The Suzuki Jimny or Santana is a line of four-wheel drive off-road mini SUVs, made by Japanese automaker Suzuki since 1970.

Originated as a car in the Japanese Kei car ("light automobile") tax and legal class – a Kei car version is still made for the Japanese market today, as well as versions that exceed that class's legal limits, in Japan called the Jimny Sierra The latter are also successfully sold in worldwide markets Suzuki has sold 285 million of them in 194 countries from launch in April 1970 through September 2018

Suzuki Jimny
2019 Suzuki Jimny
Overview
Manufacturer	Suzuki
Production	April 1970 2.85 million
Body and chassis
Class	Off-road mini SUV
Body style	2-door wagon 2-door van 2-door convertible 2-door pickup truck
Layout	Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive Front-engine, four-wheel-drive
Related	Suzuki Vitara Maruti Gypsy Mazda AZ-Offroad

History

The history of Suzuki four-wheel drive cars dates to 1958. Suzuki bought former Japanese automaker Hope Motor Company, which had introduced 15 small, off-road vehicles called the HopeStar ON360. The first Suzuki-branded four-wheel drive, the LJ10 (Light Jeep 10), was introduced in 1970. The LJ10 had a 359-cc, air-cooled, two-stroke, in-line two-cylinder engine. The liquid-cooled LJ20 was introduced in 1972 with the cooling changed due to newly enacted emission regulations, and it gained 3 hp. In 1975, Suzuki complemented the LJ20 with the LJ50, which had a larger 539-cc, two-stroke, in-line three-cylinder engine and bigger differentials. This was originally targeted at the Australian market, but more exports soon followed.

The Jimny8/LJ80 was an updated version of the LJ50 with an 800-cc, four-stroke, in-line four-cylinder engine, followed by the Jimny 1000/SJ410 and Jimny 1300/SJ413. An updated version of the SJ413 became known as the Samurai and was the first Suzuki officially marketed in the US. The series from SJ410 to SJ413 was known as the Sierra in Australia, and remained the Jimny in some markets.

The new Jimny was released in 1998, and now bears the same name in all markets. The 1998 release used the G13BB EFI engine, replaced by the M13AA EFI engine in 2001 and the M13AA variable valve timing engine in 2005, in conjunction with a minor interior redesign.

HopeStar ON360

The vehicle was originally developed by the Hope Motor Company of Japan in 1967 and available as the HopeStar ON360 from April 1968. It used a Mitsubishi 359 cc (21.9 cu in) air-cooled, two-stroke ME24 engine which produced 21 PS (15.4 kW; 20.7 bhp). The rear axle was sourced from the Mitsubishi Colt 1000 and wheels were sourced from the Mitsubishi Jeep. It was a very basic two-seater vehicle with no doors, but a sturdy four-wheel drive system allowed it to go off-road. Top speed was 70 km/h (43 mph), 30 km/h (18.6 mph) in four-wheel drive mode. The tiny Hope company sold very few ON360s, possibly as few as 15, although 100 ME24 engines were purchased) and sold the design to Suzuki in 1968, after Mitsubishi declined to take over production.

First generation (1970–1981)

First generation (LJ10-SJ20)
Suzuki Jimny LJ10
Overview
Also called	Suzuki LJ50/LJ55/LJ80 Suzuki Eljot (Germany) Suzuki Stockman (Australia)
Production	1970–1981
Body and chassis
Body style	2-door wagon 2-door convertible 2-door cab chassis
Powertrain
Engine	359 cc (0.4 l) FB/L50 I2 539 cc (0.5 l) LJ50 I3 797 cc (0.8 l) F8A I4
Transmission	4-speed manual
Chronology
Predecessor	HopeStar ON360

The compact off-road capable Suzuki Jimny was Suzuki's first global success, lending it name recognition and a foothold in markets worldwide. The Jimny slotted into a hitherto unfilled gap in the market.

