4th Gen off-roader from the house of Suzuki (Maruti Suzuki in India), Jimny, has been a very desirable product across the world. This 4X4 is not only appreciated by general consensus, it is a desirable product for many special applications as well. In Italy, Jimny currently serves for the Military Police and just recently, special applications have been extended to include Forest Patrolling.
Love for Jimny among Italian Government officials is a little more profound. In 2019, 10 units of Suzuki Jimny were inducted into Italian Military Police, the Carabinieri. These were all top-spec variants and got custom Arma Blue and White dual-tone paint schemes along with custom lights from Focaccia Group and other custom equipment.
Jimny was touted to be a perfect choice for narrow roads and uphill pathways by the Carabinieri. Up until now, at least a hundred Suzuki Jimny serve the Italian Government among Italian Army, Police Forces and various local Corporations.
Recently, in Italy’s Abruzzo region, as many as four Suzuki Jimny vehicles have been inducted into Forest Patrol Services. Unlike the Military Police vehicles inducted in 2019, the new FOrest Patrol vehicles seem to be base variants with steel wheels. They get Black shade with white contrasting roof.
We can see Carabinieri stickers and “Comando Unità Forestali Ambientali e agroalimentari Carabinieri” logo. It gets custom elements adhering to technical needs of Forest Department including specific lighting, warning lights and other protection. The same 102 bhp K15B 1.5L NA Petrol engine with 4X4 transfer case does duty in this vehicle.
These four Jimny will be used by the Carabinieri in surveillance and conservation work at Maiella National Park in Italy’s Abruzzo region. These 4X4 off-roaders are are set to patrol around 75,000 hectares of Maiella National Park. Short length, small turning radius and 4X4 capabilities are notable attributes that match needs of a Forest Patrol vehicle.
Mixing cutesy appeal, tiny proportions and genuine off-road capability, Jimny has found a home with many lifestyle vehicle enthusiasts across the world. Manufactured in India and Japan, Maruti Suzuki handles most of the exports for both 3-Door Jimny and 5-Door Jimny XL (sold as ‘Jimny’ in India) shipped across many continents.
In the old continent (Europe), Jimny is only on sale in a 3-Door guise and is a very popular product in lifestyle adventure genre. Baby G-Class looks have worked in the car’s favour and is a hot favourite among enthusiasts. In India, we only get the 5-Door variant which is used for jungle safari applications too.
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