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Ibishu Hopper

'It comes standard with 4-wheel drive and is very capable off-road, even without any modifications.'
- Gabester

Originating from the videogame BeamNG.Drive, the Ibishu Hopper is an overseas compact offroader that has its roots all the way back to the Second World War. Once a robust island hopper for the Japanese military for quick reconnaissance and light personnel transport, it has since morphed into a very capable SUV that while simple, is far more feature packed than any other vehicle of its price bracket.

The Ibishu Hopper released in 1989 in the United States, and while its name takes after its island hopping pedigree, the American audience interpreted it to relate to its notoriously stiff suspension, giving it the impression of it 'hopping' over seemingly any bump or rock at a high enough speed. Despite this naturally uncomfortable feature of the vehicle however, it was very successful at infiltrating the American market solely due to its reliability, competitive pricing, and just the sheer versatile nature the car could perform. As one would say, 'It's like a Covet on stilts.'


The best-selling of the Hopper fleet, namely coming from its cheaper models that it first offered. Only a 2.5L I4 was initially offered back in '89 for the offroader, but this soon expanded to a larger 4.0L I6 starting in 1991 afterwards. Depending if you were going to be using it as a daily driver or a backwoods beater, chances are you were gonna end up with one of the two engines and/or models.

XT: A relatively bare-bones option from its fleet. You got the general 4x4 Hopper bodyframe, four wheels, a tarped roof, engine, and that's about it. Despite appearing nearly unchanged from its fifty year old ancestor, it was nowhere near ill-equipped as what it once was. You still got an A/C, radio, and a complimentary spare tyre straight off the lot that it made perfect sense why it was a no-brainer for most outdoor enthusiasts to gravitate towards this particular model.

LXT: A slightly more premium option, mostly stemming from its hardtop roof and standard ABS that made it a bit more of a nicer driving experience. Nothing changes between the two too much, and as a result the price hike compared to its tarped counterpart is so negligible that its hardly much of a 'premium' upgrade for buyers. Still, it was a much better option than the alternative if you were planning to drive it through the winter months as well.


The newer, and more specifically designed models of the Hopper fleet to be more catered towards American buyers as its production cycle went on through the early 90s. These involved two special editions, and a brand new stock option that was intended to be its flagship option from its entire lineup. As a result however, these were far pricier, and a bit too new for Kentucky's standards to see any real road use.

Dune Edition: A unique Hopper variant, tuned towards desert trailblazing and dune jumps that it would likely never actually see in the contiguous U.S., but it sold well regardless by sporting a unique, Gulf War-esque paint and tarp combo that it just looked too cool not to buy.

Sport Special: An alternative variant, though the meaning of 'sport' was left a little loose since it was still massively lifted off the ground, just that it now had more power under the hood to absolutely tear up wherever it could so much as be. This one was easily recognisable from its signature teal body stripe and white tarp cover. And if you ever saw this on the roads, you knew you were going to eat its dirt if you were ever face to face with it.

ZXT: Brand new for its 1994 model year, the ZXT was Ibishu's flagship stock model from the Hopper's lineup. Featuring a slightly facelifted design, locking diffs, and a raised ride height, it made for the ultimate Hopper that money could reasonably buy for the time. Even for as short a time as it was on the market, anyway.


Although not actually offered by Ibishu first-hand, some government jurisdictions took it upon themselves to modify the Japanese SUV in order to be used for some of the more demanding rural work that American automakers couldn't really match at an affordable price. Ironic, I know.

Sheriff Model: A pretty straightforward law enforcement model, excellent for rural back-country patrols or pursuits if its absolutely necessary. It's also a surprisingly great pit vehicle given its small, but well balanced chassis that it barely even needs a pushbar in the first place. It's only real con was that there was nowhere to put a detainee partition inside of the vehicle, but chances are whoever this vehicle was going to be pulling over was just going to be given a slap on the wrist for a drinking and driving violation in some middle of nowhere, forgettable county anyway.

Ranger Model: Unsurprisingly, the Hopper saw a pretty widespread use amongst the many national parks and preserves in the United States, typically being just a retrofitted LXT-4 with raised suspension and all-terrain tyres. Despite how little of a change that really is though, it basically makes it the ultimate offroading machine, even with its stock I4 propelling it to reroute would-be hikers from going off the beaten trail.

Workshop ID: 3296765978
Mod ID: IbishuHopper