Suzuki Jimny 5-Door Review: A Little Box of Joy In Our Complicated World

There are cars that make you feel fast. There are cars that make you feel important. And then there’s the Suzuki Jimny: A tiny, boxy, unapologetically cheerful contraption that makes you feel alive. In a time when cars are obsessed with screens, sensors, and silent propulsion, the Jimny stands out like a cheeky kid in a room full of accountants.

And now, in Singapore, that cheeky kid just grew up a little - meet the 5-door Suzuki Jimny.

At first glance, you might think nothing much has changed; still the same upright stance, round headlamps, and old-school charm that looks equally at home on a Malaysian farm or outside a Tiong Bahru café. But stretch it out a little, and you’ll notice the 5-door Jimny is 340 mm longer than its 3-door sibling, with a wheelbase stretched by the same amount. That extra space transforms the Jimny from a cute weekend toy into something you could, practically speaking, live with every day.

And here’s the real kicker: the boot. The 3-door Jimny’s 85-litres of luggage space could barely fit a proper week’s worth of groceries, or one ego if you’re a motoring journalist. The 5-door? 211 litres. Still not cavernous, but enough to make IKEA trips slightly less comical.

Under the bonnet sits the familiar 1.5-litre naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine, making a modest 101 bhp and 130 Nm of torque. By any measure, that’s not a lot. In fact, if you floor it, you might want to inform your loved ones you’ll be arriving later than expected - because standstill to 100 km/h takes, well, about five working days.

But numbers don’t tell the Jimny’s story. The moment you fire up the engine and hear that gentle mechanical hum, you know this isn’t about speed or performance. The 4-speed automatic transmission - yes, just four gears, like it’s still 1995 - shuffles along with the kind of simplicity modern cars have forgotten. It hums, it shifts, it goes; there’s something refreshingly honest about that.

On the expressway, the Jimny is happiest in the middle lane, cruising at 80 to 90 km/h. The steering feels light, the suspension jiggles politely over bumps, and somehow, everything feels just right. My wife and I found ourselves smiling; not because we were going fast, but because we didn’t need to. The Jimny teaches you to breathe, to relax, to take life - and the ECP - one gentle kilometre at a time.

It’s as though the little Suzuki has its own aura of calm. In a world where cars whisper about lap times and kilowatts, the Jimny hums a different tune - one of simplicity and joy. You find yourself slowing down not because the car can’t go faster (though, honestly, it can’t), but because you don’t want to rush. You start to notice things: the shape of the clouds, the smell of rain on Old Upper Thomson Road, the amused looks from other drivers.

Despite being 90 kg heavier than the 3-door, the 5-door Jimny still feels peppy enough around town. The steering remains delightfully direct, the body-on-frame chassis still gives that rugged, go-anywhere confidence, and the ladder-frame construction continues to feel like it could survive an apocalypse. You can still chuck it into tight carpark ramps with the same enthusiasm as before - it’ll lean, it’ll bounce, it’ll grin back at you.

And it’s still an off-roader at heart. Part-time four-wheel drive, low-range transfer case, all the hardware is there, even if most owners will never venture beyond the nearest gravel patch at Marina Barrage. But knowing you could if you wanted to, that’s part of the Jimny’s magic.

Inside, it’s functional and familiar. Hard plastics everywhere, but the design is charmingly utilitarian. You sit high, commanding, peering over that flat bonnet as if you’re about to conquer a mountain instead of merging onto the KPE. The longer wheelbase adds a bit more rear legroom, so your passengers can now join you without resentment.

Of course, Suzuki hasn’t left the 5-door Jimny entirely stuck in the past. It now comes with a handful of modern amenities that make everyday life a little easier. There are some ADAS features to lend a helping hand, while the updated head unit supports Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, keeping your favourite tunes and navigation apps within easy reach. Both front seats have warmers - perfect for those overly ambitious air-con settings - and the water-resistant fabric upholstery means you can hop back in after a rainy hike (or sweaty gym sesh) without worry. The Jimny’s rugged, yes, but not primitive.

But perhaps the most wonderful thing about the Jimny 5-door is how it makes you feel. Every drive feels like a small adventure. Every journey becomes a reminder that driving can still be about connection; not computation.

Unfortunately, all that charm doesn’t come cheap. Thanks to COE and taxes doing what they do best, the Suzuki Jimny 5-door now nudges slightly beyond the $200,000 mark. For a car that could once be described as “affordable fun”, that’s a bitter pill to swallow.

And that’s the tragedy here. The Jimny 5-door should’ve arrived years ago, when it could’ve captured the hearts (and wallets) of more Singaporeans looking for something pure, simple, and joyous. Instead, it’s now a niche toy for the fortunate few; a rolling reminder of how things used to be.

Still, for those who can afford it, the Jimny 5-door is more than a car. It’s therapy on wheels. It’s the mechanical embodiment of “don’t worry, be happy”. It’s proof that even in an era of electric over-complication, there’s still room for something that runs on heart.

Because sometimes, the best cars aren’t the fastest, the quietest, or the most advanced. Sometimes, they’re just the ones that make you smile - and in that sense, this Suzuki Jimny remains one of the happiest little cars you can buy.

If only more of us could afford to smile along with it…

Photos by Azfar Hashim

---

Car you sell, Carousell. Get the highest quote for your car in just 24 hours, with assistance on paperwork too!