5-Door Suzuki Jimny reportedly in the works, possible Malaysian debut?

When Suzuki unveiled the all-new fourth-generation Jimny a few years ago, it was only available as a 3-door model.

But that could change soon, as Suzuki’s India arm, Maruti Suzuki, is reportedly working on a larger 5-door version of the evergreen SUV.

While the 5-door variant may gain more doors over its 3-door sibling, the rest of the Jimny should remain identical, down to its ladder frame construction, 4-wheel drive system with low-range transfer case, and rigid axles on the front and rear.

Maruti Suzuki is expected to commence production of the regular 3-door Jimny by June this year, followed by the 5-door version by the end of the year.  

To recap, Suzuki currently offers 2 variants of the all-new Jimny in Japan – the regular Jimny and the Jimny Sierra.

The regular Jimny is a kei car-sized SUV that is sold exclusively in Japan. Being a kei car, the regular Jimny gets a 660-cc turbocharged 3-cylinder engine and a diminutive size. In its kei car form, the Jimny does 64 PS and 96 Nm.

Apart from the kei car-sized Jimny, Suzuki also sells the wide body Jimny Sierra (exported as the regular Jimny).

Not only is the Jimny Sierra longer than the Jimny (3,645 mm vs 3,395 mm), the Jimny Sierra is also 170 mm wider, thanks to the flared arches.

The Jimny Sierra (and export model Jimny) are powered by a 1.5-litre K15B naturally-aspirated 4-cylinder petrol engine that does 102 PS and 130 Nm.

With rumours circulating that Suzuki is poised to return to Malaysia under the Naza Group of Companies, would you consider getting a Jimny if it was sold here?