Photo: Jinesh Bhaskaran via Behance
Everybody knows what a tiny house is by now (partially thanks to Elon Musk, but mostly due to the very descriptive nature of the name itself). A lot of people seem to think they are the coolest thing, ignoring the fact they have these thoughts from the comfort of their 550 square-foot living room, while a small percentage have actually made the switch to this minimalist lifestyle.
As someone who is 6'5" and has experienced life in a 320 sq. ft. mobile home with a wife and two kids (for a limited time, believe me), let me tell you it's not something everyone can enjoy, no matter how fashionable the trend is. Luckily, there are other things you can do if you're looking to downsize, and your car is probably the best place to start.
Unless you're driving something like the Mitsubishi Mirage (the Europeans have even smaller alternatives, as for the Japanese, they have their entire "Kei car" segment to choose from), there are definitely more compact vehicles you could potentially look at, if you think they could still satisfy your needs. Not even pickup owners have an excuse now that Ford launched the Maverick.
What about people looking for a different type of mobile home – one that doesn't need towing and can get across rough terrain without too much hassle? People that have been touched by the overlanding virus, yet don't want to invest in a large rig while making as few compromises in terms of functionality as possible.
Well, the good news for them is that any off-road-capable SUV can be turned into a decent-enough option with enough money and effort put into it. The bad news, however, is that no matter how much of both they'll put into their project, it probably still won't be as cool as this Suzuki Gypsy 6x6.
But the really, really bad news is that this six-wheeled classic Jimny you see here only exists on somebody's hard drive (I say "somebody," his name is Jinesh Bhaskaran), on the Internet, and now, thanks to us, deeply engraved in your brain as well. A six-wheeled Suzuki Jimny? Who are we kidding, you're probably going to dream about it tonight.
The purpose of this rig seems to be obtaining the maximum overlanding abilities with the smallest possible footprint. Sure, a regular four-wheeled Jimny was an option as well, and even though I'm sure there are plenty of people out there who use one for their outings into the wild, the short and narrow nature of the tiny SUV does pose some problems. For instance, you can probably fit a roof tent with a bit of inventive engineering, but as soon as a slightly stronger gale of wind hits, you'll find yourself teleported to the ground floor, with the vehicle asleep on its side too.
The Gypsy 6x6 does several things to solve this problem. For one thing, adding an extra axle means it's longer, so it gains some longitudinal stability. The beefier wheels and tires also make it wider, but that's something you could have added to the regular model as well. It's also heavier, making it less prone to getting bullied by everything around it.
However, the best bit of news is that, by gaining a decently-sized bed, the Gypsy 6x6 can afford to have the tent placed slightly lower than the roof, lowering its center of mass – a feature the owner will find very welcome both while off-roading (or overlanding, take your pick) and during a moderate storm at nighttime.
Some people may feel as though losing the backseat in the process of turning the Jimny into a pickup might shave off some practicality points but the way I see it, it's not like you're going to go overlanding with a bunch of people in the car anyway. A partner is all you're likely to need, and they were going to sit right next to you anyway. Sure, it's nice to have access to the bag full of chips and soda that would usually reside on the backseat without having to stop and get out of the car but think of it this way: you get an entire bed to fill with everything you desire, and you're less likely to die of coronary artery disease. Win-win, if you ask me.
Looking at Jinesh's creation, I can only find two things wrong with it. One, it could sure have used some taller sides on the bed - as it stands, it's nothing more than a pretty useless surface. I'm not entirely sure whether that's down to him not wanting to go into too much detail with the rendering or it's really how he sees the vehicle, but in my book, that's a missed opportunity.
The second issue is even more problematic than that, though. With an extra pair of wheels, it means two more tires risk getting punctured. Seeing how the rig is created to go as far away from civilization as possible, a single spare makes it feel as though you'd be living life a little on the edge. Sure, it should be able to drive on five, maybe even four wheels as long as it doesn't lose the important ones, yet I can imagine just how butt-clenching that experience would be. Overlanding is supposed to feel adventurous, but we're talking about potential trauma-inducing levels of stress here. Give it a proper bed, and you've got this problem sorted, as well as you can stack wheels in there to last a lifetime.
Unless you're driving something like the Mitsubishi Mirage (the Europeans have even smaller alternatives, as for the Japanese, they have their entire "Kei car" segment to choose from), there are definitely more compact vehicles you could potentially look at, if you think they could still satisfy your needs. Not even pickup owners have an excuse now that Ford launched the Maverick.
What about people looking for a different type of mobile home – one that doesn't need towing and can get across rough terrain without too much hassle? People that have been touched by the overlanding virus, yet don't want to invest in a large rig while making as few compromises in terms of functionality as possible.
Well, the good news for them is that any off-road-capable SUV can be turned into a decent-enough option with enough money and effort put into it. The bad news, however, is that no matter how much of both they'll put into their project, it probably still won't be as cool as this Suzuki Gypsy 6x6.
But the really, really bad news is that this six-wheeled classic Jimny you see here only exists on somebody's hard drive (I say "somebody," his name is Jinesh Bhaskaran), on the Internet, and now, thanks to us, deeply engraved in your brain as well. A six-wheeled Suzuki Jimny? Who are we kidding, you're probably going to dream about it tonight.
The purpose of this rig seems to be obtaining the maximum overlanding abilities with the smallest possible footprint. Sure, a regular four-wheeled Jimny was an option as well, and even though I'm sure there are plenty of people out there who use one for their outings into the wild, the short and narrow nature of the tiny SUV does pose some problems. For instance, you can probably fit a roof tent with a bit of inventive engineering, but as soon as a slightly stronger gale of wind hits, you'll find yourself teleported to the ground floor, with the vehicle asleep on its side too.
The Gypsy 6x6 does several things to solve this problem. For one thing, adding an extra axle means it's longer, so it gains some longitudinal stability. The beefier wheels and tires also make it wider, but that's something you could have added to the regular model as well. It's also heavier, making it less prone to getting bullied by everything around it.
However, the best bit of news is that, by gaining a decently-sized bed, the Gypsy 6x6 can afford to have the tent placed slightly lower than the roof, lowering its center of mass – a feature the owner will find very welcome both while off-roading (or overlanding, take your pick) and during a moderate storm at nighttime.
Some people may feel as though losing the backseat in the process of turning the Jimny into a pickup might shave off some practicality points but the way I see it, it's not like you're going to go overlanding with a bunch of people in the car anyway. A partner is all you're likely to need, and they were going to sit right next to you anyway. Sure, it's nice to have access to the bag full of chips and soda that would usually reside on the backseat without having to stop and get out of the car but think of it this way: you get an entire bed to fill with everything you desire, and you're less likely to die of coronary artery disease. Win-win, if you ask me.
Looking at Jinesh's creation, I can only find two things wrong with it. One, it could sure have used some taller sides on the bed - as it stands, it's nothing more than a pretty useless surface. I'm not entirely sure whether that's down to him not wanting to go into too much detail with the rendering or it's really how he sees the vehicle, but in my book, that's a missed opportunity.
The second issue is even more problematic than that, though. With an extra pair of wheels, it means two more tires risk getting punctured. Seeing how the rig is created to go as far away from civilization as possible, a single spare makes it feel as though you'd be living life a little on the edge. Sure, it should be able to drive on five, maybe even four wheels as long as it doesn't lose the important ones, yet I can imagine just how butt-clenching that experience would be. Overlanding is supposed to feel adventurous, but we're talking about potential trauma-inducing levels of stress here. Give it a proper bed, and you've got this problem sorted, as well as you can stack wheels in there to last a lifetime.
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