Maruti Suzuki Ignis Road test

A crossover-styled hatch in the B2 segment was one of the few cars that Maruti Suzuki’s stable had not catered to yet. The launch of the Ignis at the start of 2017 changed that. It has a fresh and funky appearance with butch SUV looks, which Indians are swearing by these days. The car is available with multiple customisation options, both in and out. Maruti has powered the car with their tried-n-tested 1.2-litre petrol and 1.3-litre diesel engine options. And what's new is that both these models get the brand's AGS gearbox (AMT). Maruti Suzuki has surely set the pace in this segment, especially with such a wide range on offer. But all this comes a premium price, which we will come to later. For now, let's see if the Ignis has the potential to lure a buyer.

Instead of calling it a compact SUV, Maruti is rightly promoting it as a premium urban compact vehicle. And I cannot agree more. Its dimensions seem like that of a tallboy five-seater hatchback, and in flesh, it looks like one too. However, what makes it a talking point is, firstly its new design. The modern and bold styling approach is unlike any of its siblings. The headlamps are integrated into the front grille with honeycomb mesh pattern. This lends the car a striking appearance. The clamshell-shaped bonnet with rubber inserts help its case further. The subtle chrome treatment up-front spells out a hint of something premium without going overboard.

Additionally, the A/B pillars are blackened to give the tall car a streamlined look. The flared wheels arches give the car a butch look and house 15-inch black alloys that look stylish. Still, I still find the rear styling to be a little out of place. Especially, the slab-sided black insert in the rear bumper could have had some more dynamic lines. Also, the conventional tail lamps could have got LED inserts to add to the bling factor. Nonetheless, there are a few traditional Suzuki design elements that carry forward the brand's legacy of some iconic cars. For example, the biggest highlight are the three slits on the C-pillar inherited from the Fronte Coupe, Japan's first mini sports car. So overall, the Ignis is a car that will stand out.

When it comes to the interior, the Ignis gets a very unconventional layout and design. And that's a good thing as its visually pleasing. The dual tone dashboard gets a mixture of shapes for elements like circular and rectangular air-con vents and a floating tablet-styled infotainment screen with squared off edges. Maruti has done a good job of using premium materials for an upmarket look. For example, the glossy black and grey touches along with the fake carbon-fibre stickers go well with the white dash. However, they lack that robust feel and the white areas will get stained easily on the lower half. Again, the lack of a strong build quality is noticeable on the door pads that flex easily. Nonetheless, there are many usable stowage places in the centre console and door bins. Everything is within the driver’s reach and ergonomics are good overall. And thanks to thin A-pillars, the frontal visibility is good too.

The driver sits in a comfortable position with adjustments for recline, reach and height (latter not available in lower variants). The taller roofline makes for good headroom and there's respectable legroom too, making it also easy to get in and out too. What makes things better is that the front seats are large and offer a snug fit with good back and thigh support. However, things in the second row are a little different. Visibility isn't great due to the thick C-pillar, and the Ignis’ rear bench can’t accommodate three big adults comfortably. But that said, space is sufficient for two adults and a child. Plus, there’s sufficient legroom and headroom despite the compact size of the car. Although thigh support isn't plenty, the foot well is deep so you can extend your legs below the front seats. We noticed that the seats are comfy and supportive, but they are too soft which can make long journeys tiring. Also, there's no centre-arm rest and rear air-con vents.

Boot space might not look adequate with a high loading lip. And even if the rear bench folds in a 60:40 split, it doesn’t get flat. Nonetheless, at 260litres, it is sufficient to accommodate two big soft bags and two more medium-sized ones without any intrusive suspension components in the usable space.

Now, let's delve deeper into what the Ignis has to offer apart from quirky styling and great packaging. The hatchback is the entry level offering from Nexa and so all trims come standard with safety features like dual front airbags, ABS with EBD and ISOFIX child seat anchors. The instrument cluster is well designed and easy to read. Features that you will see only on the top-spec Alpha trim are LED projector headlamps, DRLs, Apple and Android support on the touch screen system, a reversing camera, navigation, electrically-foldable ORVMs, start-stop engine button etc. Otherwise, the lower trims also get a similarly styled two-din audio system with remote, Bluetooth, USB et al. However, the quality seems very average on this one. The manual air-con unit looks old-fashioned as against the good looking automatic air-con unit in the range-topping Ignis. So if you go in for the top-spec, be assured of all the bells and whistles including the intuitive and easy to use 7-inch touch screen system.

The engine on the petrol Ignis is a 1.2-litre four-cylinder unit. It produces 82bhp of power and revs all the way up to 6,000rpm. The 113Nm of torque available at 4,200rpm might look meagre, but feels adequate to pull the car especially in the mid-range. The free-revving engine is silent and has a linear power delivery right till it hits the rev-limiter. The engine note gets better as revs rise, while the motor remains refined throughout. At 850-860kg, the Ignis is the lightest car to use this engine, thus making it feel very peppy. The precise five-speed manual gearbox is easy to use with short gear throws and a light clutch. So if you are buying this car to drive in the city, you will love it. Even on the highway the car has enough grunt to cruise at triple-digit speeds with revs less than 3,000rpm. Also, like other recent Maruti models, this one also gets an AMT. In this model, however, a heavy foot on the gas pedal will result in making the car jerky. But as long as you are gentle on the throttle, the gearshifts happen smoothly despite there being a slight lag.

