The Suzuki Jimny 5-Door is finally set to be launched in the country on January 25. As we all know, the little off-roader is pretty much in a class of its own, but for this size comparo, we’ll be pitting it against two Toyota crossovers, the turbocharged Raize and the Yaris Cross hybrid, which is roughly in the same price range as the new Suzuki SUV.
Since the local Jimny 5-Door’s specs aren’t out as of this writing, we’ll be using figures from the identical-looking overseas market model.
The new Jimny 5-Door measures 3,985mm long, 1,645mm wide, and 1,720mm tall, making it 45mm shorter, 65mm narrower, and 115mm taller than the Raize. Compared with the Yaris Cross, the rugged 4x4 is 325mm shorter, 125mm narrower, and 105mm taller. Note that the Jimny 5-Door’s overall length includes the external rear-mounted spare tire with cover, which adds at least 165mm beyond the rear bumper.
ALSO READ:
Size comparo: How big is the Hyundai Custin compared to the Toyota Zenix?
Size comparo: How big is the all-new Hyundai Santa Fe?
The Jimny 5-Door rides on a 2,590mm wheelbase. Between the axles, it’s 65mm longer than the Raize, but 30mm shorter than the Yaris Cross. It’s also shod with 27.3in-diameter 195/80 R15 tires, which are larger than the Raize’s 26.7in-diameter 205/60 R17 rubber, and just as tall as the Yaris Cross’s 215/55 R18 tires. The Jimny 5-Door has a ground clearance of 200mm—10mm more than the Raize, but 2mm less than the Yaris Cross. We do have to remember that the rugged Suzuki 4x4 has rigid axles and both have protruding differential pumpkins.
A little background on these three SUVs. The Suzuki Jimny 5-Door is essentially a lengthened version of the well-loved three-door model, which in turn is a larger-engined wide-track version of the kei-class JDM Jimny. Thanks to the 5-Door variant’s extra 340mm added to its wheelbase, the rear passenger area is larger and now features a wider full-width rear bench seat. The new variant keeps the original Jimny’s body-on-frame construction and solid front and rear axles. For propulsion, it’s powered by the brand’s familiar 1.5-liter naturally aspirated engine.
The turbocharged Raize, on the other hand, uses Daihatsu’s DNGA platform for its small models. Despite some people calling the baby SUV a B-segment subcompact, it shares the same wheelbase as the new A-segment Wigo hatchback. Under the hood is a 1.0-liter turbo-three. The Toyota Yaris Cross, meanwhile, is the crossover sibling of the all-new Vios sedan, with which it shares its B-segment DNGA platform. The hybrid is powered by a 1.5-liter naturally aspirated mill paired with an electric motor.
Now that the rugged 4x4 Jimny comes in a more practical five-door package, would you choose it over the lower-priced front-drive Raize or the much larger hybrid Yaris Cross? Let us know in the comments.
