Jezza Jeremy Maqasa*

I got the opportunity to spend time with the Suzuki Ignis a weekend before the prestigious Cars.co.za Consumer Awards. The Suzuki Ignis went on to win the Budget Car category. The Suzuki brand of the year won ‘Brand of the Year’ for the second year running.

Engine and drive

Back to our charming Suzuki Ignis. This funky and boxy mini-urban SUV comes from Hamamatsu, a coastal city in Honshu, Japan. The spunky 1.2L free-revving Ignis GLX with 61 kW of power and decent amount of torque of 113 Nm is an ideal city sleeker. It uses minimal fuel consumption. I averaged 5.1L/100km in city driving. On the freeway, the fuel consumption dropped to a meagre 4.7L/100km. This is extremely efficient, especially considering how pricy fuel is in our country.

Driving around in town is a breeze with the Ignis, since its “turning-circle” is a huge advantage. No matter how bad the traffic was in Jeppe Street in downtown Joburg, I could point it to a corner and it would oblige like a boer-bull when it receives orders from its owner. The ease in its ground clearance is also its strongest point. I had a few taxis that had blockaded my path, but this Japanese “mini” had no time to linger about, it climbed the pavement with no qualms while heads of people were turning towards it with awe.

The unconventional looks made it a draw card as departs from the other mainstream manufacturers in terms of being a “stand-alone” car. The flared wheel arches trying to resemble a sports car housing the tiny “black-shoes”. The front part of the car looks catchy more so with those U-shaped LED lights paired with lowered fog-lamps on the bumper.

Looks: inside and outside

My dislike is certainly the rear. It seems the car was loaded into the boat and the message was, “we still haven’t figured how that back should look like,” but go anyway. Inside, the Ignis’ dashboard has a simple and uncomplicated layout. The dials are easy to reach for the driver. The 6.2 inch touchscreen Infotainment system that is almost “stand alone” on the dash is practical and quick to figure out. I just struggled with the Bluetooth connectivity on my iPhone. This is something for Suzuki to pay attention to. Connectivity is everything to the buyer in this segment.

I enjoyed the colour-combo of black and white on the dash. The side air-vents with carbon-fibre detailing were also a pleasant surprise. The Suzuki Ignis contains quite a number of hard plastic covers, but because of it gives the car a solid feel, it does not feel out of space.

The Suzuki Ignis is a highly practical car. It can easily fit the lifestyle of a student, bachelor and young family. The ignis is by no means a slouch of a car but a typical country carrier in terms of affordability, fuel efficiency and above all head and neck turner.

*Jezza is a motoring enthusiast and a Volkswagen Audi Group ambassador. You can also send us your own written or video review and we will gladly publish it. Your contribution will be subject to our editorial policy of course.