I recently bought a trailer to tow behind the Jimny, after a lot of research (well didn’t find much…) I decided to get a trailer built locally in South Africa.
I spent a lot of time researching what was needed for a trailer to tow behind a Jimny. The elephant in the room is the Jimny’s tow rating, which is a massive 350kgs. This eliminates pretty much all the trailers available on the market in South Africa, so custom built is the way to go. That being said the manufacturers tow rating is 350kg but the legal towing limit for the Jimny in South Africa is half the weight of the vehicle (unbraked).
1. On Road Towing
The car tow the trailer pretty well, on the flats and downhills. When it comes to the uphills the Jimny does battle a bit, but not as bad as you would expect with the additional 250kgs or so on the back. I was very shocked by this and must say it beats having a tent on the roof.
2. Off-Road Towing
The most asked question is about the handling off-road and the biggest issue with towing a trailer is the Jimny’s lack of power. The trailer handles well off-road, there is a lot of changes you will have to make with your driving when towing with the Jimny.
Sanding Driving
If the car had slightly more power this wouldn’t be an issue at all, but the Zook battles when towing in soft sand. The car just seems to battle a tiny bit but not something that would stop me from towing.
Steep Hills
The brakes on the car, are definitely under strain when towing down steep hills. If you do a lot of steep hill, you will manage with a trailer in tow but a braked option would be best.
General Offroad
Forgot the trailer was there for the most part, but bear in mind the trailer set up I have is very light and weighs under 300kgs when packed. The car handled very well on corrugated roads, and with the right tyre pressure you can barely feel the trailer. The best part is that you can unhitch the trailer and go wheeling in an empty car. 🙂
3. Fuel Economy & Drivability
A trailer behind a Zook is a game changer! There is so much room for activities. 🙂 Having that extra space in the trailer for all the camping gear, allowed me to get everything off the roof of the car and drastically improved the fuel economy and drivability.
Without a trailer in tow, I manage 11km/l (no camping gear), with a trailer I was getting between 10 – 10.5km/l. The most interesting part of this is when you compare this the the Jimny with a Rooftop Tent. The Jimny was doing 8-9km/l, with a rooftop tent, so if you are thinking of getting a trailer for your tent do it.
The drivability, is drastically improved compared to a Jimny with a Rooftop tent on the roof. The cross winds are much easier to drive in, the trailer does sway a tiny bit but nothing too hectic.
