Spec Comparison: Maruti Suzuki Ignis Vs Mahindra KUV100

The compact high riding vehicle market will get a new competitor in 2017 in the form of the Maruti Suzuki Ignis. It will be a premium B-segment vehicle that will take on the likes of a variety of models across the segment. It will be launched for the Indian market on January 13 and will be offered with both petrol and diesel engine options. One of its chief rivals will be the Mahindra KUV100, the Mumbai based automaker’s smallest offering and one that seems to match the Ignis in terms of what is there to offer. Here then is our analysis of how the cars match up to each other.   

Exterior
In a basic sense, these two cars are quite similar in terms of design traits. They are both high riding vehicles with tall wheels, odd rooflines and prominent faces. But where the KUV embodies Mahindra’s traditional SUV design traits, the Ignis has moved from the shape of its boxy predecessors to a curvy, compact and funky looking crossover design. This then becomes a sense of personal choice among the buyers.

Interior
At the outset, we can tell you that the Ignis wins hands down over the KUV100 when it comes to the cabin. Its sports the latest Suzuki design elements and feature list which includes climate control as well as touchscreen infotainment system both of which the KUV100 lacks. Then there is also the quality of material used which sees the Ignis take top honours again as it the quality is much higher. However, the KUV does manage to claw back some advantage as it can be had as a six-seater while the Ignis is a strict five-seater.
In terms of safety, the KUV100 has ABS as standard and (+) variants which get dual airbags all the way up to the top-of-the-line K8 variant where they are part of the standard equipment. The Ignis, given its premium tag, will get dual airbags and ABS as standard. Finally, the KUV has ISOFIX child seat mounting points in the K8 variant while the Ignis, in its Euro spec model, gets it as a standard feature.   

Engine and gearbox
In terms of petrol engines, both cars are offered with a 1.2-litre four-cylinder mill with outputs in the range of 84bhp/115Nm. The diesel for the KUV is a 1.2-litre producing 77bhp/190Nm while the Ignis will get the 1.3-litre Multijet diesel producing 74bhp/190Nm. A five-speed manual is common across both the models but we believe that a slightly later date the Ignis will get the option of an AMT across both engine types.

Price
The Mahindra KUV100 is priced in the range of Rs 4.58 lakh to Rs 7.12 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi) while the Ignis with is fancy Nexa tag is expected to start in a similar price range and go all the way to around Rs eight lakh for the top-of-the-line Alpha 1.3 model making it slightly more pricey than the former.