4x4s.org BASE MODEL · 1981–98
BASE MODELJapan

SJ30, SJ410 and SJ413 / Samurai (1981–98)

The Jimny that went worldwide: the SJ30 of 1981 (kei, 539 cc two-stroke), the 1.0-litre SJ410 and the 1.3-litre SJ413 of 1984, sold as the Samurai in North America from 1985, the Sierra in Australia, the Katana in Indonesia, the Caribian and the Potohar; 47,000 sold in its first American year, and licence production ran at Santana in Spain and as the Maruti Gypsy in India.

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Sources & evidence
SJ30, SJ410 and SJ413 / Samurai (1981–98) — An SJ-series Samurai pick-updave_7 from Lethbridge, Canada · CC BY 2.0 ↗
MODEL LINELJ, SJ and JimnyBUILT BYSuzuki, Kosai, ShizuokaPRODUCED1981–98PRODUCTIONNot published by generationLAYOUT4 wheels · 79.9″

The record

The SJ made the small 4x4 a world product: cheap, light, leaf-sprung and geared low enough to climb. A 1988 Consumer Reports rollover test damaged the Samurai’s American reputation and Suzuki sued; sales fell away and the Samurai ended in the United States in 1995, but the SJ carried on elsewhere until the Jimny of 1998 and, at Santana, into the 2000s.

Specification

MANUFACTURED1981–98
ENGINE539 cc two-stroke (SJ30); 970 cc F10A (SJ410); 1.3-litre G13 (SJ413)Suzuki L50 539 two-stroke · Suzuki F10A · Suzuki G13
PRODUCTION RUNNot published by generation
COUNTRY OF ORIGINJapan
STATUSreplaced by the JB-series Jimny in 1998
RECORD KINDBase model
MODEL LINELJ, SJ and Jimny
FAMILYLJ, SJ and Jimny
WHEELS4
NOMINAL WHEELBASE79.9″
BODY STYLESoft top
VARIANTS4

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)
  • Winter White
  • Polar White
  • Crystal Silver
  • Gray
  • Charcoal
  • Fantasy Black
  • Midnight Black
  • Sahara Tan
  • Champagne Gold
  • Peruchet Red
  • Apple Red
  • Flash Red
  • Teal Green
  • Iceland Blue
  • Frosty Blue
  • Ocean Ice
  • Worcester Blue
  • Midnight Blue

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
  2. 2Santana Motor ↗Wikipedia · accessed 2026-09-22SOURCE

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