Suzuki · 1970–present

Suzuki Jimny

The Suzuki Jimny (Japanese: スズキ・ジムニー, Hepburn: Suzuki Jimunī) is a series of four-wheel drive off-road mini SUVs manufactured and marketed by Japanese automaker Suzuki since 1970. Originally belonging to the kei class, Japan's light automobile tax/legal class, the company continues to market a kei-compliant version for the Japanese and global markets as the Jimny, as well as versions that exceed kei-class limitations. Suzuki has marketed 2.85 million units of the Jimny in 194 countries through September 2018.

Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Predecessor: Suzuki SJ

All Suzuki Jimny data: UK builds, safety, recalls, model years →

History

The history of Suzuki four-wheel drive cars began in the latter half of the 1960s, when Suzuki bought a Steyr-Puch Haflinger to study with the intent of building a kei-class off-road vehicle. A better opportunity presented itself in 1968, when Suzuki was able to buy bankrupt Japanese automaker Hope Motor Company, which had introduced a small off-road vehicle called the HopeStar ON360. The tiny Hope company had been unable to enter series production, and only about 45 were manufactured. The first Suzuki-branded four-wheel drive, the LJ10 (Light Jeep 10), wasn't introduced until 1970. The LJ10 had a Kei-class sized 359-cc, air cooled, two-stroke, in-line twin-cylinder engine. The liquid-cooled LJ20 was introduced in 1972 with the cooling updated due to newly enacted emission legislation, and it gained 3 hp. In 1975, Suzuki complemented the LJ20 with the LJ50, which had a larger, 539-cc, in-line three-cylinder engine – but still two-stroke – and it came with bigger differentials. This was originally targeted at the Australian market, but more exports soon followed. The Jimny 8 / LJ80 – updated from the LJ50, with an 800 cc, four-stroke, four-cylinder in-line engine, the final version of the original LJ series – was followed by the second generation Jimny 1000 / SJ410 (1.0 litre), and Jimny 1300 / SJ413 1.3 litre. An updated version of the SJ413 became known as the Samurai and was the first Suzuki officially marketed in the US. The LJ80 was known as the Stockman in Australia, the series from SJ410 to SJ413 was known as the Sierra in Australia, and remained the Jimny in some markets. The third generation Jimny was released in 1998, and since then has acquired the same name in all markets. The 1998 release used the G13BB Suzuki G engine with electronic fuel injection (EFI), w

Common design characteristics

=== Overall construction === All four Jimny generations have a separate body and ladder frame. The body is legally not a structural carrying part of the vehicle. Originally, It served only as a cabin to protect the occupants from the elements (but on early models not even that), provide comfort – and yet, on later models, it is strong enough to protect occupants in case of a crash. It is legal to own and drive on public roads and highways in the majority of countries in the world. Suspension. All four Jimny generations have dependent suspension (solid-beam axles) both at the front and rear axles. This used to be a common suspension design for all-terrain vehicles up to 1990s, but has become a rarity in vehicle design in the 21st century. Dependent suspension is particularly well suited for all-terrain duty, both from the durability and performance perspectives. The first two Jimny generations used leaf-sprung suspension at all four wheels, with the third and fourth generations using coil-sprung suspension at all four wheels. The late second-generation model called SJ800 Coily had coil-sprung suspension, as well. Steering. All four Jimny generations have recirculating ball steering mechanism, which is particularly well suited for all-terrain duty, but relatively imprecise on-road compared to modern rack-and-pinion steering construction. Transmission. All four Jimny generations have manually user-selectable part-time four-wheel drive (4WD) transmission, where the default (on-road) transmission mode is two-wheel drive (rear-wheel drive). Rear-wheel drive can never be disengaged. The user, however, can (dis)engage the front-wheel drive (FWD) manually at any time under certain operating conditions. When FWD is also engaged, this provides 4WD. Jimnys have no centre (interaxle

HopeStar ON360

The vehicle was originally developed by the Hope Motor Company of Japan in 1967 and available as the HopeStar ON360 from April 1968. It used a Mitsubishi 359 cc (21.9 cu in) air-cooled, two-stroke ME24 engine, which produced 21 PS (15.4 kW; 20.7 bhp) at 5,500 rpm, and 32 N⋅m (23.6 ft⋅lb) of torque at 3,500 rpm. Brakes were Daihatsu units, the rear axle was sourced from the Mitsubishi Colt 1000, and the wheels were sourced from the Mitsubishi Jeep. It was a very basic two-seater vehicle with no doors, but a sturdy 4WD system allowed it to go off-road. Top speed was 70 km/h (43 mph), 30 km/h (18.6 mph) in four-wheel drive mode. The tiny Hope company sold very few ON360s, only 15 in the domestic market and another 30 exported to Southeast Asia, although 100 ME24 engines were purchased. Hope proceeded to sell the design to Suzuki in 1968, after Mitsubishi declined to take over production.

