A second Jimny Gathering was always going to be on the cards, as the 2023 gathering was nothing less than spectacular in mountainous Clarens. Let’s just be honest for a second, we all knew how popular the Jimny community was with the little 4×4 booming in SA since its launch in 2018. The little Suzuki saw waiting lists of several months stacking dealers’ desks across the country, with demand immediately outstripping supply, with the first 174 units sold in their opening month alone. We saw it coming, but we didn’t fathom the sheer size and support. Everyone bought into the hype, the communities joined forces, and the massive numbers in sales definitely highlighted the volumes of Jimny faithful, but none of us thought that the lifestyle around the vehicle would bring so many Jimny fans and Jimnys to one place.
From what we understand, the Jimny Gathering will now become a regular fixture, taking place every second year at a new venue in South Africa.
Another year, another venue and another record under the belt, the Jimny gathering never disappoints! This year’s event took place closer to the coast, but in typical Jimny fashion, it had to be up in the hills, so Louvain Guest Farm in the Western Cape was the place to meet. The weekend revolved around good music, the Springboks battling against Argentina, off-roading, a Jimny Pageant, another record attempt, and a gathering of old, new, three and five-door Jimnys—showcasing how a vehicle can bring people from all walks of life and ages together.
If you drive a Jimny, you know the journey of getting to the place is just as important, and that’s where the Jimny migration comes in. Before the event had begun, the migration was the little starter, before the mains. The migration saw Jimnys from all over the country meeting up and driving together or passing each other by on the way to the main event. This year, we joined in parts of the migration from Gauteng to Gariep Dam and from Gariep to Louvain.
The Forever Resort at the Gariep Dam was the perfect stopover for those heading down from Gauteng to George. Suzuki Auto South Africa looked after their supporters by making space available at the resort, just a mere 180 km south of Bloemfontein. The resort has a spectacular dam view, whether you opt for the camping option or the chalets. We estimated roughly 300 Jimnys staying overnight at the resort, and around 80 odd drove in a convoy the next day. For us, it went as follows: leave ‘GP’ on Thursday, drive from Gariep on Friday to Louvain for the weekend, and on Monday, the reverse of Thursday and Friday. Two awesome venues, plenty of fun in between and great memories created with close friends on the open road, and this isn’t even the Gathering part of it all.
Pulling into Lovain on the Friday saw the new location welcome over a thousand Jimnys to a spread-out numbered campsite, featuring the Tiger Wheel & Tyre Fitment and Tyre Repair Centre, a Checkers Outdoor pop-up shop, all the heritage Jimny models, new OEM parts were on show and a fully stocked merchandise store filled with Jimny Gathering and Jimny clothing and accessories. Meredith wasted no time diving in with her own funds to collect a few thousand rands worth of merch. The merch store almost sold out every single day, which goes to show that we, Suzuki and Jimny fans, want to connect and live the brand, so I hope we get to see dealers soon stock more of the merch seen at the gathering.
Suzuki’s motorcycle division was also at the event in force, helping out at the 4×4 course, merch store, and pop-up motorcycle showcases were seen grabbing attention at the Safari Town Festival and at the start line of the 4×4 course. We tagged along with the boys on the road and during the gathering. The amazing hospitality shown by the motorcycle and Auto divisions really enhanced our experience this year at the event. There’s just something about lifestyle vehicles and the Suzuki way of life that makes perfect sense.
Not only was this year’s gathering different, but so too was our Jimny. As our readers will have followed over the past 12 months, we’ve stepped out of our ZA Bikers three-door and into our five-door, working with some new partners and some of our old ones have joined for the new Journey with our jungle green ZA Lifestyle five-door Jimny project. Partnering up with us this year for our OEM-Plus inspired project is Front Runner, Liqui Moly, Takla Products, General Tire and Empire Graphics. Being enthusiasts and passionate about the brands we work with, we parked the Jimny at campsite 2 with the Front Runner team, erected our rooftop tent, rolled out our Easy-Out Awning, laid out some products and opened up the doors to get chatting to the public.
Takla products and General Tire have been with us since the start of our three-door build, heading into the 2023 Jimny gathering. Nowadays, every second or third Jimny that drives by has a set of Generals and, in particular, our favourites, the Grabber AT3. Over many kilometres, trips across borders and off the beaten path, the Grabber AT3 has been a fantastic do-it-all tyre for what we’ve needed over the past two years. We’ve waxed lyrical over them on our page across many articles, so for more information, READ HERE.
Hands down, our favourite interior protection specialists that have to be mentioned are Takla Products. We’ve put our Takla seat covers ‘properly’ to the test; camera equipment, motorcycle parts, dogs, the Morton family and every dusty and muddy trip… To say they have stood the test of time is an understatement. The truth is that the covers still look close to brand new. This is because of the high-quality fabrics and workmanship that we’ve come to expect from the team at Takla products—you guys rock!
