Suzuki Ignis

Classic Japanese engineering. This car will last for decades – In a nutshell: Bless this car. Here's a highly reliable, practical, durable, and cheap to run small car for a modest pricetag. The real everyday pros of this car are substantial and far outweigh the cons, which to summarise them, are that the engine's a bit rough and there's cheap trim in places. In more detail: Pros -Big interior space,… Read more

especially in the back seat and boot. A 6'3" passenger can sit behind a 6'3" driver and passenger's knees won't touch the seat in front, nor will their head touch the roof, nor will their shoulders or feet be cramped. From my anecdotal experience, the ignis has more back seat space than all sorts of cars including: hilux, gs430, mazda3, and yaris cross. Picanto doesn't even compare. -Standard roof rails for carrying even more stuff - with 25kg limit however. Very handy and makes this car very versatile. -Simple, low maintenance design throughout -Likely to be extremely reliable long term -Good passive safety (79% occupant protection rating in euroncap crash test) -excellent fuel economy (averaging 5.2L/100km measured at the pump, mixed use mainly city, driven like a grandpa) and it only needs 91 octane fuel -Good, low distraction ergonomics especially on the GL with all controls having a uniquely shaped/textured button or knob and very clear analog instruments -Light weight gives peppy performance, albeit you need to rev it to get moving quickly -Comes with space saver spare tyre and tools -Nice roomy engine bay -Manual gearbox has a good spread of ratios -Small exterior dimensions for easy parking -GL has a good level of features without too much excess or omission. I love that it has a manual gearbox, normal key, effective halogen lights that don't blind everyone, no direct injection, and manual HVAC controls. Although the active safety features available in EU/JP markets should be optional here.

Neutral points -Soft suspension is well damped, long travel, however produces lots of body roll like an old citroen. The curse of everyone driving lifted SUVs is that commuter cars like this get a small safety dividend by having a higher ride height and beltline. However this comes at the cost of roadholding: Get on youtube and look at km77 channel's elk test of this car compared to its cousin on the same floorpan, the swift. -No active safety features (radars and cameras etc). Less safe but some people hate the interference and dinging alerts -Touchscreen infotainment unit is exactly what you would expect from a cheap car. Android auto works perfectly 60% of the time. The sound quality dies at high volume and the built in GPS is hopeless, but overall, the infotainment unit performs its core radio/bluetooth/phone call functions reasonably well.

Cons -Engine lacks the low down torque that other similar small cars enjoy. Echo, cuore, festiva and mirage would leave Ignis for dead in the 1000-2500 RPM range. -Rear seats fold but don't tumble forward so you're stuck with a stepped cargo floor -Sometimes the crappy engine tune hurts driveability- the motor surges and bucks in its mounts as the EGR valve kicks on and off (for example, when rolling off the throttle after climbing a hill) -The electric steering tune is odd - it activates too close to when the wheel is centred, so you can feel the assist motor twitching on and trying to steer the car left and right whilst you track along a straight road. It almost feels like lane keep assist except this car doesn't have that feature. It makes this car artificially twitchy on the freeway even though the actual suspension tune is quite stable. -Flimsy, plastic feeling manual gear shift feels bad. It feels like there is too much plastic on plastic stiction. The rubber linkage bushes are a common failure point on various suzukis that use this shifter (mine are fine - it's felt like this from new) -Slowly geared controls in general - the slow steering rack and long travel clutch are very light and easy, but having to use all of that long travel and twirling the wheel like a bus driver is a chore in the city. The heavily muted throttle response needs a mention - I get that they want to remove the "sneeze factor" from the throttle but OMG the car takes about two thirds of a second to respond to a throttle blip, and then you have rev hang. It makes smooth manual driving slower and more frustrating as you have to drive around the nanny electronics. This is an odd pairing with the: -Excessively light flywheel. The revs drop too quickly between gears, especially with the AC on. It also makes the herky-jerky EGR/lean surging mentioned above far more noticeable. It really makes for an odd engine characteristic when paired with the artificially dead electric throttle. It takes more concentration to drive this car smoothly because you have to drive around the various rough engine characteristics. -Cheap finishes evident in places. The swaybar link threads showed surface rust and the black steel wheels faded to chalky grey within months of ownership despite living in a dry, inland temperate climate and garaging the car every night. The seat trim and carpets are radically low quality but only time will tell how long they last under seat covers and floor mats. -No published paper service manual - if you wanted to view the Suzuki files you would have to spoof your way into the dealer portal and buy temporary viewing access. Bad luck for you if the server is down or Suzuki decides to remove the files one day. -The rear end has all the looks of a dropped meat pie

