A sassy ‘lil Suzuki

Ignis combines funky styling with surprisingly perky performance

SUZUKI has entered South Africa’s baby-SUV wars with its new Ignis, a little urban adventurer that is pitched against rivals like the Renault Sandero Stepway, Toyota Etios Cross and Volkswagen Cross Up.

The crossover is available here in front wheel drive only (overseas there’s also a 4wd version) but it has a raised 180mm of ground clearance making it more suited to gravel roads than the average car.

At just 3.7 metres long and 1.69 metres wide it’s a compact but surprisingly roomy vehicle with plenty of head and legroom for four passengers inside, though the narrowness has occupants prone to touching elbows.

The boot, which has a full-size spare wheel, offers a rather tight 260 litres of cargo space but it’s expandable to 469 litres with the rear seats folded.

The little Suzuki’s styled with a youthful vibe that will catch the attention of the young (or the young-at-heart) with its chunky shape and pronounced wheel arches.

The trendy theme continues inside. At this price level you’re not going to get a soft-touch dashboard but the hard plastics in the Ignis are neatly finished, and the cabin’s glammed up with appealing touches of colour. There’s twotone black and white treatment on the dashboard and doors, while the inside door grips and the centre console panels are finished in bright hues – including red, blue and titanium – depending on the exterior colour.

The Ignis is sold in three versions with a starting price of R169 900 for the entry-level GL 1.2 manual which comes standard with electric windows, remote central locking, air-conditioning, electric power steering, onboard computer, and an MP3-compatible two-speaker radio/CD sound system with USB port and 12V accessory power socket. Range-wide safety comprises dual front airbags and ABS anti-lock brakes. Continued on Page 3