The new Suzuki Ignis joins a sparsely populated niche of crossover city cars, and we were impressed with its distinctive style and space when we drove the 48v hybrid version. The lighter, simpler and cheaper two-wheel drive non-hybrid will be the volume seller, though, and we suspected that set-up would suit the Ignis more. To find out, we drove the lesser model around Italy to see what’s what.
Ditching the rear driven wheels and the hybrid’s power system brings the weight of the Ignis down from a hardly portly 920kg to a seriously impressive 855kg. Given that the car is no less powerful on paper, it’s a surprise to see that Suzuki is quoting a 0-62mph time of 13.5 seconds, around two seconds down on the 4x4 hybrid. That’s despite it having a higher top speed.
Don’t be swayed by that figure, however, as despite lacking the hybrid’s punch low down in the rev range, the 2WD Ignis feels similarly perky once you rev it out. As long as you’re willing to work the Ignis hard uphill and on motorways, it’s perfectly adequate for a city car.
• New Suzuki Ignis 4x4 hybrid 2017 review
We do still think it’s a shame that Suzuki couldn’t squeeze the excellent 1.0-litre Boosterjet turbo petrol under the bonnet to give it the legs on the new VW up! TSI. Fuel economy isn’t as good on paper as the hybrid, but we still managed over 50mpg in mixed driving.
Elsewhere, the Ignis is better in a couple of crucial ways in a more basic spec. Firstly, the handling and ride are a touch sweeter – the little Suzuki feels like it’s been set-up to be as light as possible, and the ride is a bit less busy as a result. It’s still quite crashy over the giant potholes found around rural Italy, but remind yourself how small and cheap the Ignis is and it’s acceptable enough. It also feels a fraction keener to turn in to a bend, adding to the nimble and agile feel. It doesn’t have better steering, however – the helm is still remote and has absolutely no feel.
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Inside, there’s a major boon as the boot space improves from 204-litres to 260-litres with two less driven wheels. It’s a decent size, especially when you consider how much space the sliding and reclining rear seats can free-up. Suzuki has been really clever with the packaging of the Ignis, so it offers a Tardis-like interior.
The materials are hard and scratchy, and you can spot some weight and cost-saving but the design is attractive and quality is okay. The European model we drove also featured Suzuki’s own sat-nav system rather than the fiddly Pioneer unit we tried on the 4X4 model, and the brand’s spokespeople told us models would come fitted with that when it hits showrooms in the UK.
The SZ5 model should be at least £1,000 cheaper with two-wheel drive and no hybrid system, yet it still comes with tonnes of kit including sat-nav, LED headlights, cruise and climate control and autonomous emergency braking. If you want to save even more money, the cheaper SZ-T model still comes very well-equipped.
- Model: Suzuki Ignis SZ-5 1.2
- Price: £12,000 (est)
- Engine: 1.2-litre 4cyl petrol
- Power/torque: 89bhp/120Nm
- Transmission: Five-speed manual, front-wheel drive
- 0-62mph: 13.5 seconds
- Top speed: 106mph
- Economy/CO2: 61.4mpg/104g/km
- On sale: January 2017
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