First generation (1970)

The compact off-road capable Suzuki Jimny was Suzuki's first global success, lending it name recognition and a foothold in markets worldwide. The Jimny occupied an unfilled gap in the market. LJ10. Suzuki's first move on acquiring the rights to the ON360 was rebodying it and replacing the Mitsubishi engine with an air-cooled 359 cc (21.9 cu in) Suzuki "FB" 2-stroke Inline 2, which produced 25 PS (18 kW). Since the new unit remained smaller than 360 cc, and Suzuki placed the spare tire inside the truck (making it a three-seater) to keep it under 3 m in overall length, it was classified as a kei car, conferring certain tax privileges and other benefits. When it was introduced in April 1970, it was the first four-wheel drive kei car to enter series production. The LJ10 Jimnys had 16-inch wheels, weighed 590 kg (1,301 lb), and had a top speed of 75 km/h (47 mph). The engine was soon uprated to 27 PS (20 kW), but the claimed top speed remained unchanged. The original Jimny was an unexpected hit, with nearly 5,000 units selling in its home market in the first year, immediately outselling the leading offroad vehicle on the market at the time, the Mitsubishi Jeep. Over 6,000 were sold in 1971. Production was initially subcontracted and was carried out mainly by hand, but Suzuki soon realized that the Jimny needed to have a dedicated assembly line to allow production to be ramped up. Transmission gear ratios were 3.68:1 1st 2.21:1 2nd 1.47:1 3rd 1.00:1 4th and 3.68:1 rev. LJ20. The LJ was updated in May 1972 and renamed the LJ20. The grille bars were changed from horizontal to vertical for the LJ20. The engine was replaced with an updated, water-cooled unit called the L50; its 28 PS (21 kW) enabled the LJ to reach 80 km/h (50 mph). With production brought in house, Suzuki was ab

Second generation (1981)

=== Kei history === 550 cc era. The SJ30 Jimny 550 began its production in May 1981 and was mainly for Japanese domestic market consumption where it suited the Kei car category. Still powered by the LJ50 engine also used in its predecessor, the Jimny 550 was the last two-stroke automobile built in Japan by a sizable margin. The two-stroke had been favored by Japanese off-roaders (and Suzuki) due to its light weight and superior low-speed torque. In January 1986 the JA71, a four-stroke, turbocharged and fuel-injected (F5A) 543 cc (33 cu in) three-cylinder engine was introduced to complement the two-stroke SJ30. It used the upgraded interior from the Jimny 1300, which was simultaneously introduced to the SJ30. Power was 42 PS (31 kW; 41 hp) (JIS gross), although this was increased to 52 PS (38 kW; 51 hp) (JIS Net) in a November 1987 facelift by adding an intercooler. The non-intercooled engine continued to be offered in the lowest spec commercial van version. Claimed power was down to 38 PS (28 kW; 37 hp) as the ratings were switched from gross to net. At the same time, a glassed high-roof version ("Panoramic Roof") was added. 660 cc era. The JA71 was replaced in March 1990 by the new JA11 as new Kei category regulations took effect. With the 657 cc on offer, the otherwise similar F6A engine only came with an intercooler and 55 PS (40 kW; 54 hp). A utilitarian van (HA), as well as more luxurious Hardtop, Convertible, and Panoramic Roof (HC, CC, EC) versions were on offer. The suspension was also upgraded, while a longer front bumper meant that the foglights could be mounted in front of the grille rather than in it. In June 1991, power was increased to 58 PS (43 kW; 57 hp) and a year later power steering and a three-speed automatic transmission option became available for

Third generation (1998)

At the 1997 Tokyo Motor Show, Suzuki presented the all-new Jimny with a much more modern design. A ladder type chassis and a dual-ratio transfer case were retained, unlike many competing compact 4WDs which lack a low range, and are strictly in the crossover category. Two versions are available in export markets: a standard hard top and the Canvas Top, introduced at the Barcelona Motor Show in May 1999 and was built only by Santana in Spain between 1999 and 2009. The Jimny replaced the popular Sierra/Samurai model in most markets (European introduction was in Paris, 1998), though its predecessor remained in limited production in some places. For the domestic market, the 1.3-litre Jimny Wide entered the market in January 1998 - unexpectedly, the 660 cc, K6A-engined kei car version which is responsible for most Jimny sales in Japan only arrived in October, long after the larger Jimny Wide. This was because the new Jimny was designed to take advantage of the new kei car regulations and could not go on sale before they took effect. The larger 1.3-litre Jimny was originally equipped with the G13BB engine also used in the JB32. The 80 PS (59 kW) G13BB engine was replaced in Japan with the January 2000 introduction of the newly designed VVT 16-valve M-engine, but soldiered on in Spanish-built softtops until 2005. For the continental European market, where the diesel cars hold a significant market share, in 2004 the turbo-diesel Jimny JB53 was introduced, built by Santana and using a Renault-built DDiS 1,461 cc K9K engine. Power was originally 65 PS (48 kW) but was increased to 86 PS (63 kW) in 2005, the same as in petrol versions. It was discontinued in 2011, and was never available in Britain and Ireland. The Jimny has a part-time 4WD system controlled by three dashboard butto

Sections adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0); text is shortened. Read the full article for the complete history and citations.

Specifications

name: Suzuki Jimny
Manufacturer: Suzuki
Production: April 1970 – present (2.85 million units sold as of September 2018)
Class: Off-road mini SUV , Kei car , Compact SUV (5-door variant)
Body style: 3/5-door SUV, 3-door van, 2-door convertible, 2-door pickup truck
Layout: Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive (1986–2006), Front-engine, four-wheel-drive
Related: Maruti Gypsy

Specification summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Measured facts from Wikidata (CC0). Check the linked sources for citations.

More photos

Sources

Wikidata — https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1410131CC0 1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-01
Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suzuki_JimnyCC BY-SA 4.0 · Text © Wikipedia contributors; revision 1377859511 · retrieved 2026-10-01
Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2018-2024_Suzuki_Jimny_Sierra_JC.jpgCC0 · Photo: TTTNIS · retrieved 2026-10-01
Manufacturer website (link only) — http://www.globalsuzuki.com/automobile/lineup/jimny/index.htmlLink only; no content copied · retrieved 2026-10-01
Car Model Index — https://models.autoculturesociety.com/Compiled record. Sources that do not permit reuse are not copied; this index is credited instead.