Isofix seat mounts

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Introduction

All Jimnys 3, produced for the European market sometime since 2012/2013 until the end of production in 2018, have rear seat isofix anchors only because it became mandatory by European Union. As far as it is known, no Jimny 3 had such anchors in Europe prior to that year. There is no data about the presence of isofix rear seat anchors in Jimnys 3 in other world markets.

All Jimnys 4 have rear isofix seat anchors.

Apart from the standard role of better securing a child seat to the vehicle compared to the classic method of using a seat belt, isofix seat anchors have additional potential:

• Some portable car refrigerators and other devices can use isofix seat mounts for much better fixation in a vehicle.
• The isofix anchors can be used as additional tethering / securing / welding points for various modifications inside the cabin if the vehicle is being modified for some utilitarian use.

Jimnys 3 with and without isofix

There are only two differences between Jimnys 3 which have and which don't have rear seat isofix anchors:

1. There is a rectangular vertical hole in the middle of the rear side of each rear seat's backrest, and there is a short horizontal metal rod in the middle of each hole;
   • These holes are obviously visible when the rear seats are viewed from behind (from inside the boot / trunk).
     • Searching for them is the easiest way to determine if a Jimny 3 has isofix rear seat anchors or not.
   • These holes are used as additional ("top tethering") points by some (but not all) isofix-compatible child seats, refrigerators etc.
2. There are four rectangular metal hooks welded to the vehicle's floor just below the upper (back rest) part of the rear seats - two below each upper part.
   • These hooks are hidden and are invisible until the rear seats are removed.
   • You can feel them if you search for them with your fingers between the upper and lower part of the rear seat.
   • Most isofix-compatible child seats, refridgerators etc. connect / hook onto these floor hooks, and that is what gives them the stability.

Practical notes about using isofix

• Do not assume that any isofix-compatible seat or object is compatible with any isofix-equipped vehicle, as that is not guaranteed by the standard!
• This is especially valid for Jimnys, as their interior space is quite constrained (especially in the rear part of the cabin).
  • This means that there are almost no options nor much room for any adjustments when placing a child seat or a refrigerator on Jimny's rear seats.
    • If an object does not fit properly in a Jimny for some reason, you are usually sh** outt'a luck with that product.
• Therefore, before buying an isofix-compatible product to use in your isofix-equipped Jimny, check with the product's manufacturer if the product is officially compatible with your Jimny generation.
• The best method is to test the fitment in practice before committing to buy the product.

List of tested compatible products for Jimny 3

Chipolino Techno 360 child seat

• Tested and used daily by forum user Bosanek.
• Fully rotatable (front / side / rear facing) and fully adjustable to any child's age / weight / height.
• The rotation feature is useless in Jimnys - there is no space to rotate the seat in place once installed in the vehicle.
  • However, once the seat is set in the rear or the front facing mode outside of the car, it fits in the car just fine.
  • Rear facing mode is the recommended usage mode, as long as the child is small enough to fit in regarding the leg room.
• Capability to be used in rear facing mode for children weighing up to 18 kg.
  • This is a relatively rare feature, as the majority of rear facing child seats on the market accommodate children only up to 13 kg.
• The seat can be used with any anchoring combination:
  1. Dual ISOFIX anchoring (lower + top tether) + seat belt;
  2. Only lower ISOFIX + seat belt;
  3. Only top ISOFIX + seat belt;
  4. Only seat belt;
• Therefore, this seat is compatible even with older non-ISOFIX equipped Jimnys 3, where it can be used in the "only seat belt" anchoring mode.
  • Of course, this anchoring mode is not as secure as the ISOFIX mode, but Jimny is not a very safe vehicle to be driven in anyway.

Installation examples in Jimny 3

Example 1

Below is an example of an isofix-compatible child seat base which could not be installed in an isofix-equipped Jimny 3 because the base's isofix connecting rods are too short.

• 

  The product is Cybex "Aton Base 2-fix". It is an isofix-compatible base for several of their child seat products. Its manufacturer does not display Suzuki Jimny in the list of compatible vehicles for this product.

• 

  The child seat base has touched the vehicle seat's upper part long before the base's rods have reached the isofix floor anchors between the upper and lower part of the vehicle's seat (black shiny metal bar between the upper and the lower part of the vehicle seat). The rods can not be extended any further and the product can not be pushed in any further.

• 

  Measurement of the product's rods and their extent compared to product's body, for reference.

Installation examples in Jimny 4

Example 1

Add your own ....

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Page last edited on 12/08/2021 by user Bosanek