Funky new Suzuki Ignis is a thoroughly modern blast from the past

Monday, 30 January 2017

Suzuki has introduced NZ's smallest SUV - the Ignis.

The people at Suzuki New Zealand are describing the new Ignis as a super compact SUV. So does that mean the new model is super? Or compact?

Maybe both. What they are actually saying is that this vehicle is the smallest SUV around. In fact the Suzuki NZ people are claiming that the little 3.7m-long, 1.2-litre Ignis stands alone in a brand-new category within the SUV segment - which they have entitled Light SUV.

And that tells the story of what the Ignis is all about. Instead of it being just another small hatchback like the previous Ignis sold in New Zealand, this time around it presents as the most diminutive crossover on the Kiwi new vehicle market. Much smaller than the likes of Mazda CX-3, Mitsubishi ASX or its sibling the Suzuki Vitara, but still fitting into the SUV genre all the same.

Ignis is taller than a Swift, which helps give it good interior room.

How? Well, it might be front-wheel drive rather than all-wheel drive (although Suzuki NZ is in discussion with Japan to get an AWD version), but it does have a 180mm ground clearance, and high seating hip points for good visibility. So even though it is only little, it's an SUV, OK?

And it is an interesting one, too. One reason is that its body design is quite retrospective, particularly around the rear where the bodywork features three strakes that are reminder of the well-known little Suzuki Fronte of the 1970s that had cooling vents for its rear-mounted two-stroke engine.

These strakes on the C-pillar hark back to the rear-engined two-stroke Suzukis of the 1970s.

Ignis also boasts a cute looking front end with headlights harking back to another well-known Suzuki from the past, the first-generation Cervo. Blacked-out A and B pillars are inherited from the Swift, while a clamshell-shaped bonnet and guard garnish reference the original 1988 Vitara.

The interior is just as interesting. It features a lot of white thanks to a two-tone colour scheme, and this can be personalised with blue, grey, orange or red colour accents on the lower centre console, door trim, and air vents. The exterior can be personalised too, using various colour highlights.

Included in the personalisable colour accents are the interior door handles.

It all adds up to a colourful little car that offers plenty of appeal; a crossover that is a fun alternative to the traditional micro hatchback - or. as Suzuki NZ managing director Tom Peck put it at a media event near Auckland, a means of getting away from a degree of sameness within the micro car segment.

Ignis is built on the same lightweight platform as the Baleno hatch, and as a result its kerb weight is a trim 820 kg with manual transmission and 865 kg as an automatic, which contributes to great fuel economy - the manual model returns 4.7 L/100km, while automatic versions return 4.9 L/100km.

Blast from the past - Suzuki's new Ignis, complete with all sorts of restrospective clues.

Three versions go on sale in New Zealand. An entry GLX is available with a choice of a five-speed manual or continuously variable CVT automatic with hill hold control, while a higher specification Limited is offered with CVT automatic. Prices are $18,990 and $20,500 for the GLX models, and $22,500 for the Limited.

All models are powered by Suzuki's Dualjet direct-injected 1.2-litre K12C four cylinder, 16-valve DOHC engine that produces 66kW of power at 6000 rpm and 120 Nm of torque at 4400 rpm.

The Suzuki Cervo, one of the cars the new Ignis has borrowed styling clues from.

That's sufficient to give the Ignis a good amount of pep - in fact its power to weight ratio of 8.05kW per 100kg is the highest in the market segment, well above its sibling the Swift which has 6.97 and above other competitors such as the Mazda2 which has 7.82.

**READ MORE:

Two-tone interior can be personalised via various colour accents.

* [Suzuki Swift gets makeover

*](http://www.stuff.co.nz/motoring/news/88002250/suzuki-swift-gets-makeover) Suzuki Vitara turbo takes Swift spirit and runs with it

* The Holden Barina that's better than a Suzuki Swift**

Ignis' 180mm ground clearance means the seating is elevated, the little vehicle boasting 615mm front seat hip points 615mm above the ground, with the rear seat measurement 650mm, which make it easy to get in and out of the car. On the Limited model the rear seats are split 50:50 and individually slide as well as recline for improved rear legroom, while the GLX versions have 60:40 split folding fixed rear seats. Load space with the rear seats upright is 271 litres, increasing to a maximum of 1104 litres with both rear seats folded.

Specification levels are good. The GLX comes with air conditioning and pollen filter, cruise control with speed limiter, electric windows and electrically adjustable door mirrors. Fabric seat material is standard on GLX and has contrast stitching on the Limited, and the steering column is adjustable for both tilt and reach.

A computer displays both instantaneous and average fuel consumption and fuel range distance to empty, while there is a four-speaker audio system - six speakers on the Limited. All models have Bluetooth audio-streaming and hands-free calling, remote central door locking, a digital clock and an outside temperature gauge. Audio and phone controls are located on the three spoke leather-bound steering wheel that has audio and cruise control with speed limiter.

Halogen multi-reflector headlamps, front fog lamps, body coloured mirrors and door handles and rear wiper and washer are included in the GLX package, while the Limited model adds climate control air conditioning, keyless entry with push button start, Bosch touch-screen tuner with satellite navigation, Apply CarPlay, Android Auto and a reversing camera.

This higher specification version also comes with a chrome front grille surround, LED protector headlamps with automatic levelling, automatic dusk-sensing headlamps, LED daytime running lamps and privacy glass for the rear window and hatchback glass. The vehicle also has a 'guide me home' light function which leaves the lights on for a short period when motorists either leave the car or use the remote control to unlock the doors.

Safety? Electronic stability programme (ESP), ABS with EBD, brake assist, six airbags and side impact beams are all standard fit, and the automatic models have hill-holding control, and shift lock and key interlock.

It all adds up to a new Ignis that promises to slot nicely into Suzuki's lineup of little cars in New Zealand. The company is forecasting initial annual sales of around 800.