New Suzuki Ignis 2017 Full Exterior and Interior

The Suzuki Ignis is back from the dead after a decade-long absence, the latest in the brand’s growing line of reborn ’90s nameplates including the Vitara and Baleno. Moreover, it’s affixed to one of the most intrinsically likeable cars you can buy.
Like the old version – which in retrospect was ahead of its time and was more or less the same size – the 2017 Ignis is a tiny urban runabout with the stance and space of a small crossover. Indeed, Suzuki wants you to consider it the market’s first true ‘light SUV’.
Notwithstanding the veracity of this claim, which we’ll explore later, what you can’t deny is the Ignis’ edgy retro design (google ‘SS20 Suzuki Cervo’) that makes the brand’s much cheaper Celerio look a right snooze-fest. The reborn Ignis has already attracted its share of admirers around the office, but is there any substance behind the style?
Launched this week in Australia, the revived Ignis has a starting price of $15,990 for the base GL manual (or $16,990 drive-away), a few grand more than a Kia Picanto but with much more equipment and space, and ballpark with a larger entry-level Honda Jazz or Mazda 2 fitted with less gear.
We mention the Picanto, and the Holden Spark for that matter, because the Ignis is about the same size – 3.7 metres long, 1.7m wide, 1.6m high atop a wheelbase a shade longer than 2.4m. But the trump card is the 180mm ground clearance, 25mm higher than a Mazda CX-3’s, and its high hip point and driving position that makes it a pseudo crossover. Under the bonnet is a microscopic 1.2-litre four-cylinder normally aspirated petrol engine with 66kW of power at 6000rpm and 120Nm of torque at 4400rpm. The Baleno’s brilliant 82kW/160Nm three-pot turbo engine isn’t here on account of costs, but don’t rule it out for a future iteration…
On a side note, unlike the Indian-made Baleno, the Ignis is made in Japan. One reason why Japanese symbols are all over the marketing for the car.
The drivetrain might be modest, but counting in the Ignis’ favour is the brand-trademark light kerb weight, which tops out at just 865kg and is 820kg on the base car, less even than an old Alto that had less of pretty much everything. Suzuki’s new global platform has proven very effective at cutting kilos. This makes the power-to-weight ratio perfectly reasonable, better in fact that a Swift, and ensures adequate pickup around town and an ability to cruise along at 100km/h revving at around 2000rpm. These duties are what the Ignis is designed for.
This light weight also means the small brakes (drums at the rear) work just fine, and also keeps the factory claimed fuel use to 4.9L/100km on the combined cycle, at worst. We averaged 6.5L/100km on a mixed route, promising a range nearing 500km.
Despite the crossover design, all Ignis’ sold here are front-wheel drive, though an AWD model is expected to arrive by the end of the year if the dealers report enough demand. The base GL’s engine is fitted to a five-speed manual gearbox or, for an extra $1000, a continuously variable auto (CVT). The CVT is standard in the flagship GLX. We didn’t get a chance to drive the manual on the launch, though we suspect it’d wring the best from the engine. The CVT keeps the powertrain bubbling along in its sweet spot, but the trade-off is the strained note typical of this type of transmission, despite the stepped ratios. There’s a ‘sport’ mode that keeps engine speeds higher, but a performance car this is not.
The Suzuki’s rack-and-pinion steering is quick from centre but also a touch too resistant (or heavy) at low speeds, and the lack of telescopic column adjustment means some may struggle to find an optimal driving position. There’s also some rack rattle and vibrations through the wheel over sharp hits, something uncommon on electric-assisted systems.