The salary you need to afford the new Suzuki Jimny 5-door

South Africans who have patiently been waiting for a five-door version of the fan-favourite Suzuki Jimny will need to earn at least R48,000 per month to afford one on a finance plan, according to a calculation by TopAuto.

The baby SUV is finally getting its long-awaited growth spurt, gaining two additional doors for much greater ease of access in exchange for a new starting price of R429,900, in contrast to the three-door’s R390,900.

The extended Jimny is available in three specifications, GL, GLX, and GLX auto, meaning that the GL auto is not available on the new version.

Beyond the added access points, most of the Suzuki is unchanged including the engine, as the line-up still relies on a 1.5-litre, naturally-aspirated petrol engine with 75kW and 130Nm, and an AllGrip all-wheel-drive layout with a low-range transfer case.

Buyers have a choice of a five-speed manual or a four-speed automatic gearbox, and fuel consumption works out to between 6.3l and 6.8l/100km on a combined cycle.

It still has a ground clearance of 210mm, though the new doors mean the car is now 340mm longer, which has the advantage of also increasing the wheelbase from 2,250mm to 2,590mm.

However, the vehicle’s off-road angles are now at an approach of 37.0 degrees, a break-over of 28.0 degrees, and a departure of 49.0 degrees.

Standard kit on the  Suzuki includes 15-inch alloy wheels, a full-sized spare wheel, front fog lights, electric door mirrors, hill climb and descent control, a multifunction steering wheel, electric front windows, manual air conditioning, fabric seats, a Bluetooth stereo, USB ports, ABS, and two front airbags.

Opting for the top-spec GLX adds automatic LED headlights, a leather steering wheel, automatic climate control, cruise control, and a 9.0-inch infotainment screen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Each purchase comes with a 5-year/200,000km warranty and a 4-year/60,000km service plan.

What you need to earn

We can use the following formula to work out the monthly payments for the larger Jimny.

• Car price –  R429,900 (GL)/R457,900 (GLX)/R479,900 (GLX auto)
• Payment term – 60 terms (5 years)
• Interest – 11.75%
• Deposit – 0%
• Balloon – No balloon payment
• Extras – No optional extras

According to this, you will need to pay at least R9,604 per month if you want the base five-door, R10,224 per month if you want the GLX manual, and R10,710 per month if you want an automatic.

As a reference, the entry-level three-door requires a payment of R8,741 per month, meaning you’ll be spending at least R863 more for the next 60 months if you want those extra doors.

Financial experts also recommend that you do not spend more than 20% of your gross monthly salary on vehicle payments.

This means you will need to earn at least R48,020 per month to afford the extended SUV on finance, R51,120 per month for the GLX, and up to R53,550 per month for a self-shifting model.

Note that this figure does not account for insurance, fuel, and maintenance, which all need to be factored into your budget.