I got rid of all my LR's but kept the Jimny and don't regret it... it's such a characterful looking car and the perfect size for the small village where I live and country lanes around me... Jimny's are classless, reliable and practical. Big thanks to you Jonny for highlighting the Twisted Jimny, - and well done to all the Twisted team involved.
This makes perfect sense. I like smaller cars and trucks. I've always wanted a Jimny, but not necessarily a larger off-road vehicle. The Jimny is not just an economical vehicle, there's nothing the same small size that can do what a Jimny does. So why not have a better Jimny that reduces it's faults? This looks much more comfortable to ride on the road, making it a more well-rounded vehicle. If I can afford a luxurious vehicle, why must it be large? Small size is often desirable. Besides, a small vehicle of the same high quality is less expensive. I know they're making an economical car expensive, but what else could you buy that is competitive with the Twisted Jimny? Nothing that I know of. I'd rather have this than a big expensive luxury off-road vehicle. This is a very capable off-capable small vehicle. I don't think I need larger size. This is more maneuverable and has lots of space behind the seats. International and domestic regulations often make it difficult to get different configurations of the Jimny, but earlier this year a five-door Jimny was released, initially in India. It looks great. Just slighly longer, and the reat seats fold down so it's a very versatile vehicle. Suzuki has announced an electric Jimny to launch before 2030, and there have been rumors of a hybrid. So this is probably a good time for Twisted to start working on upscale, upgraded Jimnys. I wish I could get this car in the USA! It sounds like maybe these modifications are just what the Jimny needed to turn into a car I'd enjoy driving daily, even on highways and in town. The Jimny was always great, but a little rough and basic. That simplicity made it inexpensive and had a charm, but these improvements make it a better vehicle. The regular Jimny is great off-road but isn't much fun to drive on roads, where it's rather loud, bumpy, and slow. Sounds like they can fix that now.
I gotta say the production quality of the video is just spot on. The absolute silence except for the vocals which itself is slow and methodic, makes this such a laid back video to watch
Love this, drove my jimmy around Western Australia and it was faultless. The turbo and sound deadening I can imagine would completely transform the car, I also wouldn’t be surprised if this would be more fuel efficient than the stock car.
£50k, that's mental. I'm currently in NZ and can buy a brand new passenger one (with alloys, car play, rear seats etc) for £15k, suspension for £1200 and turbo kit for £2500. So £18,700 all up How can the other TWISTED extras cost £30k more 😮
Yeah it's a Jimny. Just give it more power and make it handle. It doesn't need leather padding. Saying that though they seem like a very cool company (bit of a naff name) so I hope they sell a few.
Wow, Jonny! Advertising the podcast too! Richard will be proud of your marketing skills 😂 Lovely, I think they've gone too far, but this is obviously their show car, and they're gonna run out of defenders at some point
Because old mate in the work shop is spending 4 months solid fitting all the upgrades. I guess their market is wealthy clients who don’t know how to use a screwdriver.
I have a lot of respect for Twisted with what they do for Defenders and for this, as a Land Rover devotee I love the Jimny too and given the money I would've bought one instead of my cheap Freelander. I wonder how one of these would go with the 2 litre engine I have in my MX-5, a 167hp naturally aspirated, as weirdly the Jimny is lighter than my car with the folding hard top.
@@MattTesteryour mazda 2ltr lump is basically a copy engine of the J20a engine thats a Suzuki engine to begin with mate. Suzuki and Mazda are bezzy mates
I have followed this very car out of the industrial estate off York road a few weeks ago, it’s not too far from Twisted, I deliver to a couple of kitchen manufacturers on there. I remember it’s registration plate and thinking “it’s got to be something to do with Twisteddown the road”. And now it’s on here to prove I was correct 👍🏼👍🏼
I happened past Twisted in Yorkshire and a chap there was only to happy to give me a quick tour(it was end of day) what I saw was very very impressive. Twisted are every bit as good as Jonny is commenting on. 10/10.
I think the jimny is a fabulous car. I think it deserves this treatment. Fabulous review and thank you Jonny for shining a light on this! Would love to see you back to review one of the defenders!
I have always loved Jinny’s. I drive EVs now, but a Twisted Jimny would persuade me to drive an ICE again (I would want heated seats and preferably an automatic). Great video - as a Jimny enthusiast, you are definitely the right person to review it 😀. That interior is gorgeous- my favourite colour (I drive a Smart ForTwo EQ Racing Green, with the brown Brabus interior 😍).
Ooh yes please. It sounds amazingly quiet on your in car commentary :) I love to see it perform off-road, to see if it has lost any of its ability with the fitting of a turbo and a rear roll bar (I know it's not the car's most likely stomping ground, especially after it's been twisted).
I love the standard Jimny for how fit for purpose the design is, a utilitarian, capable off-road vehicle with charm and classless style. For me a lot of that has been lost here 😢
I would love to hear your take on Bowler conversions. I had a full Defender 110 conversion done (with plaque and build number 😉) about 4 years ago and it’s transformative, especially power and handling, and yes I know that’s all relative with a Defender! I’m sure the folks at Bowler would love to show what their years of Dakar and rally experience have brought to this area of Defender conversions. There’s more to them than just this of course and their story is fascinating.
I love the look of the Jimny since the fist series but if a turbo charged diesel was put into it , it would be amost perfect with power, torque and weight for a small fun offroader. Well done Twisted.
Loads of people swap 1.5TD and 1.7TD Isuzu engines into Jimny's and SJ's. These engines are found in loads of 90's Vauxhall's so they're cheap and tunable.