Nitpicks: -No rear coathooks/grab handles -Interior dome light is only in the front, you can't see anything in the back seats at night -Touchscreen radio is unreadable in direct sunlight, it needs a sun hood ($30 for a generic item off ebay) -the suspension tune is generally good, but it feels like the rear roll centre is lower than the front. Mid corner bumps give a subtle feeling like the front axle is jacking up and the rear axle is squatting?

Misc: -Suzuki has had a long production run of the K motor since the mid 1990s. Proven design and good parts availability for the k12c. -Great engineering choices on this motor: timing chain, hydraulic lifters, no turbocharger, port injection... the only real negative is a stretch belt for the AC. This is a motor that will be easy to service and last forever with basic maintenance. -Same goes for the simple suspension design, cable clutch, well located oil filter, cheap halogen lighting elements, etc. Everything is simple and will be cheap and simple to repair or replace in future. -It's made in japan (sagara plant) -Some reviews are out of date - early series 1 models had bouncy rear suspension (recalled), flatter front seats, and a recall for gelling the coolant also. All this has been rectified long before the series 2 was even released. Any series 2 Ignis won't have those problems.

Comparison: The Suzuki Ignis gets 4 stars out of 5 from me. Compared to the 5/5 I previously gave for the toyota echo. Of course, we can't directly compare a new car to a 25 year old one due to the differences in safety and emissions tech. Excluding those points, a toyota echo wins on superior trim quality, torquier engine, and sliding/tumbling back seat. But they are both similar sized, practical tallboy hatchbacks with a good reputation for reliability. It's a shame that ignises will be discontinued soon in favour of the maruti-assembled suzuki fronx - maruti-suzukis are nowhere near as good as japanese made suzukis. See my review here of the suzuki alto or basically all the reviews on productreview.com.au of the baleno. It's getting harder and harder to find basic, manual, practical japanese cars these days. The other alternative buy is the kia picanto, but with its tiny back seat, hyundai-kia's questionable reliability record, cramped engine bay, and significantly higher weight and fuel consumption, the ignis is the better buy.

Zippy Little Iggy – Purchased my Ignis GLX as an ex-demo with 7.5K on the odometer from our local Suzuki dealer. Thought I might miss the turbo factor of my previous car (Ford Focus), but no. It's a zippy gem of a little-big car. Solidly built. Compact, but with plenty of head and leg room. Limited boot space but more than enough for the shopping, or our daily drive… Read more

to the beach with a large Groodle on the back seat. Speaking of which, the back seats slide forward but also partly fold down, allowing for purchases of small furniture, rugs etc. Fuel efficiency is awesome and the vehicle has enough agility to do a run up the mountain and highway to the big smoke. Love the information display with multimedia Apple CarPlay, SatNav and reversing camera. Admittedly I miss having parking sensors and will likely get them installed. That said, parking is a breeze thanks to the humble size of the vehicle. A couple of negatives are the poor quality "carpet" (which is more like felt) and a flimsy rear parcel shelf.

UPDATE MAY 2023: After owning this vehicle for a few years, I've decided to trade it in on a larger, safer vehicle. Given the state of the roads in Australia (potholes etc), the Ignis was no longer a comfortable ride. And to be fair I had also started to worry about the micro size of the vehicle, especially in our busy regional town and out on the open highway. That said, I would still recommend Suzuki Ignis for those in the city looking for a zippy, fuel efficient car that is easy to park and manoeuvre. I'll miss my Iggy, but know that she served me well.

