I guess the nearest thing we can buy here in terms of price/usefulness/size would be a Jeep Renegade. My wife has one of those and loves it much more than is reasonable. A Duster might work but it just not as cute is it?
Really not very close at all though.
The Jimny is a proper hardcore off-roader, complete with separate chassis and rigid axles, for people who are willing to put up with the compromises that, and its size entails.
The Renegade is none of the above, its just a smallish SUV using the same platform as (amongst others) the Fiat Tipo, but with styling inspired by its more hardcore ancestors. While it is a distinctive looking thing compared to most of its ilk, I personally wouldn't say it was cute, not with that scowling 'face' and jutting 'chin'.
I think there may also be some misunderstanding of just how small a Jimny is. In Japan, the 3 door fits into the Kei car class, that means under 3.4m long and under 1.5m wide. In terms of the actual body structure, there is no difference between theirs and ours. Think about this, have you noticed how narrow a Suzuki Celerio or a Kia Picanto appears?, both are more than 6" wider than the Jimny Kei!. 'Our' Jimny, on paper, was wider than both, but only because of the chunky wheelarches. Yes, the 5 door is longer and has something approaching a boot (with rear seats in place), but make no mistake, it is still a small car (very small to most).
IMO, the car which comes closest to capturing the spirit of the Jimny is the Panda 4x4. And as it happens, its also about as close to the (5 door) Jimny's dimensions as the Renegade.
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