I’m sure this version is lovely, but I’m happy with my stock Jimny (in the frankly mandatory Kinetic Yellow 🙂). A lot of its charm is in its cheapness/low power. It is still insanely agile off-road. And it has appreciated in my period of ownership - I’m happy with that vs spending more money on upgrades!
Yes, I find the same with my Defender - knowing that the parts on it are cheap/easy to fix or replace, makes it so genuinely relaxing. E.g. I could get fancy LED headlights, but resist the temptation and keep it stock - the simpler/more analogue/cheaper the better. Twisteds looks cool but not as good as the unmodified.
I spend a lot of time in South Africa. The Jimny passengers are incredibly popular out here. It wouldn't surprise me if some of these eventually make their way to the UK now Suzuki have discontinued the passenger model there.
Look up Twisted conversions for the Jimny overseas . Engine goes from 100 to 165 bhp with a factory quality turbo addition. Seats get leather. Suspension gets Eibach springs and Bilstein dampers. Proper sound deadening. Good speakers. Don't know how the ADR would see it with the extra performance and ANCAP in the basement. Twisted price probably also bolted to a turbo.
BTW - it was not 100% emissions on why we don't get the non commercial Jimny any more. The Jimny was pretty clean with 154g co2/km. Cleaner than pretty much every other 4x4 on sale. It was more an issue of it weighing so little that silly EU regs penalised it. Had it weighed a tonne more, it could quite happily have doubled its emissions and been fine. They also tow fine, way more than 300kg. I guess you haven't ever tried. And there are no paved roads in the UK where you'd be in trouble in 2nd gear, that is utter BS.
I'd have one and I'd never thought I'd say that. My father in law had the last shape and its characteristics made it. Crude but fun. This twisted version is great ❤
I know the whole fleet emissions are what did for it, but I never understood why Suzuki didn’t stick one of their excellent small capacity turbos in it from the factory. Even if it didn’t make big power figures it would have helped with the torques.
They should really fill in those intendations under all that leather. Easiest and most practical way would probably be to 3D print some fitted inserts for the bolt heads and wrap the leather over those. Those dimples give an unfinished look.
Welcome to my manor Mr Smith. Shot quite literally on my doorstep and recognise all the roads you’re on. I even drop into the old cinema for a coffee and salted caramel blondie courtesy of Charle’s sister. Yorkshire Outdoors just a couple of miles away would have made a good spot to test the Jimny off road (run by Charle’s father nonetheless). I’d like him to dip his toes into a bit of older G wagon restoration and modification (not the newer 463/464 bling wagon stuff - yuk) as I have a 35 yr old, rather modified example sat on the driveway and love it. Will people take a £50k Jimny and off road it or will it be just another lifestyle trinket? Who knows. I certainly get the old G muddy, it’s what it was built for.
True true - take any car and add enough power, and it’s a decent car - pick any car, and the basic engine one is usually ballcocks, and the sporty ones are decent
Enjoyed the video Johnny....Often wondered what 'Twisted' did... I've passed their works in Thirsk many times and wondered why all the Defenders were outside for!....Cheers.
That rear anti-roll bar looks more like a Panhard rod (????). I would have thought that a M62 supercharger would be more suitable to give power low down for off-roading and low speed pick-.up whilst still delivering the same 165bhp .
I loved the 2nd look at the police car going the other way 😂 I agree on the heated seats, I retrofitted this on mine and it's brilliant. Love the Jimny.
Jonny's segue into the black circles promo is flawless. I see 'thought for the day' calling soon... "You know, all terrain tyres remind me of the story of Jesus and... "
I LIKE the TWISTED philosophy: take some vehicle that is almost good enough and make it what it could have been. Of course, they can work to a different price point. The commercial model would excel at going a bit off-road with camping gear in the back. Or suppose you went antique hunting on weekends.
Not a huge fan of their Defenders as I prefer OEM+ (I've had 6 of them from 98-14) however what I think they have done to the Jimnys handling and performance is spot on.
Wonderful little thing. Twisted have taken a great little recipe and improved upon it. But 50k? You would have to have enough money not to worry about money. I am sure that small target market is out there. We need companies like this in the UK. Great vid Jonny, keep up the great work. :-)
At 13:46 what you are showing i s the rear panhard bar which is the stock one, there's no visible sway bar there, the front one looks pretty new, perhaps they upgraded the stock one with a thicker one?
I’m amazed what people will spend £50k on !! I really don’t get this Twisted thing of tarting up Landies and Jimnys and changing huge prices….people pay it though so what do I know !!
Same thoughts here but if people really are daft enough to spend all that money on a dreadful Land Rover just let them get on with it. That Poor little Jimmney deserves to have mods with a bit more taste than this crap.
Thanks looks and sounds great! Here in New Zealand you can still buy the 3dr but my wife is getting a 5dr one next week, still slow but you can add a I Drive which is throttle control which does help.
i am from Sydney. The Jimny is popular here. I have a two door JL Jeep Wrangler. My jeep is better than the Jimny in every measure. Everything. And 80% of all Jeep Wranglers since 1986 are still on the road.
Having owned 4 Suzuki Vitara/Grand Vitaras, I would have loved to see twisted mods on those. If I was after a new vehicle I would buy a Twisted Jimny but unfortunately they don't sell them in Australia. It's amazing what a couple of Yorkshire blokes can do in a shed. Mind you my dad is a Yorkshireman & he was always creative mechanically. Another great video Jonny.
