- Doors and Seats
5 doors, 5 seats
- Engine
1.2i, 4 cyl.
- Engine Power
66kW, 120Nm
- Fuel
Petrol (91) 4.9L/100KM
- Manufacturer
FWD
- Transmission
Auto (CVT)
- Warranty
3 Yr, 100000 KMs
- Ancap Safety
NA
2017 Suzuki Ignis first drive review
It takes a lot to stand out from the crowd in the compact car world.
But Suzuki might be onto something with the new Ignis, a city car with a point of design difference few rivals can match.
Suzuki has revived the Ignis name and applied it to what it calls a "light SUV" to sit alongside the Swift in a two-pronged light car approach for the brand.
Style is core to the Ignis' appeal. Following in the footsteps of the larger Vitara, the Ignis offers a range of dress-up trims for the grille, fog light bezels, and alloy wheels in white, orange, or blue plus mirror caps in white, orange, blue, red or black to allow customers to design an Ignis that is uniquely theirs.
The same goes inside, where the Ignis wears bold white dash and door trim highlights over black trim, plus highlights in titanium or orange depending on the exterior colour, and further blue or red dress up accessory parts for the door pulls, centre console and air vents surrounds - something few cars at this price point offer.
The effect is mix-and-match style like you'd find in a Mini, but at a fraction of the price. As all parts are dealer-fitted, rather than built on the production line, a customised Ignis can be yours in a matter of weeks instead of the months required waiting for a car to be shipped from the factory.
Its cabin is fresh and funky and interior space is quite generous. The tall roof makes for plenty of available headroom, though taller passengers do need to duck on their way in, to clear the door aperture. The Ignis isn't exactly wide though, putting front seat passengers within intimate proximity of each other.
That's not bad for a light hatch that starts from $15,990 plus on-road costs.
Suzuki has kept the Ignis range simple. There are just two models, the entry level GL with a choice of five-speed manual or CVT automatic (a $1000 option0, or the upscale GLX only available with the CVT automatic.
The Ignis GL offers standard fabric seat trim, cruise control with speed limiter, leather-wrapped steering wheel, halogen headlights and fog lights, and 15-inch steel wheels with full wheel covers.
Move up to the Ignis GLX and equipment includes keyless entry and start, electronic climate control, LED headlights, privacy glass, a height-adjustable driver's seat and 16-inch alloy wheels.
All Ignis models come standard with an 8.0-inch touchscreen with standard satellite navigation including Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, and Bluetooth phone and audio with four speaker sound on the GL and six speakers for GLX. Suzuki's warranty extends to three years or 100,000 kilometres of use.
Safety equipment includes six airbags, electronic stability and traction control, hill hold assist (for CVT models), front seatbelt pretensioners, rear-view camera, and breakaway pedals in the event of an accident. Autonomous braking is not yet offered either standard or as an option.
Curiously, the GLX has just two seats in the back, while the entry-level GX offers seating for three (no doubt uncomfortable) rear passengers.
Both are powered by the same 1.2-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, one that makes a modest 66kW of power and 120Nm of torque.
That sounds a little weedy until you factor in the Suzuki's miniscule 820 kilogram weight - a genuine selling point compared to light hatches that usually tip the scales closer to one tonne.
This is a light hatch that can keep up with cut-and-thrust city traffic, accelerating happily to 60km/h without feeling tardy. Suzuki's CVT automatic was the only transmission available at launch, exhibiting droning sounds typical of the breed at full throttle.
Less aggressive driving suit the Ignis better, with the gearbox able to sort itself out among quite low levels of engine and road noise all the way to freeway speeds where tyre noise becomes noticeable.
Suzuki's reputation for building fine handling chassis' hasn't missed the Ignis either, and despite its somewhat tall and narrow stance, the Ignis holds the road well, blotting out all but the biggest imperfections in the road surface while cornering eagerly.
Out of town mid corner bumps resulted in rack rattle and steering wheel kickback - but given that the Ignis is more likely to spend its time in urban settings it's a handling compromise that's easy to forgive.
Suzuki is to be given credit for creating the Ignis - its light car range is already quite full with Swift and Baleno in Australia, to say nothing of its small SUV range which includes Vitara, S-Cross, and Jimny, but light SUVs are a fairly unusual concept to the point where the Ignis has no direct competitor.
There's a very real chance that as buyers turn away from traditional hatchbacks, Suzuki will have a future hit on its hands - but more than just its SUV looks, the Ignis will delight with cool styling, a range of personalisation options, and a comfy and well built interior.
Match that with decent handling, and Suzuki's reputation for hard-wearing quality and the sensibly priced and well featured Ignis should lure plenty of value-focussed buyers looking for an added dose of style and practicality compared to your average light hatchback.
2017 Suzuki Ignis pricing and specifications
Price: $15,990-$18,900 plus on-road costs
Engine: 1.2 litre 4cyl petrol
Power: 66kW at 6000rpm
Torque: 120Nm at 4400rpm
Transmission: Five-speed manual or CVT auto, front-wheel-drive
Fuel Use: 4.7-4.9L/100km