LJ10

Suzuki's first move on acquiring the rights to the ON360 was rebodying it and replacing the Mitsubishi engine with an air-cooled 359 cc (21.9 cu in) Suzuki "FB" two-cylinder two-stroke which produced 25 PS (18 kW; 25 bhp). Since the new unit remained smaller than 360 cc, and Suzuki placed the spare tire inside the truck (making it a three-seater) to keep it under 3 m in overall length, it was classified as a kei car, conferring certain tax privileges and other benefits. When it was introduced in April 1970, it was the first four-wheel drive kei car to enter series production. The LJ10 Jimnys had 16-inch wheels, weighed 590 kg (1,301 lb), and had a top speed of 75 km/h (47 mph). The engine was soon uprated to 27 PS (20 kW; 27 bhp), but the claimed top speed remained unchanged.

LJ20

The LJ was updated in May 1972 and renamed the LJ20. The grille bars were changed from horizontal to vertical for the LJ20. The engine was replaced with an updated, water-cooled unit (the L50), and its 28 PS (21 kW; 28 bhp) enabled the LJ to reach 80 km/h (50 mph).

A special version with the spare tire mounted behind the passenger seat allowed for two small rear seats, facing each other. The introduction of left-hand drive signalled Suzuki's worldwide ambitions for the truck. The Hard Top (Van) was also introduced when the LJ20 arrived, equipped with smaller, 15-in wheels. Suzuki did not export them to America; a US company called International Equipment Co. (IEC) imported them. Export Jimnys had the spare tire mounted on the outside, as kei regulations on length did not apply.

Towards the end of LJ20 production, a cleaner 26 PS (19 kW; 26 bhp) engine was introduced, a result of ever more stringent emissions regulations. Top speed was reported as 93 km/h (58 mph), payload was 250 kg or 550 lb (200 kg or 440 lb for the Van version).

SJ10

The LJ50 engine was first introduced in September 1975 for export only, with 33 PS (24 kW; 33 bhp). For the home market, it first appeared in June 1976 as the Jimny 55 and reflected the changing kei car rules and stricter emissions standards. The 539 cc (32.9 cu in) three-cylinder engine remained a two-stroke; while power was reduced to 26 PS (19 kW; 26 bhp), more low-end torque was on offer. The 635 kg (1,400 lb) vehicle could now hit 60 mph (97 km/h), and the spare tire was relocated outside the rear door, allowing for a fourth seat. The SJ10 Jimny originally used the "LJ50" name in most export markets; this was changed to LJ55 with the introduction of the LJ80 to align the names.

In Australia, the LJ50S and LJ50V (van) were available as a softtop with soft doors and rear-mounted spare wheel or hardtop with full metal doors and external spare wheel through distributor M.W.-Suzuki (Melbourne) with 33 hp (25 kW) and 5.85 kgf⋅m (57.4 N⋅m; 42.3 lbf⋅ft) of torque. In May 1976, the low production LJ51P long-wheelbase pickup became available for some export markets. The home-market Jimny 550 received a facelift in 1977, introducing rear wheel arch metal flares and a bigger bonnet or hood with cooling slots above the radiator, while the export LJ50s were instead replaced by the LJ80 (same external modifications, but with the new four-stroke, four-cylinder, 800-cc engine fitted).

SJ20

The final iteration of the original Jimny design was the 1977 Jimny 8, called LJ80 in certain export markets. It was originally intended to be marketed as the Eljot ("Elliott") in Germany, but copyright issues with Disney's Pete's Dragon movie made this impossible. While the SJ10 remained in production for the domestic kei category, the new 770 kg (1,698 lb) SJ20 boasted a 797 cc (49 cu in) four-stroke SOHC four-cylinder F8A engine capable of around 31 kW (42 hp). The additional power and torque of this engine allowed the differential and gearing to be raised for better cruising and offroad performance, and the track was widened by 100 mm (3.9 in). The LJ80V was also assembled in Indonesia, by P.T. Indo Mobil Utama in Jakarta.

The interior was also improved, with new seats and steering wheel. Metal doors became available for the first time in 1979, and a pickup truck model (LJ81) was available by April of that year, as well. The pickup, called "Stockman" in Australia, had a 2,200 mm (86.6 in) wheelbase (up by 270 mm (10.6 in)) and was 3,620 mm (142.5 in) long, compared to the 3,185 mm (125.4 in) LJ80. The Jimny 8/LJ80 was retired in late 1981 with the introduction of the second-generation Jimny.