the strong rains.
The Jimny’s All Grip Pro 4WD system handles all kinds of terrain: 2H for paved roads and highways; 4H for loose soil, dirt or gravel trails; 4L for soft sand, mud, or steep and rocky hills.
The All Grip Pro 4WD shifter is conveniently located within the driver’s easy reach in the snug but ergonomic cockpit.
Making the Icon More Modern
Aside from the LED headlamps, driving lamps and tail lamps, the 2025 Jimny GLX’s other concession to modernity is its 9-inch touchscreen display (7-inch for the GL variant). With Apple Carplay, Android Audio, Bluetooth and USB connectivity, we were able to play our favorite tunes that sounded sweet though the 4 speakers around the interior. What we loved most about the display is that it now has the semi-circular graph that shows the Instantaneous Fuel Economy that helps us temper our right foot while we drive to help improve our fuel mileage.
9-inch touchscreen infotainment system is one of the Jimny’s concessions to modern complexity…
… but its Instantaneous Fuel Economy graph helps us improve our driving and increase the fuel mileage.
Because of the longer wheelbase, the interior of the Jimny 5-door is noticeably more spacious than the 3-door version but it’s still on the cozy side, because of the Jimny’s svelte width. The cockpit is snug and ergonomic, except for the position of the power window switches, which are on the center console instead of the front door panels. Thankfully, the rear power window switches are mounted on the rear doors. The automatic climate control system kept us cool while we sat comfortably on the bolstered fabric seats while crawling in traffic.
Ingress and egress to the cockpit is a great unless you’re a 220-pound 6’5″ giant…
… but once inside, all controls are within easy reach. It’s a great place to spend a long drive in.
Four-Place Iconic Safety
The Jimny 5-door was designed to transport 4 occupants safely and comfortably on any terrain. Three passengers can fit in the backseat but it won’t be comfortable on long distances unless they’re all thin, small, and uh, lightweight. The 50/50 folding rear seatback helps increase the Jimny 5-door’s cargo capacity while the large rear door makes loading and unloading a lot easier. We could only wish that the rear door is hinged at the left so it opens to the right and loading can be safely done at the right side of the road.
Front seat passenger enjoys space, comfort and a view of the road ahead and at the passing scenery.
The backseat is designed for 2 occupants but 3 can fit, albeit only for short drives.
And speaking of safety, the Jimny 5-door impressively integrates modern safety technologies, including side impact door beams, advanced dual airbag systems, (curtain airbags for the GLX), ABS anti-lock brakes, ESP electronic stability program, hill descent and hill hold controls, brake assist, and a lot more. Suzuki’s proprietary Total Effective Control Technology (TECT) mitigates potential injuries to the driver and passengers in the event of a collision while the design of the front structure minimizes injury to a pedestrian.
Rear door opens large for ease of loading and unloading stuff…
Cargo space is around 210 dry liters with the rear 50/50 seatbacks up and 335 dry liters with the rear seatbacks folded down. A 12-volt outlet can be found at the left side of the cargo bay.
Suzuki wisely resisted the temptation to equip the Jimny 5-door with more driver-assistance technology which would take away its traditional classic driving experience and in the process, jack up the price to inaccessible levels. We were so enamored by our Chiffon Ivory Metallic/Bluish Black Pearl Jimny 5-door GLX that we are now doubling up on our business plans so we can raise around P1.7 Million to get either a two-tone or a monotone Jimny 5-door. Ooh… if we could only apply Da Vinci’s “simplicity is the ultimate sophistication” adage to our business plans like it was applied to the Suzuki Jimny, we’d be golden!
SPECIFICATIONS
Vehicle Type: Front-engine, 4WD, 5-door compact SUV
Price: P1,698,000 (Monotone) P1,708,000 (Two-Tone)
Engine: K15B inline 4-cylinder 16-valve DOHC VVT
Displacement: 1,462 cc
Maximum power: 100 hp (102 PS) @ 6,000 rpm
Maximum torque: 130 Nm @ 4,000 rpm
Transmission: 4-speed automatic with All-Grip Pro 4WD
Fuel tank capacity: 40L
Wheelbase: 2,590 mm
Length: 3,820 mm
Width: 1,645 mm
Height: 1,720 mm
Minimum ground clearance: 210 mm
Minimum turning radius: 5.7 m
Approach angle: 36°
Ramp break-over angle: 24°
Departure angle: 47°
Curb weight: 1,215 kg
Gross vehicle weight: 1,545 kg
Front suspension: 3-link rigid axle with coil spring
Rear suspension: 3-link rigid axle with coil spring
Front brakes: Ventilated discs
Rear Brakes: Drums
Steering system: Recirculating ball with electric power assistance (EPAS)
Wheels: 15-inch 10-spoke 5-lug aluminum alloys
Tires: 195/80R15
