What they said when the Suzuki Ignis was new… (Sep 15 2003)
SIZE matters and car manufacturers have been quick to exploit new ways of design to make small cars bigger.
So-called wheel at each corner styling has opened up interior space and the latest superminis can be as big inside as Ford Escorts of old.
Such a trick has been used by Suzuki to get the most out of its second generation Ignis.
Unveiled only last week at the Frankfurt motor show, the Ignis is on sale already - and it is a bargain in anyone's book.
At £7,953 the Ignis comes with plenty of features that other car makers offer only as extras - if at all in this price range. Front and side airbags, ABS backed up by electronic brakeforce distribution, plus a radio/CD player are all standard even on the basic 1.3 litre Ignis. So are electric front windows, electrically adjustable door mirrors and remote control central locking - only air conditioning is missing.
Suzuki has done away with trim levels for the latest Ignis and instead all models are five door with the only variations being engine size.
At the moment the car is available only with a 1.3 litre petrol engine but a 1.5 litre automatic and a 1.5 litre four wheel drive version will be arriving later in the year and both of those will be priced at £8,953.
That price is enough to put the cat among the pigeons in no uncertain terms - and it will bother MG Rover especially as the Ignis will be right up against the new CityRover which is due to make its debut in November.
Suzuki is using state of the art VVT engines - as used by Toyota - and that makes for lively performance, especially for a city car. Top speed is a shade under 100mph and the 0 to 60 acceleration time for the 1.3 litre is 11.1 seconds.
Average fuel consumption is a claimed 43.5 mpg and on the CO2 front, the Ignis is rated at 154g/km putting into the bottom but one tax bracket with a liability of 16 per cent for business users.
The Ignis is a full five seater with cross-over seatbelts and head restraints all round - and the front head rests are reactive to minimise whiplash injuries in the event of an impact. The driver's seat is height adjustable and the rear bench - which splits on a 60/40 basis - has its own rake settings.
A cleverly laid out modular control panel for the entertainment system dominates the instrument panel which looks smart enough to be fitted in a much more expensive car. There is also a digital display which includes an instant fuel consumption read-out as well as an external temperature indicator.
One niggle was the red LEDs used in that display and also for the back lighting on the main instruments which were not as clear as they could have been.
Interior stowage space is excellent with door pockets, that each incorporated bottle holders, front and rear. There are also cubby holes in the dash and a retractable tray under the front passenger seat but the glovebox is not lockable.
Luggage space is fairly tight at around eight cubic feet and the floor area under the tailgate is relatively high which can hinder loading. However, cargo capacity can be increased to 19 cu. Ft. by bringing the rear seats upright and a maximum of 35 cu. Ft. can be achieved by folding them flat.
That operation is quick and easy but restoring the seats and the rear parcel shelf to their normal fixings is a bit fiddly and could be improved.
Compared to some other cars in this class the amount of luggage space is not generous but the compensation is a greater amount of leg and headroom throughout the cabin.
On the road the Ignis handles nicely enough and under normal conditions it has no bad habits. But its slab-sided design does cause a problem on roads that are prone to crosswinds.
Yet perfection is not expected in this price bracket and generally the Ignis has few faults.
For the money it is plenty of car and although it is not the most attractive of designs, it does the job admirably.
Words: Chris Russon
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