I love my Ignis! – Just a lovely little car. It's like a Tardis - big on the inside. Pulls so well on the highway and travels so nicely. Great fuel economy. Seeing that I've done less than 50,000 in 4.5 years and the price has gone up notably, I will be keeping this little beauty. Can't fault it, really. Show details

Brilliant little car – Before buying my ignis I'd only ever owned Fords, this little car has converted me! I'll be owning Suzukis from here on out. Extremely cheap to run, cheap to service, comfortable and spacious, and lots of tech. Great value for money, the perfect run around car.  Show details

Best of many worlds – We had this car for about 3 years and this is the best car purchase so far, main benefits 1. Made in Japan - Great quality 2. Price - we bought it for about 16k driveaway demo, since then the price has gone up by a few grands. 3. Space - Suzuki managed to give a lot of space for both front and back row adults - something even a Mazda 3 cannot… Read more

do. 4. Fuel economy - in Sydney city I am doing 6L/100km, and I have a heavy right foot.

a very important tip - the GLX comes with 16 inch wheels with 60 profile types - with the poor quality Sydney roads it CAN be very bumpy and even uncomfortable for rear passengers - probably due to the smaller sized suspension system. the easy and cheap solution is to downgrade to 15 inch wheels - used by the GL.

I specially sourced the identical wheels of the GL and put 185/65R15 tyres on, not only these tyres are cheaper, and now the ride is super comfortable - however, as the replacement wheels are heavier and the tyres are slightly wider you pay 0.1L/100km more in fuel - but it is a great tradeoff.

Fabulous wee car! – My children bought this car for me new in the white pearl and I just love it! It’s so much fun to drive, comfortable, easy to park, cheap on fuel and everything works as it should. Take one for a test drive, you won’t be able to stop smiling! Plus it looks so cute inside and an out! Show details

Best Driving – I purchased my new car in May as my old one was 15yr old and I just wanted to update. My use for a car is personal and I do not do alot of kms but I needed to get an auto and also I wanted to have a car that I could slide into not have to sit down into like my old one and so this was perfect and still and SUV. I loved the shape it is still small… Read more

enough for me and looks so smart and also economical to run like my old one. I purchased the orange duco and I got the protective coating over it to protect the paintwork. I am so thrilled with the choice that I made, its just such a joy to drive with the comfortable seats and the lovely way it drives and also its just so quiet inside. I also like how all that I need is on the steering wheel something I have not had before. I paid under $20,000 for this car and its just exactly what I need to last me another 15yrs. I also like that these days the services that the car needs to keep the 5yr warranty are capped and you know when they are needed and what the will cost, my first service on 6 mths not kms. I suggest that you take one for a test drive.

Such a great car – Replaced the XTrail with an Ignis due to 100km daily commute. Bought a manual as I live in a very steep hilly suburb. Could not be happier. Honestly, this car is the most enjoyable, user-friendly, willing little beast. Happily sits on 120kph on highway. Uses just over 5L of 91 around town when I wring it's poor neck. Super fun to drive;… Read more

ridiculously easy to park; room for me, the missus and kid in booster seat. We always take my car instead of our new Mazda 6. Very, very happy with this car. If you like driving then buy the manual and stick aftermarket wheels on it. It's the bargain of the decade.

Great little car that does it all – I admit there was a little trepidation at purchasing a 1.2 litre engine for a car that would see the occasional long distance run. This was blown out of the water when we drove to Canberra and back. It was quiet comfortable at 110 klm/ hr and apart from road noise, was quiet, even with the road noise you could talk quietly and have a conversation,… Read more

on highway roads anyway. Im a bigger bloke, and small cars are not my thing, but the Ignis is easy to get into and out of with at least 4 inches head room while driving. Its not a Ferrari or Porche by any means, but it gets up to any legal speed with ease and is comfortable at that speed at 110 its little engine is doing 2000 rpm on the flat, you cant hear it. But it readily revs up to 4500 rpm getting up some bigger hills. parking is a breeze, the small turning circle and small stature of the vehicle makes it a dream to park, and the reversing camera makes reverse parking soooooo easy. Bought this little car for my wife, but I like driving it on the weekend.

