Suzuki Ignis review

The Suzuki Ignis is a real breath of fresh air in the city car class, offering desirable crossover-style looks and a distinctive character that sets it apart from rivals. Love or hate the exterior, you have to accept that there’s little else at this price with so much personality.

The Ignis also sticks to Suzuki’s usual traits of offering tonnes of equipment for not an awful lot of money, and despite the dinky dimensions it’s actually very versatile and spacious. It’s light, and feels agile and nippy around town, but the market’s best small cars are both more comfortable and more composed to drive.  

About the Suzuki Ignis

The Suzuki Ignis is one of the quirkiest cars for sale today. It combines the Japanese company's small-car expertise and 4x4 know-how into one package. While the name is a blast from Suzuki's past (most notably on the rally-inspired Ignis Sport), the current Ignis is a car that trades on its style, as it really stands out from the crowd.

Supposedly inspired by the Whizzkid coupe of the late 1970s, the main talking point is the raked rear windscreen and the design of the C-pillars. Combine this with the chunky wheelarches and distinctive front end, and there really isn't any other car on the road that looks like the Ignis.

It's hard to pinpoint any direct rivals, because the Ignis mixes city car dimensions and sporty SUV styling so well. If you're looking at an Ignis, then you might consider a Fiat Panda Cross model, or a small 4x4 such as the Dacia Duster.

The VW up! is still available as a more traditional city car alternative, although the closely related Skoda Citigo and SEAT Mii are now only to be found on the used market, along with the parts-sharing Citroen C1, Peugeot 108 and Toyota Aygo. The Korean pairing of the Hyundai i10 and the Kia Picanto are also strong contenders, with the former providing decent comfort and the latter model a sportier edge.

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Some might feel the Ignis lacks a little interior quality, with some cheap trim on show in the cabin, but when you think how much you’re paying, it’s entirely forgivable. Four-wheel drive, and a super-frugal hybrid variant, means there are plenty of strings to this little Suzuki’s bow. 

A facelift in 2020 saw Suzuki introduce some subtle exterior styling tweaks for the Ignis, as well as extra onboard tech and a modified version of its 1.2-litre hybrid powertrain. Hybrid technology is standard across the range, and now includes a larger-capacity battery pack and revised belt-driven starter-generator to help improve overall efficiency.

Three trim levels are offered in combination with the front-wheel-drive, five-speed manual model: SZ3, SZ-T and SZ5. Opt for the CVT automatic version and you miss out on the entry SZ3 specification, while the 4x4 AllGrip, five-speed manual variant only comes in the top SZ5 trim.

Prices start from around £15,000, with the top of the range SZ5 4x4 model costing more than £18,000.

For an alternative review of the latest Suzuki Ignis, visit our sister site carbuyer.co.uk...