Automotive

Suzuki New Zealand has turned the Jimny into the cutest ute ever

Suzuki New Zealand has turned the Jimny into the cutest ute ever
Suzuki New Zealand will chop your Jimny into a fully certified work ute
Suzuki New Zealand will chop your Jimny into a fully certified work ute
View 5 Images
Clean and tidy behind the seats
1/5
Clean and tidy behind the seats
Versatile hinged flat deck
2/5
Versatile hinged flat deck
Still tiny, but now it's built to work
3/5
Still tiny, but now it's built to work
About enough room for a bale of hay and a sheepdog
4/5
About enough room for a bale of hay and a sheepdog
Suzuki New Zealand will chop your Jimny into a fully certified work ute
5/5
Suzuki New Zealand will chop your Jimny into a fully certified work ute
View gallery - 5 images

Suzuki got it so, so right with its tiny Jimny 4x4 in 2018. Cheap, cheerful, capable and devoid of all the luxury rubbish that weighs down so many 4x4s these days, it was the cutest thing on the block, and looked like a barrel of monkeys to take offroad. Simple and charming, it won the hearts of off-road fans and fashion junkies alike. And now, it's a "ute" – that's what they call pickups down under – and Suzuki New Zealand has begun offering chopped Jimny conversions with flat deck back ends instead of the regular four-seat cabin.

Starting with a Jimny JX 1.5-liter manual 5-speed, the guys at the Whanganui dealership will lop the back off, seal it all up and stick a small tray with hinged sides on the back for you. As part of the conversion, the headlights are replaced with non-leveling halogen ones, the infotainment unit is tossed for a simpler Bluetooth head unit, and the wheels are switched to steel ones. It's built to work.

About enough room for a bale of hay and a sheepdog
About enough room for a bale of hay and a sheepdog

It'll cost you, though. Where the standard Jimny Sierra starts around NZ$25,000 (US$14,500), this fully certified ute conversion will set you back NZ$37,990 (US$22,000), well into the range of some bigger, more powerful opposition. Still, if you need something small that can get around in super-tight and muddy conditions, it might be just the ticket. Hope you don't have a big dog to chuck in the back!

Source: Suzuki New Zealand via Driven.

View gallery - 5 images
9 comments
9 comments
Mzungu_Mkubwa
"Suzuki got it so, so right..." except for one thing: not bringing this awesomeness to the 'States! And the pick-em-up-truck version would sell like toilet paper here too! The only thing us Yanks would bawl about is not having an extended, 4-door version to load up all these brats we keep procreating. Odd that even with some "down-grades" (lights, stereo & rims) the cost goes up.
yawood
Love it.
Bionic88
I love this little 4x4!! If you guys haven't, look up video of it go up against Land Rover and the Wrangler... pretty sure it was those 2. There's a few out there, and it holds its own against these pricier 4x4s. And I mostly agree w/ Mzungu_Mkubwa,but I don't think we need a 4 door. I think it would mostly be bought by ppl like us that know what they're getting.. a no frills, very capable, utility vehicle.
Bionic88
I was wrong. It wasn't a Rover, but an AMG G63.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GE2W93FBdo8&app=desktop
ljaques
Mzungu's right. That thing would have TP-level sales here in the States. // I might even trade my beloved Tundra for one of those.
ljaques
P.S: 2 door is fine with me, too.
Uncle Anonymous
This, as a second vehicle, would be perfect. Hauling light loads to the dump, picking up stuff at Home Depot, or mounting a roof tent to the back rails and using the storage underneath for gear to get away for some camping. As for the lack of bells and whistles, my first car only had an AM radio, so I'd be fine with what it already has. I want one...
Nigel Cox
Smart vehicle but there is a company in England who have been building this type of vehicle based on the Jimny for a few years now and is nowhere near the cost of this one.
Dolanfossil
Loved my 88 Sammy, tons of fun on four wheels, this looks like an updated version of it. Would buy it in a minute