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Suzuki underlines its growing reputation with this funky little crossover
SUZUKI is at it again. The Japanese marque has just launched another vehicle to join its successful line-up of well-made, easy-onthe-wallet offerings. And this one is possibly one of its best.
Named after the Latin word for “fire”, the Ignis is certainly one of the best-looking budget crossovers, with a mix of cheeky styling and retro nods that sees elements like the blacked out A- and B-pillars, those C-pillar gills and clamshell bonnet doff their collective caps to the Swift, Vitara and Celerio.
There are also some funky colour schemes available on the GLX, of which the metallic red with black roof and side mirrors, and the metallic blue with white roof and side mirrors, stand out. You can also customise your Ignis with matching striping and head-lamp surrounds.
Suzuki offers two spec levels, GL and GLX, with a R20 000 price difference between them. The main differentiators are that the GLX gets alloy wheels, LED projector headlamps and daytime lighting, front foglamps, rear parking sensors, folding mirrors, steering-wheel audio and phone controls, keyless start, climate control, Bluetooth, six speakers instead of two, chrome-trimmed interior elements, driver’s seat height adjustment and roof rails. That’s a fair amount for your R20k and I would recommend the GLX if your budget allows.
The five-speed manual GLX is likely to be the more popular version in our market and it was this derivative we drove on this national launch (there will also be a pricier, robotised auto version). The ‘box is mated to a lively 1,2-litre four cylinder engine with outputs of 61 kw with 113 N.m of torque (slightly less than the Swift’s figures). These figures may not appear especially strong, but with a mass of just 850 kg, the Ignis accelerates well with two adults and some luggage aboard.
Being a naturally aspirated mill, there is no turbo lag, which means the car pulls cleanly from idle and keeps pulling right up to the 6 300 r/min soft limiter. The engine also emits a sporty growl and that, combined with a slick gearshift, makes the Ignis good fun to drive. Acceleration to 100 km/h is quick enough at 11,6 seconds, with a top speed
of 165 km/h, while Suzuki claims a very frugal 5,1 L/100 km fuel consumption.
Steering is electrically assisted and a little on the vague side at lower speeds, but improves as the pace increases. That said, the steering feel is still above average for this type of mechanism.
The ride is decent, too, absorbing bumps well while the Ignis tackled Dutoitskloof Pass’ many bends with ease. There’s ample torque for suf cient acceleration in fth gear; downshifting is required only when overtaking or on inclines. That said, performance at higher altitudes may be more of an issue.
Ground clearance for this little crossover is generous at 180 mm, while the GLX’S 15-inch alloys and aluminium roof rails complete the semi-offroad character.
As ever with budget cars, we believe safety should not be compromised and, to its credit, Suzuki offers the Ignis with dual airbags, ABS and Iso x anchors as standard on all cars. It also comes with a three-year/ 100 000 km warranty and a twoyear/30 000 km service plan, with services every 15 000 km.
The interior echoes the exterior’s funky styling with neatly grained plastics and trim on the dash matched by those on the door bolsters. The cloth seating is well proportioned and there is suf cient space for adults both front and rear. That said, given the Ignis’ compact width, two large front-seat occupants may bump elbows when the driver is shifting gears. You might also nd that the sunvisors are a bit small for our harsh African sun. The back seat has two headrests and a lap belt for the middle occupant.
Boot size is a claimed 260 litres and there is a full-size steel spare wheel under the board; that’s something we always believe is necessary in South African driving conditions.
We look forward to a thorough test of the Ignis together with a couple of its close competitors in next month’s issue, where I think this little Suzi will account for itself rather well.