Ignis: What to expect in Maruti’s car for millenials
Now pushing middle-age, the country’s largest car-maker, Maruti Suzuki, is wooing the energy of youth – and its money. And with the Ignis, it will formally drop the “daddy’s car” guise, and even released a Twitter emoji for #IGNIS, aimed at its target audience — the millennials.
The premium urban compact Ignis is due for launch on Friday. Here are five things you need to know about the car in which Maruti’s hopes will ride this year.
The Ignis looks like a cooler NRI cousin of the WagonR, more aggressive with a powerful stance, beefy muscles on the sides and confident straight strokes all screaming: “I want to be an SUV!” The Suzuki stylists have delivered a vehicle that can squarely take on the blockbuster Renault Kwid and the Mahindra KUV100.
Ignis is based on a new platform, but is powered by the same engines that do duty in the Swift and the Baleno — the 1,197cc VVT petrol (82PS @6,000 rpm and 113 Nm @4,200 rpm, returning mileage of 20.89 kmpl) and the 1,248cc DDiS diesel (75PS @4,000rpm and 190 Nm @2,000 rpm; 26.80kmpl).
The Millenials can’t be bothered with a gear lever. The Ignis will come in automatic manual transmission (AMT) variants as well, at least in the mid-range. The range is: Sigma -- petrol manual only; Delta and Zeta – petrol and diesel in both manual and AMT; and Alpha – petrol and diesel manual only. New safety norms come into effect later this year. All variants of Ignis will sport ABS with EBD (electronic brakeforce distribution) for better braking control at high speeds. It also has ISOFIX seat anchorage — a child seat restraint — and other safety features akin to the Baleno. This is the crucial bit reserved for Friday, but an anticipated ₹5 lakh price tag for the base trim would make the Ignis the most affordable offering to emerge from the premium Nexa showrooms.
For Maruti lovers, Ignis will be a younger and more attractive option to the Swift apart from the Baleno. If the top trim demands anything much over ₹7 lakh, the Vitara Brezza may also see some steer-aways.