Suzuki’s little head turner

LOTS OF FUN TO DRIVE AND ECONOMICAL, MAKING IT THE PERFECT CITY CAR It has cost on its side, at just R190 000 for the topspec GLX manual.

Although your average BMW driver has calmed down a lot in the last 30 years – mainly because the cars are now so expensive they’re no longer the preserve of boy racers – I do still sometimes get a bit riled up when I see the blueand-white badge in my rear view mirror.

So, it was the other day, as I was right smack centre of my “happy space” – at that particular time, behind the wheel of Suzuki’s funky little Ignis – when an oke in a 320d Beemer kept on pulling up behind me, then passing to the right and to the left. Ja, well, no fine, boet, I am not going to race you: that spoiler on the roof of the Ignis is all show and no go.

When he pulled up next to me at a robot and began gesturing, I fully expected him to burst out laughing at the strange little box I was driving. I wound down the window. “Wow man! Lekker little car! It looks cool!” Taken aback, I nodded. “What’s your fuel consumption?”

That question was dead easy because, anally retentive that I am, I set up a car’s trip computer to let me see instantly how the car I am driving is doing. (Even when I am in a performance car and someone else’s fuel is in the tank, I get an attack of conscience if the consumption is too high.)

“It’s sitting on 5.5 (litres per 100km)” I answered, as I took in his expressionism of amazement.

“This is a perfect city car”, he said, adding, as the lights changed, “Gonna go look at one myself …”

I hadn’t expected that sort of encounter, especially not with someone who loves to drive. In the Ignis, I had expected, and got a lot of “that’s cute” from various people, although one person opined that it was ugly and another that it was strange.

But what I did expect – because I followed the car from its launch last year – was that I would enjoy it. You see, I am not a great fan of large cars and long ago, I discovered that cost and kilowatts are no guarantee that a vehicle is going to be fun to drive.

The Ignis has cost on its side – it’s a tad under R190 000 for the top-spec GLX manual version we had on test, while the auto in similar spec will set you back R204 000 and the lesser version, with fewer goodies, goes for R170 000. It doesn’t have kilowatts, having to make do with just 61 of them from its 1.2 litre engine. But, given the fact the whole package weighs just on 850kg, it’s still spritely around town and can keep up with other traffic on the highway, although you may need to stir the slick five-speed manual box a bit.

And, of course, your fuel consumption is going to make you smile.

That smile comes because the Ignis, just like the original Mini all those years ago, gives you the sense that you are beating the system. You get more than enough performance, great economy, room to carry four adults in comfort (leg room in the Suzuki is surprisingly generous, given its dimensions).

Although the boot is not huge, it was bigger than I expected and, with fold-down rear seats, you can take fairly large, and awkward loads in the back without too much stress.

It’s also clad in a stand-out design – you won’t mistake your Ignis for anything else in the shopping mall car park – and is well equipped with dual front airbags, aircon and even reverse park radar, as well as a decent enough sound system

Because, like the Mini, the Ignis has a “wheel at each corner”, it does handle like the proverbial go-kart on rails. It’s got a long wheelbase and its small wheels don’t have tyres with an extreme low profile, so its ride comfort is good, too.

I loved it. And I don’t say that often about cars.

We went out to lunch over the weekend and I was forced to park the Ignis in the street.

“Are you worried?” asked my host, in typical Joburg fashion, adding, “It’s pretty safe around here …” I smiled. “I’m just worried someone will stick it in his pocket and walk off with it …”