The reason we keep going back is because they support every customer with the utmost professionalism, their after-sales support is fantastic, and you have freedom of expression with most of their designs being semi-customisable when it comes to extra pockets, holders, personalised embroidery and your colour of choice when it comes to stitching. If you are looking for rugged interior protection that looks and feels luxurious, we highly recommend paying them a visit.
Liqui Moly South Africa was with us at the inaugural Jimny Gathering in 2023, showcasing their massive range of Car Care products, which was well received by the Jimny faithful. This year, we took a few unique and new products that Liqui Moly had to offer, demoing their Scratch Stop, Waterless Detailer, Multi-Purpose Surface Cleaner (the old Super K) and a host of scented Windshield Cleaners. Liqui Moly was also generous to hand us some samples to hand out and some merch for all the ‘LM’ fans that we bumped into at the gathering.
I know what you’re thinking: it’s a 4×4, why bother cleaning it? It looks cool when full of mud… Yes, but then if you’re camping, do you really want to be getting dirty every time you grab something out of the car or finding dust all over your food prep station by slamming a dusty door? Yeah, it’s a definite no from me! The Waterless Detailer was a surprise for most because you don’t need to wash your car to use it if it’s just got a light coat of dust on it. We had our Jimny cleaned before arriving, so the detailer was sprayed over the dust and wiped off with a microfiber cloth. Waterless detailers are phenomenal products, but need to be used out of direct sunlight and not left to dry. It’s a product that I personally use on my motorcycles, bicycles and on our cars too.
For the sticky cup holders, door plastics and even our shoes, we cracked out Multi-Purpose Surface Cleaner. It’s a convenient bottle to have stored in the glove compartment, in the kitchen or, like us, on a camping trip, as it just has so many purposes.
The Windshield Foam Cleaner wasn’t used at the gathering much, but definitely on the way there and back home, helping dissolve road grime and to help remove a couple of thousand bugs we collected on the way down. What’s nice about this cleaner is that the overspray isn’t harmful to rubber, paint or plastics.
Our micro-overlanding rig was more of a glamping set-up than camping. Front Runner really went to town on our Jimny, kitting us with the following accessories:
- Slimline II Roof Rack Kit / R13,375
- Ladder / R1,360
- Front Runner Roof Top Tent / R15,399
- Easy-Out Awning / R5,026
- Pro Stainless Steel Camping Table Kit / R6,033
- Pro Water Tank with mounting system / R1,119
- Drop Down Table / R2,706
- Rack-Mounted Bottle Opener / R57
- Expander Camping Chair / R1,360
Total Cost = R46,435
If you aren’t a regular camper or overlander, these prices won’t mean much, but for the folks that do, 46k is a drop in the ocean for all these premium accessories. When factoring in what a top-of-the-range rooftop tent or bottom-of-the-range camping trailer costs, it’s a bargain; it’s more like double the number we are looking at here. With Front Runner, you can tailor your ideal setup, especially when factoring in that they have over 55 different items that you could fit on the roof rack. When camping for a long time over a few nights or weeks, as many people do, practicality and easy setup slash breakdown are key, and that is exactly what you get from Front Runner.
The fact that you can drive a brand-new Jimny off the showroom floor with Front Runner accessories is a huge score. Suzuki Auto South Africa is picky when it comes to approving accessories, but with Front Runner being on the list, you need not stress no more, especially when the Roof Rack and Ladder get packaged into the deal and financed through your local Suzuki dealer when purchasing a brand new Jimny. Think about it this way: now the foundations of your blank canvas Jimny are ready for the ultimate setup from day one.
Our setup, even parked next to the seriously rigged-out Front Runner vehicles, stood out as being well thought out and practical for a weekend away, without going over the top. Getting fully set up, awning out, tent up, table, chairs, and braai takes just over 20 minutes with good practice, and tidying up takes 5 minutes longer. Having a well-set-up micro overlander, in my opinion, is just as good as glamping at some of the best stays in the country. For a more in-depth read on our setup, read our prepping for the gathering article HERE.
Before we knew it, we were shutting our doors for an official Guinness World Record of the most doors shut simultaneously, but also to an amazing time spent with like-minded Jimny enthusiasts and great friends. The official numbers were 1127 Jimnys and 1838 doors closing at once! The rest of the day was spent at the Safari Town with great artist line-ups, good food and great vibes as we wrapped up another fantastic Jimny Gathering.
A word of thanks must go out to Suzuki Auto South Africa for organising such a well-laid-out and fun event. You can count us in for the next one!