Now, on to the diesel variant powered by Maruti’s tried and tested 1.3-litre four-cylinder Fiat-sourced unit. This engine produces 74bhp and more importantly, despite it being a small car, the torque stands at 190Nm and it’s available from 2,000rpm. So power-to-weight ratio is again good with the diesel Ignis tipping the scales at 940-960kg. We are familiar with this engine and it continues to retain its characteristics in the Ignis too. The moment you key the ignition, you can feel the vibrations on the gear stick and pedals, with that typical diesel clatter. We just wished the carmaker could have provided better insulation from this noise and the vibrations.

This power plant helps the car get off the line effortlessly and you will notice a hint of turbo lag that gets even more prominent when you depress the accelerator harder. However, with gentle throttle inputs, the car easily picks up pace thanks to loads of torque on tap. That said, driveability and throttle responses aren’t as good as the petrol version. After 1,500rpm you feel the engine come alive and although it’s not very exciting, it offers a decent mid-range that lasts between 2,000rpm and 4,000rpm. However, at high revs it gets noisy and feels strained too. The five-speed manual gearbox offers a similar feel like in the petrol drivetrain with gears slotting-in smoothly. It’s the AMT gearbox here which provides a different feel. The shift shock is even more evident and it manifests even further with an aggressive throttle input, which lets you notice every gearshift. If you are new to this, it takes some getting used to, but it is a small price to pay for clutchless gearshifts especially in irritating city traffic.

In our VBOX tests, the diesel manual took 13.56 seconds to complete the 0-100kmph sprint. But in the driveability test of 40-100kmph roll on in 4th gear, it took a relaxed 21.09 seconds. On the other hand, the petrol manual took an identical but marginally quicker time of 13.47 seconds to reach 100kmph. Thanks to its lighter weight, it also showed the difference in the pulling power by clocking 15.66 seconds in the same 40-100kmph roll on test.

Amongst the AMT trims, the petrol again came on top with a 0-100kmph sprint time of 14.97 seconds as against the diesel AMT's 15.4 seconds. Also, when it comes to driveability, the petrol AMT took 10.79 seconds to complete the 40-100kmph roll on run in the 5th gear. Meanwhile, the diesel AMT completed the same test in 11.5 seconds. Also, the 80-100kmph braking test shows a braking distance of 25.32m in 2.33seconds, which is good considering the car is equipped with rear drums brakes. Of course, the diesel Jazz, Figo or Polo come close to these performance figures due to their higher displacement 1.5-litre engine. But, overall the Ignis has managed to post better values than the average in its class due its power-to-weight ratio.

The Ignis is very light, and I’m sure you’ve noticed the wheels are placed at the four corners with minimal overhangs. So once you get behind the wheel, you will not only feel it easy to drive, but also confident of maneuvering it into tight spots. The petrol gets a lighter steering than the diesel, but it would have been great if the slow steering was provided with more feel. It would have elevated the driving experience on such an agile car. Thankfully a turning radius of 4.7m comes as a perk to take U-turns easily.

We also noticed that road noises are quite apparent in the Ignis. Apart from the cabin insulation, the firm suspension is also partly to be blamed for this. Driving over bumpy roads at slow speeds gets the ride to be choppy and occupants won't appreciate the up-and-down movement. It gets considerably pronounced if you drive fast over these sections. But give it a flat stretch of tarmac and the ride gets significantly better. That said, the visibly-skinny 175-section tyres give the Ignis decent grip and it feels planted even on twisty roads despite there being some amount of body roll. Plus, the 15-inch wheels and 180mm of ground clearance give the driver good clearance from road obstacles.

The top-spec Alpha petrol manual carries a price tag of Rs 6.47 lakhs (ex-showroom), while the AMT version will cost you Rs 7.01 lakhs. The former recorded 12.53kmpl and 16.37kmpl in our city and highway runs respectively. The petrol AMT’s city efficiency wasn’t far off from the manual, but it surprisingly delivered 18.7kmpl on the highway, which is considerably more than what the manual returned.

Now the diesel AMT is also available in the Alpha trim with its price at Rs 8.08 lakhs, steeply priced over the manual that retails at Rs 7.54 lakhs. Both the variants weigh almost the same, but it's the diesel manual that will go the extra mile with 17.97kmpl fuel economy in the city. On the other hand, the AMT diesel returned 14.96kmpl in our city fuel run tests. It should, however, be noted that the car gets a relatively small 32litre fuel tank on all models.

Some might consider the design of the Ignis as a bit odd, but then it's better to stand out from the ordinary, isn't it? Furthermore, it scores high on usability, practicality, overall usable space, feel of the interior and the brand's excellent service backing. It gets customisation options and unique features from cars a segment above like expensive projector LED headlamps missing amongst competitors. It is fun to drive and the AMT adds to the convenience. I must say it has created that desire within me to own one.

It then surely comes down to pricing in such a price-sensitive market like ours. Sure the Ignis enjoys a premium positioning among the Nexa offerings and shares the showroom space with the S-Cross, Baleno and the Ciaz. But the 'premium' Nexa offering has resulted in a higher sticker price than expected. In fact, many might consider upgrading to the Baleno for a little more.

Again, what if you want this car, but are not willing to shell out that extra amount? You can take a look at the Delta or Zeta variants, which Maruti has competitively priced over the Grand i10. Also, the Ignis diesel AMT is currently the only diesel car in this segment offering all the bells and whistles with an automatic gearbox. This essentially makes it the perfect premium city hatchback for someone looking for a diesel automatic under the Rs 10 lakh price bracket. Wouldn’t you say Maruti has definitely done its homework?

Pictures by Kapil Angane

Click here to read the comparison between the Maruti Suzuki Ignis and the Hyundai Grand i10.