New Jimny Sierra

[bagal]

Hello all
This post might seem a little odd but I am in a bit of a quandary. I am looking for a new 4x4 and I want something reasonably capable off road. I have had Landcruisers, Patrols and Suzukis before and have no fixed ideas and vehicle size.
With the demise of the Defender 90 we are left with Wrangler, Landcruiser 70, or Jimny, or is there something I have missed?
The Cruiser is expensive to buy, run and maintain, Wranglers are hard to come by so I am wondering if a Jimny could be a good idea? How does a Jimny compare off road with a Wrangler? Are there easy mods to a Jimny to improve its off road capability?
Bill

[zukmeista]

Not many get used for proper 4wding in NZ suggest you check out www.auszookers.com there's a few days reading about them on there for ya.

[TJ]

Wrangler vs Jimny, comparing apples and oranges. Different power bands (4l vs 1.3l), interior spaces and capabilities.

TJs do come up for sale. There is one on trade me that is a promising start.

http://www.trademe.co.nz/1018022162

Not mine, but looks fairly well set up.

Try to narrow down your choice first and then ask what they are like.

[obansam]

We have 3 Jimny's in our club, one of which is mine (2012) and it goes everywhere. When I do get stuck it's easy to recover as it only weighs 1100kg. They use less fuel than the bigger trucks. Of course you can't carry as much stuff, but I often have 4 people in mine (2 kids under 14 in the back). Adults can fit in the back, but would be a bit uncomfortable for an all day trip. There's plenty of room up front. Sure the engine is small, but it's light and driven correctly it will do pretty much everything you ask of it. Ground clearance can be an issue, I run 215/75 R15's (standard is 205/70 R15). 235's can be fitted with a lift, but gearing becomes an issue then. There are reduction kits available if you want to go that way. Been a narrow truck however there are often alternate lines which can be taken.

It's true there isn't many aftermarket parts available in NZ, but parts can easily be imported. I've sourced most of my gear from the UK (http://www.jimnybits.co.uk). There are Aussie suppliers, but I've found it's actually cheaper from the UK! I've made my own sliders & front & rear recovery points. (The factory recovery points are weak!)

Auszookers is a good place to get a lot of advice or there is a Facebook site, "Suzuki Jimny Owners of Australia".

Video from one of our club trips: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVmqjHARhQg

Cheers

[hunter1084]

We have 3 Jimny's in our club, one of which is mine (2012) and it goes everywhere. When I do get stuck it's easy to recover as it only weighs 1100kg. They use less fuel than the bigger trucks. Of course you can't carry as much stuff, but I often have 4 people in mine (2 kids under 14 in the back). Adults can fit in the back, but would be a bit uncomfortable for an all day trip. There's plenty of room up front. Sure the engine is small, but it's light and driven correctly it will do pretty much everything you ask of it. Ground clearance can be an issue, I run 215/75 R15's (standard is 205/70 R15). 235's can be fitted with a lift, but gearing becomes an issue then. There are reduction kits available if you want to go that way. Been a narrow truck however there are often alternate lines which can be taken.

It's true there isn't many aftermarket parts available in NZ, but parts can easily be imported. I've sourced most of my gear from the UK (http://www.jimnybits.co.uk). There are Aussie suppliers, but I've found it's actually cheaper from the UK! I've made my own sliders & front & rear recovery points. (The factory recovery points are weak!)

Auszookers is a good place to get a lot of advice or there is a Facebook site, "Suzuki Jimny Owners of Australia".

Video from one of our club trips: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVmqjHARhQg

Cheers

How did you get on importing from Jimny bits? Looking at a 2 inch lift from them but don't know how to go about importing the more expensive items