Here's a Look at All Predecessors of Suzuki Jimny

Suzuki Jimny is one of the most iconic vehicles ever built. First introduced in 1970, the Jimny has always been a lightweight and affordable yet extremely capable off-road vehicle. Even though it’s in its fourth generation now, the Jimny has maintained the charm of the original like no other car on the planet. Here, we have a video by a YouTube channel called 'Historycar E4U' that shows the different iterations of the Suzuki Jimny over the years.

History of Suzuki Jimny All Gen (1970-2018) List of All Jimny | Historycar E4U

As stated above, there have been four generations of the Suzuki Jimny till date, each better than the last, described briefly below.

First Generation (1970 – 1981)

In 1968, Suzuki acquired a small Japanese carmaker called Hope Motor Company, which built a host of small off-road vehicles. Suzuki decided to benefit from its latest acquisition’s speciality and rebranded its light four-wheel-drive car as a Suzuki. The first model had a two-cylinder two-stroke petrol engine, which made 25 PS and was barely 3 metres in length. A larger engine was later introduced – a 539cc inline-2, two-stroke petrol unit – which made 33 PS.  In 1977, a 797 cc for cylinder four-stroke motor was introduced.

Second Generation (1981 – 1998)

There were two versions of the second-gen model – Kei car version and SJ version. The former was produced specifically for Japan and complied with the Kei car rules. It had two engine options – a 543cc motor and a 657cc mill. Both of these were four-stroke three-cylinder petrol powerplants. The SJ-series was produced for import and was larger in size. It had either a 0.8-litre inline-4 or a 1.0-litre inline-4 engine. Later, a 1.3-litre engine was also introduced. In the European markets, there was a diesel version available as well, with a 1.9-litre, inline-4, turbocharged motor.

Third Generation (1998 – 2018)

The third-gen model was first showcased at the 1997 Tokyo Motor Show, and put into production a year later. In some market, the previous generation continued to be on sale, like in India. Once again, it had a Kei version for Japanese Domestic Market and a larger version for export. The former got a 658cc, 3-cylinder engine, while the latter was powered by a 1.3-litre inline-4 motor. In 2004, Suzuki sourced a 1.5-litre diesel engine from Renault and plonked it in the non-Kei Jimny.

Fourth Generation (2018 – present day)

The current generation Suzuki Jimny is also available in two versions. There is a smaller, Kei version and a larger version called ‘Sierra’. The Kei car had a 658cc turbo-petrol motor, while the Sierra had a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated mill. Suzuki added Support for preventive safety technologies in the Jimny, to improve its safety for the passengers on-board. Due to its exterior design, the car often gets compared to Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen and Land Rover Defender (old generation).