From Bush Tracks to Big Plans – The Story Behind Mega Jimny

What started as a passion project with a trusty JB43 named Bill has grown into one of Australia’s most loved Jimny-focused brands. In this exclusive Q&A, we chat with Nick from Mega Jimny, a business born out of curiosity, community, and a deep respect for the quirky charm of the Suzuki Jimny.

From designing their own gear and sharing customer campfire stories, to being recognised in a Japanese car park halfway across the world… this is a behind-the-scenes look at what fuels the team at Mega Jimny, what sets them apart, and where they’re heading next.

Tell us a bit about the story behind Mega Jimny. How did it all begin?

Mega Jimny unofficially began in late 2020. it started as just a passion project at first, in the pursuit of trying to always learn new things. At the time, we had a JB43 which was affectantly named ‘Bill’. When we took Bill out, it would always conquer whatever obstacle it came across and my mates would always call it the Mega Jimny!

I guess the name stuck.

Why the Jimny? What drew you to focus on this little 4×4 in particular?

I’ve always had a thing for Japanese cars since being very young. Like many, mainly in part due to the Fast and Furious movies. But over time, something drew me into the more quirky JDM cars. A squared off, tiny 4×4 that has a history spanning back to the early 70’s with a cult following? Doesn’t get more quirky than that! 

But something drew me to the new JB74 Jimny platform like a moth to a streetlight. Back in 2020, JB74 mods were still very much in their infancy. Other shops weren’t really doing all they could to meet the demand, or maybe the Jimny platform was overlooked. Regardless, we always thought we could do better and Mega Jimny was born.

What does the Jimny community mean to you? Has it influenced how you run your business?

The community is what makes a Jimny, a Jimny. The Jimny community is one of those things that in my opinion, isn’t seen or replicated in basically any other car community in such a good way. Jimny owners are proud, and their cars are often a direct extension of their personality. 

I think having such a strong community aspect around Jimny’s is crucial to us. Our customers aren’t just numbers on an excel spreadsheet, they’re people who love all the same things we do. We love hearing first-hand stories from customers about how happy they are with their Jimny, we love seeing the various community get-togethers. We love seeing new friendships spring up because of mutual Jimny ownership and we love it when a pack of Jimny’s show up to our warehouse. It’s the #1 thing in our world!

You’ve got an extensive range of parts and accessories, how do you decide what makes the cut?

It’s simple – Quality over quantity. 

I’m sure you’ve seen it already, countless other shops that sell thousands of products. We spend a lot of time making sure the mods we have available are mods that are 

a) Are great quality, first and foremost.
b) We’d actually put on our own Jimny’s (and oftentimes we do just that).

Yes, we’re not the biggest shop in terms of sheer product listings, but I don’t think we need to be.

Are there any products you’re especially proud of or that customers keep coming back for?

We’ve got a few products that we love, but the one product that myself and the team are super proud of the most is our new MG-X Dual layered rear table. In a nutshell, it’s this double layered tailgate drop down table that is not only super durable (can hold nearly 100kg!), but it’s super functional as well. It took myself and the team nearly 500 combined hours to design it. We made 9 or 10 different prototypes until we got it juuuust right. 

Do you have a favourite type of Jimny build? Mild and practical, or wild and off-the-wall?

I think my favourite type of Jimny build is the more mild and practical one. Yes, having 31’s and 4″ lift kit is cool, but owners of those wild Jimny’s often won’t tell you how many things break when running that setup constantly.  In my opinion, a 2″ lift with 235’s is the sweet spot. Throw in a bunch of integrated features like an onboard lithium battery setup, air compressor and basic camping gear and you’ve basically ticked every box. 

But let’s not talk about the JDM Jimny scene, those guys kick it out of the park with their styling. It’s incredible! 

What’s a typical day like for the Mega Jimny team? Who’s involved behind the scenes?

Well, we get in at around 7:30am to start packing & dispatching orders from the day/night prior so we can get ahead before we officially open at 9am. But once that time comes, then so do the phone calls!

I’d say after that, it’s just basic business things such as emails, calls, invoices, getting content, brainstorming new ideas!