Is it just me or is there no more new small to medium vehicles that are designed with driving off road in Australia ? My Father has a grand Vitara 2009 model. It seats 5, low range, lockers, is constant 4wd and it's a medium sized SUV. Now he wants another new 4WD and it seems the only options are large SUVs these days.
older Grand Vitaras were the best of the lot. The 06 Grand Vitara can eat jimnys offroad and do 120mph without wandering all over the road even with BFGs on them
@@bigduphusaj162 you talking about the V6 doing 120mph? My Father's is the 2.4L four cylinder, I know some are 2.0L and there's some other engine types. I havnt driven it on a highway before but it out corners my Carolla on a hairpin corner.
My first Vitara was a '92 model & I was towing out the bigger Landcruisers & Patrols when they got stuck in the mud. Why? Cos the Vitara was lighter. The 2nd one was a '97 2L and that went through flooded roads a treat until it was run up the backside by a woman in a Landcruiser on her phone. The 3rd was an '07 5dr V6 which was fine & liked highways. 4th one was an '09 3dr that went over railway tracks constantly, through flooded waters & loved sand dunes. It was my longest Grand Vitara I ever had from new. 10 years of ownership & I sold it to a 20yr old girl who wanted something to catch her older brothers with. Down the track I'll buy a Jimny cos I miss the older Vitaras.
Great video Jonny, that Jimny is great but they seem to go for a ridiculous amount of money for second hand one. I never understood why they did not put the 1.0 Turbo engine that was is in the Swift/ Baleno which is a great little engine.
Every few months I have a rant to myself about Suzuki. How did they mess up to the extent that they had to stop selling it 2yrs in? Their most popular car in a decade. Why not use the Vitara or Swift engine, or even an EV and mass produce it to keep up with demand. It could have been huge. How about offer a Jimny 'Sport' with the swift sport engine, a 6 speed gear box instead of the 5, more stable suspension. I adore the Jimny and the shortcomings that created scarcity and drove the prices up mean I probably won't own one; which is sad.
I'm looking to get a silver jimny this month and was thinking of a tan roof with tan rear quarters wrap. Seeing that interior has cemented the idea. I thought my Panda cross was an expensive dog crate on wheels, but I think the Jimny is going to beat it.
Twisted have always been on my list of people to go and talk to when I win the lottery. With the demise of the classic Defender though, they were always going to have to move on to different vehicles eventually. The Jimny is a great choice. If you look objectively at the price then £50k is a lot for a Jimny. But if you've just spent £250k+ on a Twisted Defender, then getting a little "mini me" version to go with it, for an extra £50k is a bargain.
Liked the sound of the turbo install until l found out it only kicks in around 3500rpm, l almost never go above 3000rpm so there would be little advantage for me, if they could get it down to around 2250/2500 that would be ideal.
Suzuki Australia; get these in & you'll be bigger than Toyota within a month! Small cars with grunt like my Abarth are so much fun; this would be its perfect companion for the local tracks & just...because it's ace :)
I grew up driving from 17 in British country lanes like these with national speed limits in my xr2i replica! It seems so surreal now having lived in Australia for so long that you could do that, those onboard shots are making me nervous! Would love to bring my Jimny back to the homeland for a razz.
I have personally owned two Jimny's from new, and just loved them, and boy do I miss owning them, but I would have a Twisted Jimny in a heart beat! So🤞 crossed for now. Thanks Jonny another great video.👍
@@TheLateBrakeShow do they do a turbo kit.. to fit.. a good friend has a half ton flat deck with 600mm extended chassis from the factory.. but needs a lot more power.. great review, 👌👌🇳🇿🇳🇿
All great until you need to replace the windscreen. To be able to recalibrate the ADAS system it needs to be at factory spec( ride height,original wheels,) so expect to be turned away if you turn up to have the screen replaced in one of these.
The only problem with the Twisted Jimny regardless of the extra power it is still registered as a light commercial vehicle which is restricted to different speed limits than a car for National speed roads. National limit (single-carriageways) commercial vehicle 50mph (car 60mph), National limit (dual-carriageways) commercial vehicle 60 mph (car 70mph). I have had 5 Jimnys including the GEN4 (passenger variant) great cars. 🙂
The older Grand Vitara like 06-09 model were the best Suzuki 4x4s ever. Ive had them all including this new Jimny. The new Jimny is over rated but still good. My older Grand Vitaras would destroy it offroad though.
Lots of small (narrow) cars are great on smaller country roads. I used to have a diesel Mk1 VW Caddy with 53bhp and because it was already a bit rough and slow you would just chug along below the speed limit knowing that its as fast as you could go......
@@TheLateBrakeShow. Oh no. We were looking forward to that (I very nearly bought a Fígaro last year until my Smart limited edition appeared on Autotrader)
Missed opportunity to put a backwards Suzuki S on the grille... I'd love to DIY a lot of this build, but all the Samurai (USDM Jimny) are pretty well used up around here.
I’ve driven and filmed one last year and they are massively endearing and flawed in equal measure. Yes, its slow, rolls and not fun at the motorway limit but this seems to answer all of these issues… oh I want one! Jonny the 4/5 door is on sale in (and produced in) India under the Maruti Suzuki brand… what do you know that we don’t??
