Our Jimny journey started back in 2022 when we acquired a 3-door Jimny as a workhorse for when we are out and about creating adventure biking content for ZA Bikers.
Over the years, we’ve had so much fun working with different accessory companies to pimp our ride to suit our requirements and we’ve had many amazing adventures with it along the way…
It was at the 2023 Suzuki Gathering that I first laid eyes on the latest 5-door Jimny.
Personally, for me, having two children that I have to shuttle to school and back, the five-door just makes more practical sense as it ‘actually’ has a decent size boot which isn’t the case with the 3-door. I made it work though by folding down the right-hand side seat permanently and with the help of Takla Products, the cargo area was protected with a load liner and rubber mat.
In a nutshell, I came away from the gathering with an itch that I couldn’t stop scratching, hours of research were done, and wrestling with myself that I didn’t need to upgrade to the 5-door was a battle that in the end I lost.
Look, my colleague, Dave Cilliers didn’t help matters as he’s drooled over my 3-door ever since he laid eyes on it, and especially as it took shape over the years of ownership.
“Si, I ‘definitely’ think the 5-door would be more suited to your personal needs, having kids and all…” is what Dave would advise me regularly.
Fast track to now and a fresh blank canvas Suzuki 5-door Jimny in Jungle Green replaces my beloved pimped-out ZA Bikers 3-door Jimny.
And my 3-door—with no prizes for guessing its next journey—is going to my dearest friend Dave, who no doubt will be travelling far and wide with it and telling us many stories along the way…
So where to start with personalising our new ZA Lifestyle Jimny?
The plan with this project is not to go all out and build an extremely capable rock-climbing turbo monster truck, but rather to add some tasteful accessories that maximise the already very practical nature of the Jimny, so that we can get out into nature and showcase all the fun that can be had with this relatively entry-level priced SUV.
When I say “entry-level priced SUV”, what I mean is the adventures that we are going to have with this ride, you wouldn’t be able to do with a similar priced SUV from other brands, for example, the VW T-Cross which costs similar money.
Because the Jimny is such an iconic vehicle, and therefore there are many aftermarket parts available from both local and international brands, you forget that Suzuki themselves offer an array of OEM accessories, so we decided to start there.
After researching Suzuki OEM parts that are available online, we decided to start with parts that give the Jimny better overall protection, for when tar hits the dirt. So our initial focus will be on protection parts.
First up, and a must-have (in my opinion) is a set of OEM-approved lightweight stainless steel ‘black painted’ side steps and a nudge bar made locally by Artav. These were ordered and fitted via our local Suzuki dealership in Rosebank, who are always very friendly and willing to assist us.
Artav is a KZN-based company that manufactures OEM-approved stainless steel accessories, including; nudge bars, sports bars, bull bars, side steps and towbars for various brands including Suzuki and being a South African product, comes with a decent warranty.
Why are these a must-have? The nudge bar protects the front of the vehicle from those fender-bender moments when driving in and around town and the side steps offer protection from when people who can’t park properly, and open their car door and inevitably dent your door in a shopping car park—with the side steps this will be prevented most of the time.
Also when climbing in and out of the Jimny you often leave shoe marks on the black trim, which is prevented with the side steps fitted. Both parts also make the Jimny look so damn cool!
Suzuki OEM parts that we’ve fitted are; a towbar, which is not only good for trailers and bike racks, but also protects the rear if someone drives into you from behind as the towbar sticks out somewhat from the rear of the vehicle.
A set of Suzuki-branded mudflaps prevents the wheels from throwing stones into the arches and protects the undercarriage of the vehicle.
Lastly—for when offroading—a set of 3mm aluminium-plated differential gear guards protect the diffs, from rocks and other hazardous objects from damaging or cracking the diff casing—similar to what we call “bash plates” on motorcycles. If you plan to keep our suspension stock (as we currently are), then this is a very good part to consider.
Similarly, with the lengthened wheelbase of the 5-door Jimny, the ‘radial cups’ are likely to be the first part of the undercarriage to get knocked over tough terrain, so for this, we fitted a very inexpensive set of Des Sol – Radial Cup Protectors (not OEM-approved, but a must-have in our opinion).
Manufactured from high-quality 3mm structural steel, and comes with all the fittings, however, we would advise you to not fit this yourself, but rather get a 4×4 fitment centre to do the installation for you as it is trickier than you’d think to install.
Step one is now completed, and we will slowly start to reveal our Jimny as the project unfolds. Next up in our build project, we will be making our Jimny more recognisable with some ZA Lifestyle branding from Empire Graphics.
For more information on the Suzuki-OEM parts that we’ve fitted to our Jimny, please contact your nearest Suzuki dealer for pricing and availability.