A perfect day would also include going out to the bush to get some content, although those types of days are getting harder and harder to do! 

Any moments that stand out as milestones or big “wow” moments for the business?

This is really random, but when we were in Japan for the Jimny Sunlight event back in June. The event had passed and a few days later I was visiting a famous car meeting spot (Daikoku PA) on a Saturday night. My biggest ‘wow’ moment was when a Japanese man approached me, and told me he recognised me from our Instagram and how he loves what we do and that he owned a JB64 Jimny. It was such a small interaction that many wouldn’t think too much about, but being recognised in a foreign country definitely was that moment for me.  

What do you think makes Mega Jimny different from other stores out there?

I feel like basically every other Jimny shop here (not including those in Asia & Japan) don’t seem to be really passionate about Jimny’s. Whereas with us, we live and breathe these little cars. We only focus on them and them only – whereas a lot of other shops may sell parts for other platforms or are just happy to shove the ‘Buy Now’ button down customers’ throats. It shouldn’t be like that, the customer is meant to enjoy their buying experience – from the first time they hop on our website to as soon as their new mod arrives and is fitted. It should always be positive. 

What trends are you seeing in the Jimny scene, and how is Mega Jimny adapting to them?

To be honest, I’m starting to see more ‘Japanese’ style Jimny builds start to be done here. More colour coded grilles and guards, more white APIO wheels etc. We’re always in talks with those companies about supplying their gear here but the only issue is how expensive it can get compared to the alternative.

Any exciting projects or goals you’re working towards in the next year or two?

Funny you say that, we’re actually doing something huge that hasn’t been done here before and I think it’s long overdue for our business. It’s a very expensive endeavour, so I don’t want to spill too many beans, but depending on when this gets published, it may or may have been announced yet! 

If someone’s just getting started modifying their Jimny, what’s the one bit of advice you’d give them?

Go. Slow. I’m probably the worst salesman ever, I always advise my customers to do one mod at a time and go from there. Take your stock Jimny off-roading first, and experience it for how it is. After you’re done, do you think your experience would be better if you had, just say a snorkel fitted? No worries, let’s do that first. It’s also much more fun to modify things over a longer period, rather than all at once. It gives you something to look forward to!

Have you had any unexpected stories from customers? Weird builds, unusual requests?

Actually, it’s not a weird or odd request, but around 6 months ago we had a customer come via Taxi to pick up some Jimny gear. It was A LOT of stuff, Roof racks, Snorkel, Exhaust system etc. At the time, I thought maybe his Jimny was being serviced, or he had one on order. Turns out, he was actually headed straight to the Airport to take all this gear back with him to Dubai! I asked him if he was aware that he would be charged an absolute fortune to put this stuff on the plane, but he said he doesn’t think so. I always wonder how he went! 

What’s the most memorable adventure you’ve had in a Jimny. The kind of story you always end up telling mates around the campfire?

It would definitely have been the time we got our JB74 beached on a deep rut, which of course, definitely wasn’t that deep before going into it. Usually that’s not entirely a big issue, but we were in the absolute middle of nowhere, with no reception, no recovery boards or snatch straps. Not only that, it was extremely mosquito infested. I ended up having to get on all fours and shovel out as much dirt as I could using a branch from a tree. I also had no mosquito repellent, so I literally had to rub mud all over my arms, feet and heat to stop them from getting to me. That day sucked! 

What’s the one thing that customers wouldn’t realise about what it takes to run Mega Jimny?

I think most people won’t realise that although I consider MJ to still be small, we’re very busy. Which can lead to mistakes by myself or my team. If we miss a call, or an email, it’s not on purpose. We always try our best, but of course we are still human. 

A mega shout out to Nick for taking the time in his busy schedule to take part in this interview.

I hope you enjoyed reading this and learning more about what makes them tick. Moreover, I think it’s great to discover that the people behind the brands are just as devoted to these little boxes of adventure as we are in the Jimny community!

Want more interesting stories from the businesses helping us buy and kit out our beloved 4×4? Check out how Jimny Imports is reviving the UK Jimmy scene.