SA Road Tests

SA Roadtests

South Africa
ctjag8@yahoo.com

Review: 2017 Suzuki Ignis 1.2 GLX

Family matters: 2017 Suzuki Ignis 1.2 GLX

Steve would love it

Pics by Suzuki @ Motorpress
Posted: 14 August 2017

The numbers
Price: R189 900
Engine: 1197 cc, DOHC 16-valve, four cylinder naturally aspirated
Power: 61 kW at 6000 rpm
Torque: 113 Nm at 4200 rpm
Zero to 100 km/h: 11.6 seconds
Maximum speed: 165 km/h
Real life fuel consumption: About 5.5 l/100 km
Tank: 32 litres
Boot: 260 – 469 litres
Brakes: Disc/drum, ABS with EBA and EBD Gears: 5 speed manual
Airbags: 2
Warranty: See text
Service: 2 years/ 30 000 km at annual or 15 000 km intervals

At first glance Suzuki’s new Ignis sub-compact could be mistaken for its forerunner, the Splash, but it’s very different. It’s built on a new platform, has a longer wheelbase (+75mm), is 75 mm shorter, 20 mm narrower and 25 mm lower. It boasts 10 millimetres more ground clearance (180 vs. 170). And the boot is bigger, having grown from 236 litres to 260, but passenger space has not been compromised; big people can still fit in comfortably.

Oh yes; it also weighs 240 kg less (850 rather than 1090), so it remains tall and skinny. It reminded us of Steve Urkel, the nerdy kid in Family Matters that ran from 1989 to 1998. Even the U-shaped DRLs under its headlights look like spectacles.

Although a 1.3 diesel and a different 1200 cc petrol engine are used overseas, Suzuki SA opted to stay with the India-spec’ 1197 cc K12M motor used here in other models. Useful side effects of Ignis’ lighter build include a quicker sprint time (-0.7 secs), higher top speed (+5 km/h) and improved fuel consumption.

Claimed usage drops from 5.6 litres per 100 km to 5.1 and rated CO2 emissions go down from 133 gm/km to 119. But you can’t have everything; the fuel tank has shrunk from 43 litres to 32, although you should still be able to cover about 600 kilometres on a tankful without trying very hard.

While we’re dealing with good news, local customers buying up until 31st December 2017 qualify for a free warranty extension to five years or 200 000 km, with roadside assistance. After that the standard three years and 100 000 km plan applies.

But that’s not all. The new car looks far more modern inside and out with new grille, lights, fog lamps, side windows, rear screen and back end. A revised dash layout, a “proper” rev. counter next to the speedometer and a regular gear lever built into the central console complete the effect. The doors can be locked or unlocked by pressing the little black buttons on the handles and starting is keyless (GLX only). The outside mirrors can be folded too and while we’re at it, the driver’s chair now adjusts for height. Overall fit and finish is neater than before.

Air and music controls are on separate panels and straightforward to use with the standard infotainment unit providing an RDS radio with CD player, Bluetooth (only on GLX), a USB port that plays both MP3 and WM4 files and auxiliary. There is no touch screen and track information is per text only.

An optional Multimedia setup with 6.2” WVGA display allows direct control of iPhones and iPads and limited control of certain Android phones. It also features Pioneer MIXTRAX mixing software, allows Spotify integration and can process up-to-24-bit FLAC files for improved fidelity. It’s satnav-ready too. Just add the plug-in.

Getting down to practicalities, the Ignis is light and easy to drive, the view outward is clearer than on most modern cars, the gearbox is a joy to use, its boot isn’t the biggest but it’s easy to drop the seatbacks to create more space and you get a full-size spare. It maintains cruising speed up long hills rather well, it’s comfortable in the rough, there’s plenty of room inside and it’s almost as light on fuel, in real life, as the manufacturer claims. Steve would love it.

Test unit from Suzuki Auto SA press fleet

Follow the link to our report on the 2015 Suzuki Splash

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What We Do

This is a one-man show, which means that every car reviewed is given my personal evaluation and receives my own seat of the pants judgement - no second hand input here.

Every test car goes through real world driving; on city streets littered with potholes, speed bumps and rumble strips, on freeways and if its profile demands, dirt roads as well.

I do my best to include relevant information like real life fuel economy or a close mathematical calculation, boot size or luggage space, whether the space is both usable and accessible, whether life-sized people can use the back seat (where that applies), basic specs of the vehicle and performance figures if they are published. In the case of clearly identified launch reports, fuel figures are of necessity the laboratory numbers provided with the release material.

If ever I place an article that doesn't cover most things, it's probably because I have dealt with a very similar vehicle already, so you will be able to find what you want in another report under the same manufacturer's heading in the menu on the left.

Hope you like what you see, because there are no commercial interests at work here. There are no advertisers and no “editorial policy” rules. I add bylines to acknowledge sponsored launch functions and the manufacturers or dealerships that provide the test vehicles. And, as quite a few readers have found, I answer every serious enquiry from my home email address, with my phone numbers attached, so you can see I do actually exist.

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