► All-new Suzuki Jimny spied
► Seen without camo for first time
► On UK sale in January 2019
A customer event has backfired after photos of the new 2019 Suzuki Jimny were published without any camouflage at all. The pictures emerged on an Instagram account belonging to a Suzuki brand fan, revealing the Tonka toy looks in full.
It’s a tiny SUV in the mould of a junior Mercedes G-class – our sources suggest it’s just 3.6m long, in the mould of a Japanese-market K-car. Which might explain why it’s a three-door only. It’s underpinned by a new, much stiffer inhouse ladder-frame chassis; it’s not based on the Swift/Baleno small-car platform.
The car is likely to be unveiled in Japan this summer and is due to be shown at the 2018 Paris motor show in October. UK sales of the new Suzuki Jimny SUV are due in January 2019 (but there are still around 100 old-shape models left unregistered, if you fancy a current car).
This disclosure follows our earlier scoop photos (below), where we captured the box-fresh Jimny on test wearing its psychedelic disguise in full.
Our eagle-eyed photographers have already papped Suzuki’s new Jimny 4×4 out and about as prototypes of the cute baby SUV are tested ahead of launch.
The current-generation Suzuki Jimny is so old the first versions saw the fall of the Roman Empire, so it’s about time that the brand’s perennial mud-plugger thrusts itself into the 21st century. It was launched fully 20 years ago, yet Suzuki still sells around 1100 a year in the UK.
Our spy photos show that the basic shape of the Jimny won’t change much from its predecessor. It’s about as angular as a car can get in its overall silhouette – again, not unlike a Mercedes G.
The front end gives us a couple of clues to the car’s final design; big round headlights show basic halogen bulbs and the two rectangular slats on the grille will undoubtedly be joined by others in a row, like before.
The square wheelarches complement the almost Land Rover Defender-like creases along the side of the bodywork, too. While at the rear, the Jimny still sports an exposed spare wheel and side-hinged door.
CAR understands that this camo’d car is a development mule, and is primarily being stress-tested on road to help shape the new 4×4’s on-road dynamics.
Engine options are likely to remain basic, so we should see little more than the 1.2-litre Dualjet engine that powers the basic Swift and Baleno cars in the range. We could see Suzuki’s turbocharged Boosterjet engine or SHVS tech join, but this would go against the Jimny’s pared-back driving experience and would up the price. Four-wheel drive will naturally be standard across the board.
Check out our review of the current Jimny here