College students build 5-door Jimny before Suzuki does

Since the current-generation Jimny debuted in 2018, Suzuki has offered it in one body style – a 3-door SUV. Although there are reports of a 5-door model in the works, the automaker has yet to officially launch the model. However, it seems Suzuki has been beaten by a group of college students in building the first 5-door Jimny, and it recently debuted at the 2022 Tokyo Auto Salon.

The students and instructors from the Nihon Automobile College or NATS are known for their crazy creations. We even saw some of them live at the 2019 Tokyo Auto Salon. However, for the 2022 show, NATS built a custom, lifted 5-door Jimny. The 5-door Jimny originally started life as a standard 3-door Jimny Sierra before undergoing some heavy modifications.

According to the NATS Instagram page, which documented the build, the roof and body behind the B-pillar had to be stretched to fit the extra pair of doors. The rear fenders were also reworked to retain the Jimny’s boxy design. Interestingly, the students and instructors even added a little window behind the rear doors.

Aside from the extra pair of doors, the NATS 5-door Jimny has been lifted by 6 inches and rides on a chunky set of 35-inch tires wrapped on 17-inch wheels. There’s also an outer roll cage to protect the SUV and a tent on top of the roof. The drivetrain also received an upgrade. According to the spec sheet, the Jimny’s 1.5-liter inline-four has been turbocharged and now produces 125 PS with 179 Nm torque. Other interior upgrades include an Alpine head unit for better sound quality.

There’s no word yet when Suzuki will launch the 5-door Jimny. However, the creation of NATS should give us an idea of what the production model could look like. It might also inspire someone out there crazy enough to build their own 5-door Jimny.