The 4/5 door is also available in S. Africa and Namibia where it's extremely popular, they're even available as rental cars there. I believe it's available in Australia, Thailand, Laos and goodness knows how many other countries, as well as Japan (obviously). I had one on order from the day they launched in the UK but wasn't lucky enough to get one before Suzuki pulled it. I did have a Def 90 CSW 2.4 Tdi from new which was great but it was rapidly going rotten despite being treated before it ever went on the road. I had the previous model of Jimny and really regret selling it. These Twisted are beautiful but £50k ? Mmmm
Awesome review of an awesome car. When you pointed to the new rear swaybar, I think you were actually filming/pointing at the Panhard Rod that locates the rear axle against sideways movement. Cheers
Procuring the four door passenger jimmy in New Delhi- India next week- with plans to fit a pop top camper at 4 x4 campers in harayana- India- A himilayian mountain goat - however a later visit to Twisted for upgrades now seems the move- excellant presentation
This is called the Jimny Sierra in Japan. They still sell the smaller engine type (kei-type, 660cc) called simply Jimny, and which are far more popular due to less taxation and insurance. The mechanics of the two cars are essentially the same; it is just an engine choice. I live in the Japanese mountains where 40% of the cars are Jimnys (and most of the rest are kei trucks). Don't see many Sierras (which are easy to spot because the number plate is a different colour). The price difference isn't that much, about ¥1.5 million for the Jimny and about ¥1.8m for the Sierra version, so definitely not twice the price. The Twisted version seems to be a locally upgraded basic Sierra, hence the higher price. The manually adjusted 4wd and diff lock etc make them the best choice for the snowy/icy winter season here. All the best from Japan
Not overly fussed for the luxury interior but I like the turbo. My only gripe with the Jimny is the lack of power. Sometimes my auto will change up & down every 20 metres just to go up steep hills which would be annoying for the cars behind me doing 60kms/hr in an 80 or 100 zone.
As for the Twsited Jimny. £50k+VAT, so lets be realistic that is £60,000 is a LOT of money for a Turbo kit, some shocks & springs and tyres. I also can't be the only one that HATES that companies like Twisted are taking the only affordable 4x4 in the UK and turning it into a handbag fashion accessory for the rich and gormless. Making them even less attainable for people who don't have their pockets and bank accounts lined with silver.
They are woefully underpowered but I guess you could say they are built to a price. I suspect they will turn to the Ineos Grenadier and pimp the engine etc. As for the twisted Defender if I could afford one I would have one.
When it comes to insuring one of these or a Landy, how would you go about it? Modified insurance and you have to declare every mod or are the insurers aware of Twisted and what they do?
I personally love that nugget. But if you pull up to a Gwagon and they notice that this obviously isnt a normal Jimney but dont know that it still only has 160HP its a bit embarrassing. So personally I'd remove the twisted logo and go a bit more ultilitarian but silently enjoy the added HP.
I'm in Canada. Jimny would be the perfect vehicle for this country. I'd give anything to have one if they would just bring them here somehow. This version however looks amazing. I would just forgo allot of the leather since I'd love to us it for camping.
I got rid of all my LR's but kept the Jimny and don't regret it... it's such a characterful looking car and the perfect size for the small village where I live and country lanes around me... Jimny's are classless, reliable and practical. Big thanks to you Jonny for highlighting the Twisted Jimny, - and well done to all the Twisted team involved.
Like a land rover but the engine starts
Ha!
😂😂😂😂#truestory
And will be a bean can in 30 years, whereas my old Landie is still going and starts first time, every time.
@@red9zero Strange thing envy and perhaps ignorance !
@@red9zero no though, a Japanese 4x4 will outlast a Land Rover period, Land Rover doesn’t have the reputation like a hilux or Land Cruiser
This makes perfect sense. I like smaller cars and trucks. I've always wanted a Jimny, but not necessarily a larger off-road vehicle. The Jimny is not just an economical vehicle, there's nothing the same small size that can do what a Jimny does. So why not have a better Jimny that reduces it's faults? This looks much more comfortable to ride on the road, making it a more well-rounded vehicle. If I can afford a luxurious vehicle, why must it be large? Small size is often desirable. Besides, a small vehicle of the same high quality is less expensive.
I know they're making an economical car expensive, but what else could you buy that is competitive with the Twisted Jimny? Nothing that I know of. I'd rather have this than a big expensive luxury off-road vehicle. This is a very capable off-capable small vehicle. I don't think I need larger size. This is more maneuverable and has lots of space behind the seats.
International and domestic regulations often make it difficult to get different configurations of the Jimny, but earlier this year a five-door Jimny was released, initially in India. It looks great.
Just slighly longer, and the reat seats fold down so it's a very versatile vehicle. Suzuki has announced an electric Jimny to launch before 2030, and there have been rumors of a hybrid. So this is probably a good time for Twisted to start working on upscale, upgraded Jimnys.
I wish I could get this car in the USA! It sounds like maybe these modifications are just what the Jimny needed to turn into a car I'd enjoy driving daily, even on highways and in town. The Jimny was always great, but a little rough and basic. That simplicity made it inexpensive and had a charm, but these improvements make it a better vehicle. The regular Jimny is great off-road but isn't much fun to drive on roads, where it's rather loud, bumpy, and slow. Sounds like they can fix that now.
I gotta say the production quality of the video is just spot on. The absolute silence except for the vocals which itself is slow and methodic, makes this such a laid back video to watch
Love this, drove my jimmy around Western Australia and it was faultless. The turbo and sound deadening I can imagine would completely transform the car, I also wouldn’t be surprised if this would be more fuel efficient than the stock car.
£50k, that's mental. I'm currently in NZ and can buy a brand new passenger one (with alloys, car play, rear seats etc) for £15k, suspension for £1200 and turbo kit for £2500.
