Overview
SUZUKI Australia paused production of its 3-door Jimny in early 2025 after the model’s autonomous emergency braking system failed to meet updated Australian Design Rules, but the cult favourite is back with improved safety and more standard technology.
The revised 3-door Jimny line-up is made up of the base Lite and Standard models, with a choice of manual and automatic gearboxes still on offer.
Suzuki’s stripped-back Lite 3-door starts at $31,990 before on-road costs, but is only offered with a five-speed manual, halogen headlights, a 7.0-inch touchscreen and steel wheels.
The standard Jimny – tested here – comes in at $33,990 + ORCs for the manual or $36,490 +ORCs for the four-speed automatic we drove, and it adds a larger 9.0-inch display, automatic LED headlights, climate control, 15-inch alloy wheels with a new design, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, heated and electric-folding mirrors, and rear privacy glass.
All new 3-door Jimny models are backed by the same five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty.
Safety technology is up across the line-up too, which includes a revised AEB system, adaptive cruise control, lane departure prevention, front and rear parking sensors and a weaving alert.
All Jimny variants are powered by the same 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine producing 75kW/130Nm, which sips a claimed combined 6.9l/100km but won’t get you anywhere quickly – especially when mated to the four-speed auto.
Ultimately, the Jimny is an off-road-focused machine, with a simple part-time four-wheel drive system, solid front and rear axles and 210mm of ground clearance. It's a formula that has worked for the brand since the LJ10 arrived in 1970, and Suzuki clearly sees no reason to mess with it.
Driving Impressions
You do forget how small the three-door Jimny is until you are forced to get back into one, because it's positively tiny.
At 3645mm long and 1645mm wide, it's only around 50mm longer and wider than a Kia Picanto, and you feel it getting in. There’s also no telescopic steering wheel adjustment and the seat sits quite high even at its lowest setting, so it’s a cramped affair.
But you stop caring almost immediately once you drive it. It’s just so much fun.
The little 1.5-litre engine screams, as all of Suzuki's four-pots do, so while it's dreadfully slow it makes up for it with enthusiasm. It reminds me of a 90s Toyota Corolla or any little Honda with VTEC, because it just works so hard and seems to love doing so.
The manual would be the enthusiast's pick, but the auto is the one most buyers will choose and the one that now gets adaptive cruise control as standard. Plus, it’s a lot less work off-road.
It steers, stops and rides pretty well for a car this basic, but on the motorway you do get buffeted around. It’s a tiny car on 195/80 R15 tyres, after all. But, you quickly acclimatise, and the new lane departure prevention system helps keep things under control.
The LED headlights throw a surprising amount of light, certainly a lot more than the halogens featured on the entry-level Lite, rivalling the spread of larger 4x4 utes.
Inside, the 9.0-inch touchscreen is a step up from the old 7.0-inch unit and wireless smartphone mirroring makes the otherwise basic interior feel a little more modern. Beyond that, though, it’s a pretty analogue cabin experience.
Head off the tarmac and the Jimny earns every cent of its purchase price, because it’s every bit as capable as the ubiquitous dual-cab ute. In fact, after a day tooling around at the Glasshouse Mountains, north of Brisbane, we’d argue it leaves most utes for dead.
The little Suzuki will walk up just about anything you point it at, even on the stock Dunlop AT20 rubber, with its tiny footprint and light kerb weight also making light work of mud, soft sand.
One concession you’ve got to accept is that it’s really a two-person vehicle, because I can’t imagine enduring any amount of off-road work from the two backseats, and with a payload of around 325kg before you factor in occupants you’ll be packing light.
The Jimny is a car that doesn’t really make sense in 2026. It's too slow, too small, too basic, and too expensive for what it is on paper.
And yet, I found myself wanting one because it has one thing so many modern cars lack: personality. Buckets of it.
It's a small, simple, incredibly capable 4x4 that feels like stepping back in time to the 90s every time you drive it, except it now has advanced safety tech and a decent infotainment system.
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