4×4S.ORGTHE REGISTRY BASE MODEL · 1998–2018
BASE MODELJapan

Jimny JB23 and JB43 (1998–2018)

The third Jimny: the JB23 kei model of October 1998 with a 660 cc turbo and the export JB43 with the 1.3-litre M13A, keeping the ladder frame, live axles and two-speed transfer case while the rest of the class went to monocoques; built at Kosai for twenty years and sold everywhere from Japanese cities to African bush tracks.

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Sources & evidence
Jimny JB23 and JB43 (1998–2018) — SUZUKI JIMNY (JB23 JB33 JB43 JB53) ChinaDinkun Chen · CC BY-SA 4.0 ↗
MODEL LINELJ, SJ and JimnyBUILT BYSuzuki, Kosai, ShizuokaPRODUCED1998–2018PRODUCTIONNot publishedLAYOUT4 wheels · 86.6″

The record

The JB Jimny outlasted every rival by refusing to change: coil-sprung live axles and a proper low range in a car small enough for Japanese kei rules. It was built until 2018 and remains the used small 4x4 of choice in much of the world.

Specification

MANUFACTURED1998–2018
ENGINE658 cc K6A turbo (kei); 1.3-litre M13A four
PRODUCTION RUNNot published
COUNTRY OF ORIGINJapan
STATUSreplaced by the JB64/JB74 in 2018
RECORD KINDBase model
MODEL LINELJ, SJ and Jimny
FAMILYLJ, SJ and Jimny
WHEELS4
NOMINAL WHEELBASE86.6″
BODY STYLEHard top three-door
VARIANTS2

Catalogue fields describe the vehicle's structure and body as this registry records it. They are not certified factory measurements, and no performance figures are published here.

Body styles & colours

Body style

Factory colours

  • Superior White
  • Kinetic Yellow / Sierra red (Jimny)

Codes on hover. Hex values are representative approximations of period paint unless a source states a measured value.

AI rendering impression

An AI rendering impression starts from a 3D model of this vehicle, which an image model then paints into a scene. It is an artist's impression of the type, made to give a feel for the vehicle in its element — not a photograph, and not a record of any particular vehicle.

Proportions, fittings, markings, colours and the setting can all drift from the original in the process. For the vehicle's actual details, rely on the specification, the photographs and the cited sources on this page.

Sources

  1. 1Suzuki Jimny ↗Wikipedia · accessed 2026-09-22SOURCE

Registry record updated 2026-09-22 · status: researched