So £18,700 all up
How can the other TWISTED extras cost £30k more 😮
Yeah it's a Jimny. Just give it more power and make it handle. It doesn't need leather padding. Saying that though they seem like a very cool company (bit of a naff name) so I hope they sell a few.
Wow, Jonny! Advertising the podcast too! Richard will be proud of your marketing skills 😂
Lovely, I think they've gone too far, but this is obviously their show car, and they're gonna run out of defenders at some point
Hello there. What turbo kit are you refering to?
its probably the anti noise material and the fancy leather crap
Because old mate in the work shop is spending 4 months solid fitting all the upgrades.
I guess their market is wealthy clients who don’t know how to use a screwdriver.
I have a lot of respect for Twisted with what they do for Defenders and for this, as a Land Rover devotee I love the Jimny too and given the money I would've bought one instead of my cheap Freelander. I wonder how one of these would go with the 2 litre engine I have in my MX-5, a 167hp naturally aspirated, as weirdly the Jimny is lighter than my car with the folding hard top.
bored out mx5 engine, or something different?
@@throwback19841 Sorry instead of NA I should've put naturally aspirated, 2012 3rd gen. car with standard 2 litre and 6-speed.
@@MattTesteryour mazda 2ltr lump is basically a copy engine of the J20a engine thats a Suzuki engine to begin with mate. Suzuki and Mazda are bezzy mates
K-swap it
I have followed this very car out of the industrial estate off York road a few weeks ago, it’s not too far from Twisted, I deliver to a couple of kitchen manufacturers on there. I remember it’s registration plate and thinking “it’s got to be something to do with Twisteddown the road”.
And now it’s on here to prove I was correct 👍🏼👍🏼
I happened past Twisted in Yorkshire and a chap there was only to happy to give me a quick tour(it was end of day) what I saw was very very impressive. Twisted are every bit as good as Jonny is commenting on. 10/10.
It's a yes from me too. Love it. I'd have a black one without the decals. Brilliant.
I think the jimny is a fabulous car. I think it deserves this treatment. Fabulous review and thank you Jonny for shining a light on this! Would love to see you back to review one of the defenders!
Absolutely love this thing, I think so far they Twisted have done a grand job with this. Shame no diesel though.
I have always loved Jinny’s. I drive EVs now, but a Twisted Jimny would persuade me to drive an ICE again (I would want heated seats and preferably an automatic). Great video - as a Jimny enthusiast, you are definitely the right person to review it 😀. That interior is gorgeous- my favourite colour (I drive a Smart ForTwo EQ Racing Green, with the brown Brabus interior 😍).
Ooh yes please. It sounds amazingly quiet on your in car commentary :) I love to see it perform off-road, to see if it has lost any of its ability with the fitting of a turbo and a rear roll bar (I know it's not the car's most likely stomping ground, especially after it's been twisted).
my husband has a Land Rover. I am very soon buying my second Jimny. Love my Jimny more than my husband will always buy a Jimny
I love my LR more than my wife!!
Loved every minute of that! In fact, you didn't need to say anything, your chuckle says it all
I love the standard Jimny for how fit for purpose the design is, a utilitarian, capable off-road vehicle with charm and classless style. For me a lot of that has been lost here 😢
All of its charm and classless style has been lost
It’s ok it’s been lost if you’re not taking it off road. If you properly go off road, the stock car is better
I would love to hear your take on Bowler conversions. I had a full Defender 110 conversion done (with plaque and build number 😉) about 4 years ago and it’s transformative, especially power and handling, and yes I know that’s all relative with a Defender! I’m sure the folks at Bowler would love to show what their years of Dakar and rally experience have brought to this area of Defender conversions. There’s more to them than just this of course and their story is fascinating.
Bowler is a great shout.
My wife has had a Jimny since 2000 and it’s only done 76k and it’s been to New Zealand and back to the UK great little car
I love the look of the Jimny since the fist series but if a turbo charged diesel was put into it , it would be amost perfect with power, torque and weight for a small fun offroader. Well done Twisted.
That would set the payload to negative 😂
Loads of people swap 1.5TD and 1.7TD Isuzu engines into Jimny's and SJ's. These engines are found in loads of 90's Vauxhall's so they're cheap and tunable.
I’m sure this version is lovely, but I’m happy with my stock Jimny (in the frankly mandatory Kinetic Yellow 🙂). A lot of its charm is in its cheapness/low power. It is still insanely agile off-road. And it has appreciated in my period of ownership - I’m happy with that vs spending more money on upgrades!
Yes it’s alot of money to spend
Yes, I find the same with my Defender - knowing that the parts on it are cheap/easy to fix or replace, makes it so genuinely relaxing.
E.g. I could get fancy LED headlights, but resist the temptation and keep it stock - the simpler/more analogue/cheaper the better.
Twisteds looks cool but not as good as the unmodified.
@@_P_F I used to think the same but LEDS make a big difference when driving at night, also you never need to replace globes again.
I spend a lot of time in South Africa. The Jimny passengers are incredibly popular out here. It wouldn't surprise me if some of these eventually make their way to the UK now Suzuki have discontinued the passenger model there.
Look up Twisted conversions for the Jimny overseas . Engine goes from 100 to 165 bhp with a factory quality turbo addition. Seats get leather. Suspension gets Eibach springs and Bilstein dampers. Proper sound deadening. Good speakers. Don't know how the ADR would see it with the extra performance and ANCAP in the basement. Twisted price probably also bolted to a turbo.
