European spec for new Suzuki Jimny revealed

Suzuki has revealed the European spec for the new Jimny. It will come with a new 1.5-litre engine, replacing the old 1.3-litre in the current model, but there's no sign of a BoosterJet engine in the range.

It's also now expected to arrive in the UK in 2019, earlier than previously thought. While no UK specifics have been finalised yet, Suzuki has revealed that it will have an improved five-speed manual gearbox alongside a four-speed automatic.

While many SUVs have gone down the 'soft-roader' path, the Jimny looks like it will continue in the tradition of its predecessors.

The interior is described by Suzuki as 'straightforward, practical and down-to-earth' with no excessive colours or decoration. The idea being to minimise distraction to the driver.

The instrument panel and surrounds have a scratch and stain-resistant grained finish while the switches are designed to be easy to operate while wearing gloves. There's also Suzuki's familiar Bluetooth Smartphone Linkage Display Audio unit with a 7-inch touchscreen on top models.

New technology includes traffic sign recognition, which detects road signs such as speed limits and displays them in the dash - a first for Suzuki. 

Being a proper off-roader, the Jimny comes with a low range transfer gear alongside 2H (2WD-high gear) and 4H (4WD-high gear) modes.

While it has a ladder-frame chassic, Suzuki says it has worked on the new Jimny's on-road handling with a new steering damper on the front suspension, designed to minimise steering wheel vibration.

Eight paint colours are available, including two new ones - Kinetic Yellow designed to stand out in bad weather or rough worksites and Jungle Green.

Despite its small dimension it should be reasonably practical with a 377 litre boot once the rear seats are folded. The seats themselves fold down flat with the backs coated in plastic to stop them from getting dirty or marked.