Nice but – 2017 Sizuki Ignis review At first sight, all the proportions were a bit out of kilter. After looking at all the small cars this was my partners choice of an about town shopping basket lower price car. And that’s exactly what it is, a town shopping basket, picking up young kids and the odd 100km drive. For what it is, it’s reasonably roomy… Read more

inside. The rear seat can be moved back and forward depending whether seating or carrying is needed. The 1.2 engine is fine, it does the job. The CVT transmission is perfect for about town, foot hard down and it has a reasonable acceleration. It also has a reversing camera. 5.2 ltrs at 100 to 110 kph and 4.2 at 70 to 80 kph. It drinks 91 ron petrol. A little bit bumpy and a bit skittish with power on round corners but we find it all acceptable. Oh yes and Sat Nav. This was out of date when bought and an update is something like up to $179. Best to use your phone map.

There's a wee button on the gear lever that puts the engine in a sports mode for overtaking that is useful.

That’s about it really. There are a few more bits and bobs like the intermittent wipers that aren’t adjustable for speed of wipe, no boot light and the glove box is just that, the car manual and documents fills it up.

In NZ there’s a basic manual transmission car, basic auto and top of the range. The top of the range is really just the basic auto with a reversing camera, bigger wheels and a few other things that should be on the basic car.

There are an awful lot of features in the book that haven't made their way on to the Ignis LTD - Best to go through a list to check what you want and need is there.

While the new price feels a bit steep a one year old good low mileage private purchase may be better value for money while still having the new car feel.

7/10/18

Have found that the spare wheel holder will accept a full size 16 in alloy spare, although its not possible to screw the down the plastic ring that holds the spare in place. No matter, full size spares come up on the secondhand sites and it great to have one.

The engine seems to be loosening up and $4.7 ltrs/100kms is now normal.

Found it only has one passengers grab handle (for the front seat) seems there is provision for them in the back - but none fitted.

The CVT hunts about trying to accelerate sedately, but its ok when it gets there.

Still find it fine as a easy in easy out shopping basket if the price is right.

Great little car – The Suzuki Ignis is a great little car. It drives beautifully and the running costs are so cheap. I always put P98 fuel in it and I get 620km out of a full tank and at the moment with P98 being $1.72 per litre it costs me $45 to fill my tank up and it lasts me a week. So affordable. It's quite roomy inside too. I have a booster seat and a baby… Read more

seat in the back and there's still enough room for a little person to sit in between them. One thing it doesn't have is a CD player but everything is run through the dash which connects via Bluetooth to your phone sl you can play Spotify or your own music through there. It has voice activation with calling people which is great and I love that I can connect my phone via USB and the dash screen in the car becomes my phone screen.

I am so happy I bought this car and I highly recommend it.

Great little car – We were looking for a hatchback or SUV which was easy to get in and out of.As an older couple we were finding it uncomfortable climbing in and out of our otherwise excellent hatchback.A search seemed to indicate that we would be paying a lot for the relatively expensive SUV's which had an acceptable ground clearance.Then we came acroos stats which… Read more

showed that the Ignis might do the job at an affordable price.We looked at the car in the showroom and knew immediately this was it.The driving position, accessability and visibility are excellent .You never feel like you are in a small car.Economy is great.The inside is a bit plasticky but the supply of gadgets is worthwhile.Maybe AEB would have been good but otherwise the package was great.We chose a manual because we still like the feel of a manual.Gears are smooth .It has plenty of pep.

What a need compact car for the inner west, sydney – I just love this little car. I'm in my 40's, on a 100+ income. Basically, I could by most cars on the market. Why did I buy an Ignis. Basically because it was a Suzuki "bullet proof". 5 year warranty, no squeaks, small and nimble to park in the city and around (Newtown). Features include keyless entry, reverse camera, ample room inside. All for 22k and yes. BUILT IN JAPAN! Well done guys. Cannt go past the grey!!!  Show details

I love my little Iggy! – Purchased a bright orange suzuki ignis last month GLX and I love it so much, very comfortable, great visibility and the seat changing/movement options make it a winner. The only negative is the lack of boot light!  Show details