BTW - it was not 100% emissions on why we don't get the non commercial Jimny any more. The Jimny was pretty clean with 154g co2/km. Cleaner than pretty much every other 4x4 on sale. It was more an issue of it weighing so little that silly EU regs penalised it. Had it weighed a tonne more, it could quite happily have doubled its emissions and been fine. They also tow fine, way more than 300kg. I guess you haven't ever tried. And there are no paved roads in the UK where you'd be in trouble in 2nd gear, that is utter BS.
I'd have one and I'd never thought I'd say that. My father in law had the last shape and its characteristics made it. Crude but fun. This twisted version is great ❤
I know the whole fleet emissions are what did for it, but I never understood why Suzuki didn’t stick one of their excellent small capacity turbos in it from the factory. Even if it didn’t make big power figures it would have helped with the torques.
They should really fill in those intendations under all that leather. Easiest and most practical way would probably be to 3D print some fitted inserts for the bolt heads and wrap the leather over those. Those dimples give an unfinished look.
Welcome to my manor Mr Smith. Shot quite literally on my doorstep and recognise all the roads you’re on. I even drop into the old cinema for a coffee and salted caramel blondie courtesy of Charle’s sister. Yorkshire Outdoors just a couple of miles away would have made a good spot to test the Jimny off road (run by Charle’s father nonetheless). I’d like him to dip his toes into a bit of older G wagon restoration and modification (not the newer 463/464 bling wagon stuff - yuk) as I have a 35 yr old, rather modified example sat on the driveway and love it. Will people take a £50k Jimny and off road it or will it be just another lifestyle trinket? Who knows. I certainly get the old G muddy, it’s what it was built for.
what a legendry work... those Defenders are absolute work of art.
The way Jonny smile every time turbocharger makes pru-tu-tu-tu-tu it's just brilliant description of how it goes :)
Fitting a turbo. Fixes 99.6% of all Car problems. lol
True true - take any car and add enough power, and it’s a decent car - pick any car, and the basic engine one is usually ballcocks, and the sporty ones are decent
Enjoyed the video Johnny....Often wondered what 'Twisted' did... I've passed their works in Thirsk many times and wondered why all the Defenders were outside for!....Cheers.
That rear anti-roll bar looks more like a Panhard rod (????). I would have thought that a M62 supercharger would be more suitable to give power low down for off-roading and low speed pick-.up whilst still delivering the same 165bhp .
I loved the 2nd look at the police car going the other way 😂
I agree on the heated seats, I retrofitted this on mine and it's brilliant.
Love the Jimny.
Have you seen the price......Bonkers !!
Jonny's segue into the black circles promo is flawless. I see 'thought for the day' calling soon...
"You know, all terrain tyres remind me of the story of Jesus and... "
Don't tempt him...
I love my (slow) Jimny, but great to see what's possible!
I LIKE the TWISTED philosophy: take some vehicle that is almost good enough and make it what it could have been. Of course, they can work to a different price point. The commercial model would excel at going a bit off-road with camping gear in the back. Or suppose you went antique hunting on weekends.
Not a huge fan of their Defenders as I prefer OEM+ (I've had 6 of them from 98-14) however what I think they have done to the Jimnys handling and performance is spot on.
I wonder if they'll start looking at the Ineos Grenadier soon?
I’m the same, I’m not bothered about the interior of the Jimny, I’d have one with a little bit more power, better handling & better brakes
Nice video Jonny. Nice to see James May's Caterham from the Grand Tour get a small feature.
Wonderful little thing. Twisted have taken a great little recipe and improved upon it. But 50k? You would have to have enough money not to worry about money. I am sure that small target market is out there. We need companies like this in the UK. Great vid Jonny, keep up the great work. :-)
I was in Thirsk the other day, drove past twisted and saw all the jimnys parked down the side. Cool company progression. Cool product
At 13:46 what you are showing i s the rear panhard bar which is the stock one, there's no visible sway bar there, the front one looks pretty new, perhaps they upgraded the stock one with a thicker one?
I’m amazed what people will spend £50k on !!
I really don’t get this Twisted thing of tarting up Landies and Jimnys and changing huge prices….people pay it though so what do I know !!
Same thoughts here but if people really are daft enough to spend all that money on a dreadful Land Rover just let them get on with it. That Poor little Jimmney deserves to have mods with a bit more taste than this crap.
Darkside developments doing 4x4s was the worst ive ever seen.
Thanks looks and sounds great!
Here in New Zealand you can still buy the 3dr but my wife is getting a 5dr one next week, still slow but you can add a I Drive which is throttle control which does help.
i am from Sydney. The Jimny is popular here. I have a two door JL Jeep Wrangler. My jeep is better than the Jimny in every measure. Everything. And 80% of all Jeep Wranglers since 1986 are still on the road.
met the twisted crew at the finsh line of the 2014 Miami to Ibiza gumball 3000 ..free merch too ..top team
Having owned 4 Suzuki Vitara/Grand Vitaras, I would have loved to see twisted mods on those. If I was after a new vehicle I would buy a Twisted Jimny but unfortunately they don't sell them in Australia. It's amazing what a couple of Yorkshire blokes can do in a shed. Mind you my dad is a Yorkshireman & he was always creative mechanically.
Another great video Jonny.
Is it just me or is there no more new small to medium vehicles that are designed with driving off road in Australia ? My Father has a grand Vitara 2009 model. It seats 5, low range, lockers, is constant 4wd and it's a medium sized SUV. Now he wants another new 4WD and it seems the only options are large SUVs these days.
