Suzuki’s all-new Ignis compact crossover model is now on sale in dealerships priced from €12,995-€17,995, writes Trish Whelan.
Suzuki is well regarded around the world for its expertise in making small cars and the Ignis is its latest offering.
The car was unveiled for Europe at the 2016 Paris Motor Show and is typical Suzuki.
It is the second model, Baleno was the first, to be built on a new generation platform to be introduced in Europe which targets the reduction of weight as well as increased rigidity.
It is aimed at small car owners, mostly aged between 21-35 years and looking for something different that makes them stand out.
This compact SUV is both functional and practical, is an easy to drive size with a spacious cabin and good luggage space.
It offers lots of space for occupants with very good head and leg room, even for a 6ft person sitting directly behind an equally tall person in the front.
Three grades are offered: SZ3,SZ-T, and SZ5.
The SZ3 entry level model comes with five seats with a fixed rear bench, 15-inch steel wheels, front electric windows, DAB digital radio, Bluetooth, air conditioning, rear privacy glass and CD player. Boot capacity is 267 litres with the rear seat up.
The SZ-T, with four seats and individual sliding rear seats, adds satellite navigation, rear view camera, wheel arch extensions and side mouldings, 16-inch alloy wheels.
The top SZ5 grade adds LED headlights and Daytime Running Lights, front fog lamps, rear electric windows, leather steering wheel, keyless entry/start, auto air conditioning, cruise control and Dual Camera Brake Support. Instead of using a radar which can only detect solid objects, this Dual Camera Brake Support system uses a camera which can see people and was instrumental in the Ignis being awarded a maximum five stars for safety by Euro NCAP in their latest, more stringent tests. Six airbags are fitted as standard on all Ignis models.
With SZ-T and SZ5 models, the luggage capacity increases to 514 litres with both rear seats folded and can be as high as 1,100 litres if fully loaded to the roof line.
With SZ-T and SZ5 models, the luggage capacity increases to 514 litres with both rear seats folded and can be as high as 1,100 litres if fully loaded to the roof line.
The SZ5 is offered with ALLGRIP ‘Auto’ 4WD. This is a simple fully automatic and permanent four-wheel drive layout which transfers more torque to the rear wheels when the front ones start to slip. It’s a good choice for customers living in rural areas who may need additional mobility across rougher terrain, especially during winter months without owning a more conventional SUV sized vehicle.
The engine is a 1.2 Dualjet petrol (originally in the Swift and used in the Baleno SHVS) with 5-speed manual or Suzuki’s own automated manual transmission (AGS) including an AllGrip 4x4 version. This automatic has the same C02 and fuel return as the manual transmission cars.
Annual Road Tax is from €180-€190.
The 90hp 1.2 engine offers C02 emissions of 104g/km and a combined fuel consumption of 4.6 L/100kms (61.4mpg).
The car I drove at the car’s media launch in Druid’s Glen today was equipped with Suzuki’s SHVS mild hybrid system with C02 emissions of 97g/km and combined fuel consumption of 65.7mpg for the 2WD model.
Ignis is available in one solid colour, five optional metallic colours and five two-tone colours.
Ignis is available in one solid colour, five optional metallic colours and five two-tone colours.
Pictured below - the Suzuki team at today's launch at Druid's Glen were (l-r) Tommy Greely, Declan Maguire; Alun Parry (UK), Adrian Honour, Jessica Grimditch (UK) and Ed Norman (UK).
