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Britain’s biggest and best car buyer’s guide Reprinted from Awards 2018 TRUE MPG AWARD WINNER The Ignis shines in our comprehensive fuel economy test

AUTOCAR: CARS OF 2017 TAKING ON THE BIG GUNS OUR EIGHT-MONTH VERDICT How the Ignis made our end-of-year head-to-head Life on the road with our long-term test car CAR OF THE YEAR 2018

Winner True MPG Award Suzuki Ignis 1.2 SHVS 2WD SZ5

The main reason you’re interested in a car’s fuel economy figures is because you don’t want to pour tonnes of money into its tank, right? With that in mind, you won’t want to spend loads on buying the car that offers cheap running costs, either. That’s where the Ignis really scores. It’s frugal in any type of driving and inexpensive to buy, at over £3000 cheaper than the Yaris Hybrid and virtually half the price of the CX-5. You can even have an Ignis with four-wheel drive that returns 53.3mpg. All this makes the Ignis the deserving winner of our first True MPG Award.

Photography: John Bradshaw

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2 | Reprinted from What Car? Awards Issue 2018 whatcar.com Reprinted from What Car? Awards Issue 2018 whatcar.com | 3 CAR OF Awards 2018 THE YEAR 2018 Suzuki’s winners

Best buy Less than £9500 KEY FACTS List price £7999 Best City Car Target Price £7594 What Car? Light, precise controls, Monthly PCP cost £133* deal a comfy low-speed SZ2 Performance 0-62mph 13.5sec £6999 ride, and enough IT WOULD BE easy to dismiss the Celerio should also be commended. It isn’t quite Top speed 96mph poke for motorways and its quirky looks. But never judge a book as supple or agile as a Skoda Citigo or Kia by its cover; the Celerio makes a superbly Picanto, but it’s close, and those rivals cost Running costs True are crucial. Inside, we well-rounded city car choice. considerably more to buy. Official economy 65.7mpg MPG want generous space Suzuki’s 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol Great value for money is even more CO2 99g/km engine is a peach. It packs a modest apparent inside. The Celerio offers genuine Company car tax band 18% and reasonable 67bhp but, because the Celerio is light, space for four adults and the weekly shop, Insurance group 7 quality – and it all it’s easily strong enough for town work its tall windows provide a brilliant view out and doesn’t even feel too out of its depth in all directions and Suzuki throws in Safety 57.8 needs to come at on the motorway. Drive sensibly and the everything you would realistically need – Euro NCAP crash rating a competitive price. 57.8mpg we saw in our real-world True MPG even on entry-level SZ2 trim. yxxxxxx yxxxxxx yyyxxxxxx testing is achievable. All things considered, the Celerio is a The way the Celerio rides and handles serious amount of car for the cash. 61% 74% 68% 38% (2014) * 9.4% (£750) deposit

Best buy Less than £16,000 KEY FACTS List price £15,999 Best Small SUV Target Price £15,004 What Car? Good small SUVs Monthly PCP cost £261* deal are comfortable, with 1.6 SZ4 Performance 0-62mph 11.5sec £14,499 spacious interiors DESPITE THE ARRIVAL of competition from either. Our preferred 1.6-litre Top speed 112mph and clever touches a number of manufacturers, as well as is willing if you don’t mind working it hard, Suzuki’s own Ignis, the Vitara remains our and is smoother than most of the downsized Running costs True that make them more favourite budget SUV. The Vitara is bigger three-cylinder engines in rivals. The Vitara Official economy 53.3mpg MPG practical. Running than a number of more expensive rivals, even has enjoyable handling, resisting roll CO2 123g/km with plenty of boot space and enough well and feeling keen to change direction. Company car tax band 23% costs shouldn’t be room for adults in the back seats. In everyday driving, this version is capable Insurance group 14 too much more It’s well equipped, too. SZ4 trim gets of diesel-beating economy; it managed an basics such as Bluetooth connectivity, impressive 47.7mpg in our True MPG test. Safety 47.7 than an equivalent a DAB radio, all-round electric windows Then there’s dependability: Suzuki ranked Euro NCAP crash rating . and alloy wheels, plus a few luxuries fourth out of 32 manufacturers in our latest yxxxxxx yxxxxxx yxxxxxx yxxxxxx yxxxxx including cruise control and climate control. reliability survey. All in all, the Vitara makes The Vitara doesn’t disappoint on the road, for a very compelling small SUV. 89% 85% 76% 75% (2015) * 9.4% (£1500) deposit

