Maruti Jimny 5-door SUV ready for India launch? Spy shots reveal first look
Maruti Suzuki is likely to launch the five-door version of the Jimny SUV, which could potentially rival the likes of Mahindra Thar, Force Gurkha among others in India. Expected to make debut at the Auto Expo next year, the five-door Jimny has earlier been spotted testing in India a number of times. However, for the first time, the SUV has been spotted testing without a camouflage, hinting at its imminent debut in India. The images circulated widely across social media platform reveal some of the key details about the upcoming SUV.
As part of its efforts to step up the SUV game, Maruti Suzuki is ready to drive in new models next year. At least two of them are going to be showcased next month at the upcoming Auto Expo 2023. One of them is expected to be the five-door version of its popular Jimny SUV. The smaller three-door version of the off-roader, which is currently sold in some of Suzuki's global markets, was showcased at the previous edition of the Auto Expo in 2020 to gauge feedback from potential customers. However this time, Maruti seems serious about the longer version of Jimny and is looking for an India launch soon.
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The five-door model spotted recently comes in its iconic Kinetic Yellow body colour and matching door handles. The large wheel arches, bumpers, ORVMs and side claddings are all wrapped in black plastic. The test mule also reveals that there will be no taillights mounted on the side of the SUV. Instead, they are placed at the bottom housed inside the bumpers. However, it is not clear if this Jimny is the production version or not.
Being a longer wheelbase version of the Jimny three-door SUV, the five-door model is expected to offer more space inside. The wheelbase is expected to be around 2,500 mm, at least 300 mm more than the smaller version. The overall length of the SUV is likely to remain just under 4 metres. The rear door handles will open sideways, hinting at jump seats at the third row. The second row is likely to come with bench seats.
Maruti is likely to pack in the new generation K15B series engine under the hood of the Jimny. The engine is likely to come mated to either a five-speed manual or automatic transmission units. It is also expected to offer the recently-launched AllGrip four-wheel drive technology to take on rivals, besides a standard version.
Check out Upcoming Cars in India 2024, Best SUVs in India.