Why We Bought a New Jimny!
First of all, welcome to the JimnyStyle blog! Our new Jimny story started in a very similar way to how I expect most people's did: seeing pictures of the new model online/in magazines and thinking "I want one!".
IEarlier this year in January we were fortunate enough to attend Tokyo Auto Salon. Each year there is always a clear focus on a particular car at TAS; last year it was the Lexus LC but, in 2019 the new Jimny was undoubtedly the star of the show.
Most tuning companies brought along their own iterations of the model, while Suzuki themselves even displayed a few customised examples of their own.
All of these modified Jimnys got our minds racing, and we knew we needed to get involved once we were back on home soil in the UK.
With our existing network of suppliers in Japan and also here in the UK, we felt we would be well placed to bring new and exciting products to our domestic market and help to supply the huge Jimny modifying craze that is currently ensuing.
Fast forward to June and we found ourselves at the Chapelhouse dealership in St Helens, having (im)patiently been waiting for a call to let us know when we could collect what was going to be our JimnyStyle demo car.
While we are a big fan of black Jimnys, ultimately the white colour would be more fitting for displaying the modifications that we had in mind.
Which colour would you have chosen?
As luck would have it, upon returning to our office we found one of the residents had parked their Land Rover Defender out front. We couldn't help but take a few comparison photos.
Despite sharing the same boxy silhouette, it was eye-opening to see just how much smaller the new Jimny really is.
First things first though; fit a few JimnyStyle stickers and then spend a few minutes admiring our new car!
With the sun shining as we closed the office for the day, it seemed a shame to not hit up the country lanes on our way home and see what our new Jimny was all about.
Two things became immediately apparent. The first was that the Jimny's tiny size meant it was the perfect tool when meeting oncoming traffic on the tiny lanes surrounding Goyt Valley.
The second thing was that the high ride height and seating position allowed us to see over various walls and fences that you wouldn't normally be able to see past in a regular family car. It felt like driving a van, only at a fraction of the size!
The following days involved our beloved new Jimny as much as possible, while also getting used to the various features and the touchscreen head unit. The iPhone compatibility was particularly useful and made changing music and following directions via Google Maps extremely easy.
Every time we stopped we found ourselves being asked about the car by interested passers-by, but none more so than these guys...
It's been a long time since we found ourselves in a car that we enjoyed driving just for fun, with no set destination and with the only goal of exploring our surroundings. However, the modifying bug quickly began to bite, so we knew it was time to get stuck in as soon as possible...