Suzuki Jimny Inches Closer to U.S. Approval. Or Is It?

America’s Forbidden Fruit

The Suzuki Jimny is one of those vehicles that commands a global cult following not because of lavish features or massive power, but because of its charm, honesty, and go-anywhere capability. Now in its fourth generation, the boxy little off-roader remains in high demand years after its 2018 launch, with Suzuki continuing to report backorders for both the classic three-door and the newer five-door model. 

Despite this success, the US remains conspicuously absent from the Jimny’s list of markets – a frustrating reality for American fans who have long pined for it.

Why the absence? Safety regulations, primarily. While the Jimny meets homologation standards in many regions, the federal crashworthiness and ADAS standards in America are among the world’s toughest, which makes the Jimny unfit for US safety regulations. Even with the Euro NCAP, the Jimny only got three stars, with shortcomings in pedestrian protection and safety assist systems.

Getting a Needed Safety Update

But that might soon change. According to a report from Japan’s Creative Trend, Suzuki is planning a suite of safety upgrades to the Jimny 3-Door, potentially inching it closer to compliance and making it up to spec with the 5-Door model. These updates include “dual camera brake support,” reverse brake support, adaptive cruise control, a backward false start prevention system, and an improved sign recognition function that can now recognize Stop signs.

While Suzuki hasn’t formally announced these improvements as part of a US strategy, they represent the most serious push yet to modernize the Jimny’s active safety portfolio – an area where it has lagged behind its contemporaries.

Curiously, the publication has labeled the upgrades as part of a fifth-generation revamp, which is a bit confusing for two reasons: a full model turnover will be too early since the current model was just introduced in 2018. Historically, the Jimny has a 10-year life cycle. Secondly, the updates were only for the safety features, with nothing changing in terms of exterior and interior design.

Are These Updates Enough for US Safety Compliance?

Well, maybe, maybe not. Even with better sensors and smarter driver aids, the Jimny still faces fundamental challenges. US safety regulators also look at crash survivability, and small, lightweight vehicles tend to fare worse in offset and side-impact scenarios. The Jimny’s ladder frame construction, though excellent off-road, isn’t ideal for crumple zones or pedestrian protection. 

And then there’s the matter of equipment like lane-keeping assist or blind spot monitoring – still absent in the Jimny, and hard to implement without bloating cost or complexity.

Then there’s the issue of size. Even with the new five-door variant stretching the Jimny to a more practical length, it remains tiny by American standards, smaller than many subcompacts – yes, even versus the outgoing Mitsubishi Mirage – with limited cargo space and cramped rear seats. 

It’s also a niche product built in India (5-door) and Japan (3-door), so with Suzuki automobiles not having a presence stateside, importation will certainly bloat its pricing – if it passes the stringent US safety regulations at all.

So yes, while safety upgrades are a welcome evolution, the Jimny still isn’t quite ready for prime time in America. For now, the wait continues.

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