Everyone loves the Suzuki Jimny. Even Akio Toyoda (out of all people) displayed his personal Jimny at the Toyota booth during the 2024 Tokyo Auto Salon. This means that the five-door Jimny‘s added practicality should broaden its universal appeal, right?

On the surface, this has a lot of things going for it. Attractive looks, legendary off-roading capabilities, and adorable dimensions, but stretched out with two more doors so there’s more space for rear passengers and cargo.

Well, it seems that the reception for this vehicle has been somewhat lukewarm, but I feel that it has fallen victim to the hype surrounding it. This created the perfect set of conditions to split the public’s opinion on this, even if it is a genuinely good car for what it is.

Well, there’s no getting around how little has changed with the exterior.

The three-door JB74 Jimny has won several design awards for good reason, and serves to be a head-turning vehicle in any state of modification.

But what Suzuki has done for the five-door Jimny is to simply stretch it out. It’s 505mm longer, but the additional pair of doors makes the car look somewhat unbalanced when viewed from the side. Also, the front grille now has chrome inserts.

That’s it.

Otherwise, it’s the same banana, down to the large flared-out plastic fenders, 15-inch wheels, LED headlights with halogen foglights, and the optional two-tone finish.

At least owners can take solace in how aftermarket parts will fit perfectly without any issues.

In fact, the interior is exactly the same design-wise. You’ll only find hard-wearing plastics and fabrics in this cabin, with the only exception being the leather-trimmed steering wheel.

Otherwise, you’ll have to look for the changes: a USB-A port underneath the central window switch controls; a new monochrome LCD for the gauge cluster; and additional switchgear for the rear windows (but the rear door cards also have controls).

The biggest change (at least for the GLX), is a nine-inch infotainment with wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support that pipes sound through four decent-sounding speakers. It’s bright, crisp, and very responsive, but on my unit, it started malfunctioning after we took it for a video shoot on a river (maybe due to the humidity).

I was reassured this was a one-off issue. However, I noticed other build quality issues that this Maruti-sourced unit exhibited, like a squeaky steering wheel and slightly rattly dashboard plastics.

Visibility is still great with a commanding view of the road, and the seating position is typical of an off-roader: upright and “on” the car, rather than “in” it. And for those curious, the extended wheelbase of 2,590mm does have its benefits.

While not lounge-like, the rear bench seat is fairly comfortable for two tall adults, and easier to get in and out of. The biggest benefit is the 211L of cargo space with the rear seats up. Fold the 50/50-split rear bench down, and that increases to 332L.

If this sounds underwhelming, I can’t blame you. I was beginning to share the same sentiments until we brought it to the trails of Tanay where the Jimny came to life.

To echo my colleague’s words: “It feels like a Miata for the dirt.” Indeed, I was having so much fun.

Yes, the 1.5-liter naturally aspirated in-line-four (K15B) felt like it was a tad bit underpowered, having to wring the engine out most of the time. The 102hp and the 134Nm aren’t enough to deal with the additional weight.

To compensate, the four-speed automatic has a short gear ratio, meaning it will sit at a relatively high rpm when cruising on the expressway. Adversely, this also affects fuel efficiency. An average of 8.6km/L combined highway and trail, 12.2km/L highway, and 5.6km/L city means it’s not the most efficient.

But who cares when you have a tiny little car that could make you feel invincible on the trail?

The longer wheelbase makes it feel more stable, and the ride is well-cushioned and not nauseatingly bouncy on the pavement. The heavy steering has a noticeable dead zone in the middle (a trait of the recirculating ball steering) that may unnerve you on the road, but it’s essential for confidently maneuvering off-road.

The car bounces over anything and everything. Climbing up steep dirt trails, clearing rocks, and fording rivers didn’t feel like a challenge. In fact, it could do most of that in 2H, with the only time I had to engage 4H was when one of the wheels got stuck in between rocks.

Six airbags, ABS with electronic brake-force distribution, traction control, hill-hold and hill-descent control, a reverse camera with parking sensors, and basic cruise control are all you get in terms of features.

Stop worrying about superfluous functionality and such—just take the car off-road without having to think about getting stuck.

And that’s when it hit me: Like a sports car, the five-door Suzuki Jimny is a toy car, not something that you should replace your daily driver with.

But if you insist, be prepared to swallow the asking price: It starts at P1,558,000 and tops out at P1,708,000, which is how much this two-tone Sizzling Red Metallic GLX goes for.

Granted, it’s positioned as a slightly more practical alternative to its three-door sibling, but enthusiasts will most likely take advantage of the extra space for outdoors-related paraphernalia. And for this specific niche of buyers, the Suzuki Jimny 5-Door does the job perfectly.