Last week, we wrote about the fascinating Suzuki Jimny museum which has been set up in Japan. It features a wide range of Jimny models within its walls, but here’s something it might not have quite yet. A new Jimny mini truck conversion!
As reported by Driven.co.nz, Suzuki New Zealand is converting 2020 Jimnys to “utes” by cutting off the rear section of the vehicle’s cabin and replacing it with a tiny aluminium bed. There’s now a neatly trimmed wall behind the front seats, which have instantly become the only seats.
It’s all certified and official as it’s done by the local Suzuki importer, which we take to mean the warranty remains unaffected. To underline the truck’s working attitude, it’s only available in base spec and with the 5-speed manual gearbox, with steel wheels and halogen headlights and without climate control or touchscreen infotainment.
Traditionally, earlier generation Jimnys have been available from factory in chassis cab configuration, so a trucklet such as this is merely canon in our opinion. Check out this 1982-1990 Jimny 1000, for example. How cool would it be to tool around in one of these?
However, the new Jimny’s added handiness doesn’t come cheap. Driven says the conversion adds 12,000 NZD ($11,772) on top of the Jimny’s base price, meaning that it’ll cost you 37,990 NZD for a complete turn-key package, or about $37,124 in Aussie dollars.
It goes without saying that there are regular pick-up trucks available new for the money in New Zealand as well, but then again: if this is exactly what you want, you can have it, and it’s properly done. And with the 1500cc four-banger remaining untouched, it’s at least quite swift compared to other tiny trucks.