What comes standard and what should I fit after-market?

Hi there

Absolute beginner here. I live in Auckland and am considering joining a 4x4 club with my son as a father-son bonding thing
I am in two minds about either buying a SWB 4x4 and use and external tent or purchase a LWB 4x4 and sleep in the back.

Anyway - if I do go with the SWB 4x4 I have decided that a Jimny-Manual-Petrol is the vehicle I want.

So as you can guess I am doing LOTS of research ... and what I have found is that in order to be effective a 4x4 vehicle needs the following:

1] Good clearance
2] Good approach and departure angles
4] Hi-Lo range
5] Lockable hubs (rear vs front is debatable - some suggest having both)

So I believe that the Jimny has the first 4 as stock (I am open to correction on this) ... but I am not sure if point 5 is something I need to have done after-the-fact? I tried to Google it but all the results talk about "Locking diffs" .. and I can't seem to find a straight answer about hubs vs diffs. Basically there needs to be way to A] Send power to both axles but keep the wheels on either axle turning independently (aka 4WD) and B] When needed - Make sure that the wheels on any particular axle are locked together so that they turn at the same rotation (Lockable hubs? -- need to be fitted after-market) - and then turn this off again when out of trouble and continue on my way - but stay in 4WD

Sorry if I am not explaining it properly

Any help will be appreciated.

Thanks

welcome to the forum

The Jimny comes with locking front hubs, which part-time 4wd vehicles (like the Jimny and series land rovers) use to engage their front wheels when in 4wd mode.

The Jimny doesn't come with locking diffs, which force each wheel on an axle to rotate at the same speed, preventing you from being cross-axled with one wheel spinning uselessly in the air while the other side doesn't move.

Hello there and welcome.
I think you'll find the Jimny is a competent vehicle enough to get in and just do it.

If you desire a no-compromise off-road vehicle which has got it all and much more than that, then the only things available a a factory standard issue are Mercedes G class and Jeep Wrangler Rubicon. There is also Toyota Land Cruiser 70 SWB with both lockable differentials, but (as far as I know) those are available only to desert sheiks (literally - only in the Arab peninsula).
All of these vehicles, if in good condition, cost like a nice little village house.

Jimny is not far away from those three regarding off road capability, and can be upgraded (at a significant cost) to match them. Regarding pure robustness and quality, well, it can never match them. But it costs 5-30 times less to buy.

If you come to the point of buying a Jimny, read this wiki article first .

The 70 series cruisers are available in a wide range of models. Troopers, pickups and others versions. Both long and short wheelbase. But lwb is by far the most common.

Still very popular in Australia, Asia and the middle East. Not long ago I saw a newer model here in Denmark, ready to be shipped to Greenland.

LC 70 series are massively popular in Australia, and also across the whole of Africa. I'm sure they'll be easily available in New Zealand too. Note that it (surprisingly) does not have diff-lock as standard in a lot of the markets in which it is sold.

But if you're just after an introductory 4x4 to have a bit of fun in and in which to learn a lot, the a Jimny would fit the bill. Go with what Kirkynut said, in the following order (1) bigger tyres, (2) suspension lift, (3) lower ratio transfer box. Everything else can come after these three items once you've got a better feel for things. Diff lock at too early a stage can also impede the progress of your learning, as it makes a lot of things too easy. Learn how to get past things with open diffs first!

I see that you never included Pajero in that list. Was that on purpose? I only ask because that has been recommend to me too. Thanks

The pajero is very much like the land cruiser Prado and other more civilized 4x4s with independent front suspension and drives more or less like a normal car. Pajero just doesn't have the reputation of toughness and quality that land cruisers do.

You could probably call the Pajero a hairdressers 4x4

A standard Jimny with slightly larger 215/75r15 tyres and a rear diff locker is a match for any 4x4 on the market. The downside of a Suzuki is always their lack of clearance in deep ruts. But normally on Australian trails there is a 'Suzuki line'- a route around a tough obstacle that favours the small size and nimbleness of a Suzuki, where other 4x4s simply don't fit. I had a GQ Patrol in Oz, but if I was to spend time over there again I would definitely be getting a Jimny.