Review: Maruti Suzuki Ignis Slays, Owns ‘None Of a Kind’ Tag
With its style and price tag, the latest addition to Maruti Suzuki’s fleet tries to woo Gen X.
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Maruti Suzuki recently launched the Ignis at an EDM concert headlined by Axwell and featuring Dannic and Nikhil Chinnappa. With prices starting from Rs 4.59 lakhs (ex-showroom Delhi), Ignis hopes to take on Hyundai and Nissan.
We set out to see if the product lives up to the hype.
The Looks
The Ignis bears a rather bold tag line – none of a kind. While that might seem like marketing mumbo, the truth is that it is very difficult to classify this car. It’s small and fits in the premium hatchback segment, but it doesn’t look like one.
In conventional terms I would have to say that the design flow is similar to that of a soft-roader – especially when you take in to consideration the squared lines, flat bonnet and large LED projector headlamps and DRLs.
What’s Inside?
The interiors are a fresh treat from Maruti Suzuki for we haven’t seen anything similar in any of their other cars. The floating layered dashboard has a dual tone, ivory and black finish and you can tell that the plastics used are of a fine quality.
The top of the line Ignis gets a large iPad-like touchscreen infotainment system that takes the centre stage on the dash. The switches for the AC controls are toggle buttons that are reminiscent of what you’d find on a Mini Cooper. Maruti Suzuki has taken in-car connectivity very seriously when it comes to the Ignis, with its ability to run both Apple CarPlay (what is Apple CarPlay) and Android Auto (what is Android Auto).
The colours of the exterior can also be spotted on certain panels inside the vehicle. The front seats have more than ample leg room and shoulder space. However, it is the rear seat that was a genuine surprise for I was easily able to fit my 6ft 2inch frame without worrying about the front seats knocking my knees out.
You can’t complain about the 265 litres of boot space either, for you have enough room there to pack away your luggage for a nice weekend getaway. If you need more, just remember that the rear bench also comes with a 60:40 split so you can expand the cargo space according to your needs.
Power
Maruti Suzuki has retained the VVT 1.2 litre petrol and the 1.3 litre DDiS for the Ignis as well. These engines are offered on a plethora of cars from the company and their reliability is already well known. The petrol motor makes 83 PS of power @ 6000 rpm and offers 113 Nm of torque @ 4200 rpm, while the diesel mill delivers 75 PS of power @ 4000 rpm and 190 Nm of torque @ 2000 rpm.
Both engines come with a five speed manual transmission as well as the Maruti Suzuki’s AGS (auto gear shift) technology in case you needed that added bit of convenience. Both engines are extremely fuel efficient – the petrol offers an ARAI certified 20.89 kmpl and the diesel delivers a staggering 26.80 kmpl.
On the Road
No matter which type of transmission or engine you go in for, you are guaranteed a nice, peppy drive. The petrol AGS version gets a special mention for having proved to be a surprise package in terms of how refined it feels.
As far as ride and handling is concerned, the Ignis stays nice and planted on the road even at high speeds. MSIL has done a lot of work in order to get it to do so despite the 180mm ground clearance. The Ignis comes with dual airbags, seat belts with pre-tensioners, ABS and EBD as standard fitment.
Apart from the features mentioned, the Ignis is also compliant for pedestrian safety, side impact and offset crash regulations much ahead of the stipulated timeline given by the governing bodies.
Our Take
Maruti Suzuki has done a fantastic job with the Ignis and has delivered a car that is young, fresh and has its own distinct aura. There really isn’t much to complain about with this car. If you’re looking to own one, then go right ahead because it isn’t going to disappoint you.
For Maruti Suzuki, the challenge starts now: keeping the communication flowing through the right channels and reaching out to their audience constantly in new innovative ways. They need to think like millennials do, in order to truly give the Ignis the stamp of being India’s first car for them.
(Vikram Gour is one of India’s renowned automotive journalists and the Co-Founder of MotorScribes. He can be reached on Twitter: @VikramGour)
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