Suzuki Ignis Estate 2000-2008

The Suzuki Ignis is a car that doesn’t appear to know what it wants to be. The style of a small off-roader and the size of a supermini give a confusing look. It does give good visibility when driving around town because you sit higher up than in most of its supermini rivals, and the engines are punchy, however, the ride does feel stiff around town and there is plenty of body roll in the corners due to the tall and narrow body.

Pros and Cons:

• Solid built quality
  Surprisingly spacious interior
  Nippy engines and handling

• Dull interiors
  High running costs compared to most of its rivals

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Exterior and Interior

From the outside the Suzuki Ignis looks like a supermini due to its small size. Nevertheless, it is styled like an off-roader. The interior is acceptable, feeling surprisingly roomy and seating four people in comfort. The back row of seats can slide backwards in order to increase legroom for the rear seat passengers when the boot isn’t in use. The boot is small as you would expect in a car of this size but it can be increased by folding flat the rear seats. The materials all feel well-put together, but it’s lacking in style and refinement.

As for choosing a trim level, there are only two available with the 1.3-litre option. There is not much difference between the two, but the higher GL adds slightly more gear for the money. In the 1.5-litre version you have even less choice with only one trim level being available.

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Engines

There are only two engines available in the Ignis: a 81bhp 1.3-litre and 110bhp 1.5-litre petrol units. Both models come as either a two-wheel-drive option with mechanical or automatic gearbox, or as an all-wheel-drive with a five speed manual gearbox.

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Performance and Economy

The 1.3-litre is the more economical of the engines at 44mpg, but compared to its rivals, this is nothing spectacular. The 1.5-litre that was introduced during the 2003 face lift adds extra 19bhp enabling the Suzuki Ignis to accelerate from 0-60mph in 9.8 seconds, compared the smaller engine’s 11 seconds.

As for choosing between the two and four-wheel-drive models, go for the two-wheel-drive option as the four-wheel-drive models are less economical and don’t add much in terms of improved handling. The Ignis doesn’t perform well off the road so don’t be fooled by the styling’s.

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What it's like to Drive

The height of the Suzuki Ignis does cause a few problems when it comes to handling. The weird shape of the car means that there is plenty of body roll in the corners. The steering feels accurate and light around town, but at higher speed it begins to feel imprecise. The ride is also rough around town but has a tendency of smoothing out when travelling at motorway speeds. Both of the engines feel nippy, although the lack of grip doesn’t make it a pleasant car to drive.

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Faults and Repairs

Suzukis tend to be fairly reliable and the Ignis isn’t an exception. There are very few faults cropping up. Any repairs that do need to be carried out shouldn’t cost a lot. Suzuki boasts one of the lowest average repair bills of any car manufacturer. Suzuki service stations also have cheap hourly rates.

Servicing the Ignis is not expensive but the service interval is shorter than for a normal supermini. You have to get it serviced every 6,000 miles.

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