A $60,000 Suzuki Jimny Sounds A Little Twisted

Twisted Automotive has announced that it plans to launch a Suzuki Jimny. The UK-based firm is known for producing bonkers old-school Defender models over its 21-year history, and the Jimny is now the second model for which a full conversion is available.

Unfortunately, not much is known about the conversion yet. Instead, Twisted’s founder and managing director announced a sort of wish list via a quote.

“A Jimny from Twisted will have more engaging handling and power delivery, utilizing our Twisted wheel and tire package along with honed progressive suspension. It will benefit from extensive soundproofing, an upgraded media interface, audio system, and our signature custom interior,” said Charles Fawcett.

We know the standard Jimny’s specs quite well, however. The 2,447-pound tiny off-roader is powered by a naturally aspirated 1.5-liter four-cylinder, producing 101 horsepower and 96 lb-ft of torque. It’s equipped with a five-speed manual and a part-time four-wheel-drive system with low range. Think of it as a Wrangler, but roughly 40% smaller and without differential locks.

Reading the above, you might have noticed a problem. While the Jimny’s off-road prowess is legendary, it’s annoyingly slow. The car doesn’t weigh much, but it does have the aerodynamic efficiency of a brick. Keeping it at 70 mph is a chore, and you wouldn’t want to anyway because the off-road tuned suspension is sloppy at best on tarmac.

Twisted may have plans to hone the suspension and upgrade the interior, but it doesn’t mention performance. The last thing a Jimny needs is more weight, which is why we’ve called most tuned models rubbish in the past.