@@Jwalker76 The new "Vitara" is a soft roader. There's nothing proper in the medium segment.
older Grand Vitaras were the best of the lot. The 06 Grand Vitara can eat jimnys offroad and do 120mph without wandering all over the road even with BFGs on them
@@bigduphusaj162 you talking about the V6 doing 120mph? My Father's is the 2.4L four cylinder, I know some are 2.0L and there's some other engine types. I havnt driven it on a highway before but it out corners my Carolla on a hairpin corner.
My first Vitara was a '92 model & I was towing out the bigger Landcruisers & Patrols when they got stuck in the mud. Why? Cos the Vitara was lighter. The 2nd one was a '97 2L and that went through flooded roads a treat until it was run up the backside by a woman in a Landcruiser on her phone. The 3rd was an '07 5dr V6 which was fine & liked highways. 4th one was an '09 3dr that went over railway tracks constantly, through flooded waters & loved sand dunes. It was my longest Grand Vitara I ever had from new. 10 years of ownership & I sold it to a 20yr old girl who wanted something to catch her older brothers with. Down the track I'll buy a Jimny cos I miss the older Vitaras.
Great video Jonny, that Jimny is great but they seem to go for a ridiculous amount of money for second hand one. I never understood why they did not put the 1.0 Turbo engine that was is in the Swift/ Baleno which is a great little engine.
A super charger would be cheaper and better for a 4x4.
British off road culture is its own wonderful thing and I love it. Props to Suzuki that they are invited into the club.
Every few months I have a rant to myself about Suzuki. How did they mess up to the extent that they had to stop selling it 2yrs in? Their most popular car in a decade. Why not use the Vitara or Swift engine, or even an EV and mass produce it to keep up with demand. It could have been huge. How about offer a Jimny 'Sport' with the swift sport engine, a 6 speed gear box instead of the 5, more stable suspension. I adore the Jimny and the shortcomings that created scarcity and drove the prices up mean I probably won't own one; which is sad.
Jonnie, £50K, it's a rich mans toy !!!
My favourite thing is they haven't gone stupid with the power or mods, very tastefully done :)
I'm looking to get a silver jimny this month and was thinking of a tan roof with tan rear quarters wrap. Seeing that interior has cemented the idea. I thought my
Panda cross was an expensive dog crate on wheels, but I think the Jimny is going to beat it.
Whoosh, Everytime Jonny you cracked a grin, Mind so did I lol.
I bloody LOVE this thing. Amazing!! Just amazing.
Twisted have always been on my list of people to go and talk to when I win the lottery. With the demise of the classic Defender though, they were always going to have to move on to different vehicles eventually. The Jimny is a great choice. If you look objectively at the price then £50k is a lot for a Jimny. But if you've just spent £250k+ on a Twisted Defender, then getting a little "mini me" version to go with it, for an extra £50k is a bargain.
I love the calmness of this video.
✌🏽
Liked the sound of the turbo install until l found out it only kicks in around 3500rpm, l almost never go above 3000rpm so there would be little advantage for me, if they could get it down to around 2250/2500 that would be ideal.
Suzuki Australia; get these in & you'll be bigger than Toyota within a month! Small cars with grunt like my Abarth are so much fun; this would be its perfect companion for the local tracks & just...because it's ace :)
I grew up driving from 17 in British country lanes like these with national speed limits in my xr2i replica! It seems so surreal now having lived in Australia for so long that you could do that, those onboard shots are making me nervous! Would love to bring my Jimny back to the homeland for a razz.
What a wicked little car. Love the inside and the little turbo flutter to give it some real character.
I have personally owned two Jimny's from new, and just loved them, and boy do I miss owning them, but I would have a Twisted Jimny in a heart beat! So🤞 crossed for now. Thanks Jonny another great video.👍
Many thanks!
@@TheLateBrakeShow do they do a turbo kit.. to fit.. a good friend has a half ton flat deck with 600mm extended chassis from the factory.. but needs a lot more power.. great review, 👌👌🇳🇿🇳🇿
I think that Jimny is great N/A for reliability and longevity purposes.
All great until you need to replace the windscreen. To be able to recalibrate the ADAS system it needs to be at factory spec( ride height,original wheels,) so expect to be turned away if you turn up to have the screen replaced in one of these.
I would love to know why Suzuki haven't put their turbo that's used in the Swift and Vitara into the Jimny.
How awesome is Twi5ted!!!
Big thumbs up for Twisted. 👍👏👏👏
I used to own an old Jimny, I would adore that Twisted one!
The only problem with the Twisted Jimny regardless of the extra power it is still registered as a light commercial vehicle which is restricted to different speed limits than a car for National speed roads. National limit (single-carriageways) commercial vehicle 50mph (car 60mph), National limit (dual-carriageways) commercial vehicle 60 mph (car 70mph). I have had 5 Jimnys including the GEN4 (passenger variant) great cars. 🙂
Turbo and damping would be good enough for me. Thanks for the review.
My Jimny is 21 years old with 39,000 miles on the clock. It is in lovely condition but I would love Twisted to 'do their thing' with it 🙂
It would be interesting to see if Twisted start to convert older Jimnys.
The older Grand Vitara like 06-09 model were the best Suzuki 4x4s ever. Ive had them all including this new Jimny. The new Jimny is over rated but still good. My older Grand Vitaras would destroy it offroad though.
There's one in my village in great condition :-)@@bigduphusaj162
Lots of small (narrow) cars are great on smaller country roads. I used to have a diesel Mk1 VW Caddy with 53bhp and because it was already a bit rough and slow you would just chug along below the speed limit knowing that its as fast as you could go......
Now that's a restomod that actually makes sense, awesome car! Jonny, when are we getting an update on your wife's Figaro EV conversion?
