Suzuki Jimny Can Now Look Like A Tiny Toyota Land Cruiser 70

Endlessly Customizable

If America has the Jeep Wrangler, one could say that Japan's take on that is the Suzuki Jimny. Yes, there's the Toyota Land Cruiser, but it has grown so far removed from the original model to a point that the new one is totally unrelated to the original version. The Jimny, on the other hand, still stays very true to its roots by being unapologetically off-road oriented - just like the Wrangler.

That makes the Jimny such a great blank canvas for customization. It's almost impossible to keep these things stock, and thanks to a thriving aftermarket scene for these tiny 4x4s, you can build one up to your heart's content, your wallet permitting. It's sad that it's unlikely to come to the U.S., mainly due to regulations.

Beyond.Japan's Take

Beyond.Japan has long been offering aftermarket parts for the Jimny, and has also built itself an impressive array of demo vehicles since then. The shop offers a wide variety of parts to turn your Jimny into, well, anything you want it to be.

More recently, you can now turn the little Suzuki into a 4/5ths scale Land Cruiser 70 with its latest part. It's a grille that's made to look like one of the earlier iterations of the long-running SUV. One can get it in chrome, color-keyed, or black, depending on the preferred look, and it's priced at ¥74,800, or about $470.

Neo-Classic Style

Japan is, perhaps, one of the biggest markets for the neo-classic style. A prime example of this is Mitsuoka, a company that has, over the years, turned many of Japan's best-selling cars into retro-looking rides. Yes, that's the same company that turned the previous-gen RAV4 into an '80s Chevy K5 Blazer, the Honda Civic into a kenmeriNissan Skyline homage with a hint of Dodge Challenger, and a Toyota Corolla into a Jaguar Mark II tribute of sorts.

The Jimny's throwback looks make it a prime candidate for such customizations. We've even seen cool face swaps of it, grafting the fascias of classic hot hatches at one point. Also, attempts to make it look like a 70 Series Land Cruiser are fairly common. Frankly, it's more shocking to see a stock Jimny than a modded one.

But if the Neo-Classic style isn't your cup of tea, Beyond.Japan also has a kit that gives this pocket off-roader a pair of angry eyes.

View the full article