Suzuki Jimny 1.5 GLX 4AT 5-door (2026) Review

Introduction

Look - the Suzuki Jimny 1.5 GLX 4AT 5-door is a rare sight: a proper off-roader that looks right at home parked outside your local supermarket, but won't flinch at the sight of Sani Pass come Saturday. You do have to make peace with the quirks of that four-speed auto. This  Jimny leans hard into the “Living With SA’s Cult Off-Roader” idea, because by 2026, the 5-door isn’t some novelty anymore. It’s become a regular on the N1 and a weekend staple. Few cars under R500k inspire this much driveway pride, and even fewer will get a thumbs-up from a stranger at a Sandton petrol station.

Key takeaway: The 5-door Jimny GLX 4AT is all about cult appeal and real off-road ability. It’s for what it does on weekends. Don’t expect weekday polish.

Design & Exterior

No one buys a Jimny by accident.  It's one of the cars that you buy with the heart and not the mind. The 5-door just stretches the original’s blocky silhouette, adding two doors and a bit of length, but not at the expense of its signature look. Flat panels, round headlamps, visible bonnet hinges, it’s all still present, just with more room between the wheels.

The stretched silhouette

Side profile? It does look like Suzuki took the 3-door, sliced it in half, and welded in a panel, because, on paper at least, that’s not far off. And the result is it still looks tiny next to a Hilux, but four adults can actually climb in with ease.

What stands out in traffic

• Squared wheel arches with room for chunky mud tyres
• External spare on a side-hinged tailgate
• GLX spec brings LED projector headlamps
• Roof rails that look ready for a rooftop tent

Parked next to a Toyota Fortuner, the Jimny looked like a caricature. But before I’d finished my lunch, three people wandered over to ask about it. That matters.

Cabin & Practicality

Inside, the Jimny is pure function. Hard plastics, a slab-like dashboard with big grab handles, and seats with no height or lumbar adjustment. Speaking of seat adjustment, the lack of height adjustment is more likely to affect taller occupants on longer journeys, but it's hardly a dealbreaker and is unlikely to deter buyers.

The controls debate

Physical buttons everywhere. Dials for HVAC. Touchscreens are a thing nowadays, and climbing into the Jimny felt almost rebellious. No one wants to fiddle with touchscreens and touch panels while tackling off-road trails. 

Space and storage

The Suzuki Jimny boot space is the big news here. The 5-door finally gives you a real back seat and a boot that can take four weekend bags - something the 3-door never managed. Storage inside remains limited: door bins won’t fit a wallet flat, and the glovebox barely swallows a modern phone. You end up using the centre tray and that small bin between the seats a lot.

• GLX gets wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• Reverse camera with guidelines
• ISOFIX on both outer rear seats
• Two USBs up front, none for the rear bench

On the Road

Here’s where the Jimny splits opinion. The 1.5-litre naturally aspirated four puts down  75kW and 130Nm through a four-speed auto, and that gearbox? It dominates the conversation. Just four gears. In 2026. On the road, that's easy to notice. 

Highway behaviour

At highway cruising speeds, the engine is working, the steering is light and a bit vague, and crosswinds will move you about. All-terrain tyres hum. A six-hour trek to Knysna in this? Not relaxing like a Haval Jolion, but you’ll chalk up stories on arrival.

Off-road and bad-road composure

This is where the Jimny stops the haters in their tracks. Suzuki Jimny ground clearance sits at 210mm, plus a real low-range and AllGrip Pro part-time 4x4. You’ll get places some SUVs won’t dream of. The ladder frame and 15-inch tyres shrug off potholes. Once watched the suspension soak up a washed-out gravel stretch that would’ve destroyed a crossover’s rims.

The 4AT defended

Let’s be honest: the four-speed auto isn’t as tragic as the internet claims. Forget expecting it to behave like an eight-speed ZF. Around town, it shifts smoothly. On hills, it holds gears sensibly thanks to descent control logic. The lack of a fifth gear only becomes irksome on long highway climbs, and that’s the point. This isn’t a highway car.

Data & Comparison

The Suzuki Jimny Suzuki Jimny 1.5 GLX 4AT 5-door price brings the value discussion into focus. The auto 5-door sits at the top of the Jimny food chain, but the price gap to the manual isn’t a chasm.

How it stacks up against its siblings

Running costs and ownership

Expect five-year ownership to total about R230,000 - not bad for a body-on-frame 4x4. Real-world fuel use? Around 8.9 L/100 km, a full litre above the claimed figure. The 40-litre tank means you’ll visit pumps more often than you’d hope. Cape Town’s kerb-to-kerb U-turns are easy, though - measured just under 11 metres in a tight parallel bay outside Sea Point.

• 5-year TCO estimate: R230,000
• Real-world consumption: ~8.9 L/100 km observed
• Fuel tank: 40 litres - range anxiety on long Karoo stretches is real
• Segment power benchmark: On paper, the Jimny's 75kW output falls below the average for modern SUVs, although its low weight and short gearing help it feel more eager than the numbers suggest.

On Suzuki Jimny vs rivals: the new Toyota Land Cruiser FJ is here, but it’s R224,000 more and hardly as compact. Suzuki dealers.  The waiting lists for the 5-door are still measured in months. The Suzuki Jimny is backed by Suzuki Auto South Africa's standard after-sales package, including a 4-year/60,000 km service plan and a 5-year/200,000 km warranty. Parts availability is generally good, aided by the model's widespread global production and strong local dealer network.

Editorial Focus

Living with SA’s cult 4x4 in 2026 isn’t the same as it was in 2019. The 5-door makes the Jimny an actual family car for a young couple with a toddler - the 3-door never managed that without a second vehicle. That’s a big shift, and it makes a difference on daily runs. 

What the cult actually gets you

The cult status isn’t just hype. Used 3-door Jimnys hold their value stubbornly on pre-owned sections, dealer techs know every quirk, and you’re spoiled for choice with aftermarket gear - rock sliders, roof tents, and suspension lifts. It’s a community as much as a car.

The honest weekday compromise

There are trade-offs. The school run is proper work. Easy to park, but reversing past the spare wheel? Not great. But come Friday, point it at the Magaliesberg and the Jimny becomes the car you wanted all week. It’s what the original formula should have been from the start: tiny, rugged, real 4x4 kit - but with space for your dog and a cooler box. The 5-door 4AT is a truer cult buy than the 3-door ever was…

Verdict

The Suzuki Jimny 1.5 GLX 4AT 5-door comes down to this: do you get what you’re signing up for? If you want refinement and effortless highway cruising, you’ll tire of the Jimny quickly. If you want a tough, compact 4x4 with real character, a passionate owner community and the ability to handle SA’s worst gravel? There’s nothing else under R500k that touches it.