Figaro EV not happening sadly.
@@TheLateBrakeShow Sad to hear that, it was a very cool idea. You can always send it to Twisted...a Twisted Figaro sounds kinda good 😄
@@TheLateBrakeShow. Oh no. We were looking forward to that (I very nearly bought a Fígaro last year until my Smart limited edition appeared on Autotrader)
Missed opportunity to put a backwards Suzuki S on the grille...
I'd love to DIY a lot of this build, but all the Samurai (USDM Jimny) are pretty well used up around here.
I used to own a '84 Suzuki SJ410L which was their long wheel base version. It was a great little car. Except for the rust
I’ve driven and filmed one last year and they are massively endearing and flawed in equal measure. Yes, its slow, rolls and not fun at the motorway limit but this seems to answer all of these issues… oh I want one! Jonny the 4/5 door is on sale in (and produced in) India under the Maruti Suzuki brand… what do you know that we don’t??
The 4/5 door is also available in S. Africa and Namibia where it's extremely popular, they're even available as rental cars there. I believe it's available in Australia, Thailand, Laos and goodness knows how many other countries, as well as Japan (obviously). I had one on order from the day they launched in the UK but wasn't lucky enough to get one before Suzuki pulled it. I did have a Def 90 CSW 2.4 Tdi from new which was great but it was rapidly going rotten despite being treated before it ever went on the road. I had the previous model of Jimny and really regret selling it. These Twisted are beautiful but £50k ? Mmmm
Awesome review of an awesome car. When you pointed to the new rear swaybar, I think you were actually filming/pointing at the Panhard Rod that locates the rear axle against sideways movement. Cheers
Procuring the four door passenger jimmy in New Delhi- India next week- with plans to fit a pop top camper at 4 x4 campers in harayana- India- A himilayian mountain goat - however a later visit to Twisted for upgrades now seems the move- excellant presentation
Can't wait for the 4 door. Hope it comes to UK.
Hi, I need to get mine over to the UK for an engine mod. I'm with you. I love the interior as it is but the outside mods... worth looking into 🙂
Man I wish the Jimny was Available in the States! I so want one.
You can import an older JDM. It is not a new design.
@volvo24091 if I remember I believe it had to be older than 25 years, The newer Jimny came out what 3/4years ago?
Big fan of this new Jimmy
I’d like to know the rpm at 70moh. That was the issue for me. It was something like 4000rpm I do recall. Has that changed on the twisted version?
This is called the Jimny Sierra in Japan. They still sell the smaller engine type (kei-type, 660cc) called simply Jimny, and which are far more popular due to less taxation and insurance. The mechanics of the two cars are essentially the same; it is just an engine choice. I live in the Japanese mountains where 40% of the cars are Jimnys (and most of the rest are kei trucks). Don't see many Sierras (which are easy to spot because the number plate is a different colour). The price difference isn't that much, about ¥1.5 million for the Jimny and about ¥1.8m for the Sierra version, so definitely not twice the price. The Twisted version seems to be a locally upgraded basic Sierra, hence the higher price. The manually adjusted 4wd and diff lock etc make them the best choice for the snowy/icy winter season here.
All the best from Japan
I never understood why Suzuki didn’t fit their brilliant 3 and 4 cylinder turbo engines to the Jimny. They’d have totally transformed it.
Totally agree!
They also had access to the fiat/GM 1.3 diesel, which can put out 130bhp with a remap
Like a Land Rover with out the need for a dust pan and brush.
Great intro. Very well articulated.
video start at 7:08
Not overly fussed for the luxury interior but I like the turbo. My only gripe with the Jimny is the lack of power. Sometimes my auto will change up & down every 20 metres just to go up steep hills which would be annoying for the cars behind me doing 60kms/hr in an 80 or 100 zone.
What about reliability of the engine and transmission with that power and torque hike? Has any of it required strengthening?
It Could run at over 200bhp but for reliability they have set it to 165bhp.
Thanks for another wonderful video!
Where can I find the link for the podcast please?
Greetings from the Netherlands
As for the Twsited Jimny. £50k+VAT, so lets be realistic that is £60,000 is a LOT of money for a Turbo kit, some shocks & springs and tyres. I also can't be the only one that HATES that companies like Twisted are taking the only affordable 4x4 in the UK and turning it into a handbag fashion accessory for the rich and gormless. Making them even less attainable for people who don't have their pockets and bank accounts lined with silver.
Them indentations on the leather grab handle, need cutting and capping, for access and would be equally aesthetic 👌
They are woefully underpowered but I guess you could say they are built to a price. I suspect they will turn to the Ineos Grenadier and pimp the engine etc. As for the twisted Defender if I could afford one I would have one.
When it comes to insuring one of these or a Landy, how would you go about it? Modified insurance and you have to declare every mod or are the insurers aware of Twisted and what they do?
I personally love that nugget. But if you pull up to a Gwagon and they notice that this obviously isnt a normal Jimney but dont know that it still only has 160HP its a bit embarrassing.
So personally I'd remove the twisted logo and go a bit more ultilitarian but silently enjoy the added HP.
Another Enjoyable Review Johnny, i think i would be grinning every gear change when it goes petcheooo....😂
My 2023 Jimny GL came with heated front seat straight from the factory. It will ne nice this coming winter😁
I'm in Canada. Jimny would be the perfect vehicle for this country. I'd give anything to have one if they would just bring them here somehow. This version however looks amazing. I would just forgo allot of the leather since I'd love to us it for camping.
I love his enthusiasm about the car