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.
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.