KEY FACTS True MPG List price £14,499 True Finalist Suzuki Ignis Target Price £13,988 MPG The most impressive 1.2 SHVS 2WD SZ5 Best What Car? deal £13,053 True MPG performers Official economy 65.7mpg CO2 97g/km of the past year. Company car tax band 18% WHY THE IGNIS is a finalist is simple: nothing find a fairly normal, non-turbocharged Insurance group 17 Average Rather than just has surpassed its stellar average True MPG 1.2-litre petrol engine. Examine more closely, 59.6 picking the three figure of 59.6mpg. Given the wide selection though, and the mechanically minded Safety most frugal cars, we of hybrids, downsized turbocharged petrol among you might notice a belt-driven Euro NCAP crash rating Town engines and diesels we’ve tested this year, motor/generator. This can generate yxxxxxx yxxxxxx yxxxxxx yxxxxxx yxxxxxx 50.6 consider how models that’s quite some achievement. electricity when you’re slowing down. Not only does the Ignis sip less fuel That’s fed to a tiny battery that then powers 87% 79% 77% 60% Motorway perform against rivals than anything else, but it doesn’t chuck the motor, which adds torque under (2016) 54.1 and what pollutants out much NOx, either. Considering NOx acceleration, helping with performance. contributes to the formation of smog In addition, the Ignis weighs much less True MPG emissions Rural come out of their and acid rain, that’s worth celebrating. than even the Volkswagen Up city car, Hydrocarbons 0.027g/km 75.1 exhausts. So, what magic does the Ignis use to achieve so even cheaper, non-hybrid versions of CO 0.485g/km this? Well, look under the bonnet and you’ll the car are still good for more than 50mpg. NOx 0.004g/km CO2 111.5g/km

4 | Reprinted from What Car? Awards Issue 2018 whatcar.com Reprinted from What Car? Awards Issue 2018 whatcar.com | 5 you of stationary obstacles. Meanwhile, other niceties include climate control, electric front and rear windows and keyless entry and start. If that wasn’t enough, the Ignis features OUR CARS a pair of individually sliding and reclining rear seats, just like in a grown-up SUV. Push them all the way back and there’s a surprising amount of rear leg room. The high roof ensures that even tall adults should have plenty of Suzuki Ignis head room – although it’s not something I’ve personally put to the test, being the size of an average garden gnome. 1.2 Dualjet SHVS Allgrip SZ5 Not only does our Ignis look good on paper, but it also does a good job of charming everyone who drives it. It may not be fast, but Suzuki’s baby SUV has impressed us so far; now it’s time to find it’s great fun in corners, because the steering is well weighted and the car’s light weight out how the four-wheel-drive version fares in real-world use means it feels eager to turn in despite WHY WE’RE being relatively tall. Photography: John Bradshaw RUNNING IT Then there’s its limited power and narrow tyres, which enable To find out whether Mileage 4445 List price £14,249 Target Price £13,705 Price as tested £14,899 Test economy 45.6mpg you to drive it hard yet stay the Ignis is more well within the speed limits. versatile than other There are many so-called hot Run by Alan Taylor-Jones enough 4x4 styling cues to give it broad to the engine via a belt, although it isn’t big cars of its size due to hatches that could learn a lot [email protected] appeal. Suzuki buffs will even notice a few enough to move the car on its own. its SUV practicality from this unlikely B-road hero. retro touches inspired by the brand’s iconic So, what’s the point if there’s no zero- and four-wheel As a member of the reviews SUZUKI APPEARS TO be suffering from a case Whizzkid coupé of the 1970s. emissions running? Well, it makes the little drive team, I will be using the Ignis to of writer’s block. After reintroducing the Baleno Our Ignis is a range-topping SZ5 model, 1.2-litre engine feel bigger than it actually is, get to plenty of faraway car launch name last year, the Ignis badge has now been which comes with a 1.2-litre four-cylinder allowing you to stay in a higher gear for longer, events during the coming months. retrieved from the bin and glued onto the back petrol engine with SHVS (Smart reducing revs and boosting fuel economy. It might turn out that the Ignis isn’t really of a city car-sized SUV. by Suzuki) technology. But this doesn’t mean In addition, there’s no need to plug the car in. suited to such trips, but right now I can’t think Thankfully, while those in the naming it has a big battery eating into interior space Lift off the accelerator while driving and the of a bad word to say about it. department were scratching their heads, in the way that a Prius does. Instead, energy that would usually be lost is used to Certainly, it can get up to motorway speeds Suzuki’s designers were having a flash of there’s a battery that’s small enough to sit top up the battery again. quicker than many rivals, and it doesn’t appear inspiration. The Ignis is shorter than a Ford under the front passenger seat. This feeds a There’s fun to be had, too. While more to be affected by hills, either. Overtaking on Fiesta, with rather cute looks, but there’s combined starter-generator that’s attached and more cars are moving to turbocharged The boot is a bit small but can still fit a week’s shopping Four-wheel drive mode enables some light off-roading an A-road does take some planning but is doable if you’re on a clear stretch of asphalt. Even with the selection of luxury and FIRST sports cars that are usually found in the REPORT What Car? car park, I wasn’t too disappointed to find myself driving the Ignis for a whole week. In total, I managed more than 500 miles on a wide selection of roads and still ended the week smiling. Hopefully, over the next few months we’ll get a few opportunities to find out whether the Ignis can prove equally as capable and entertaining when it ventures off the beaten track.

The high roof offers good head room, even for tall adults Suzuki’s hybrid models do not rely on chunky batteries LOGBOOK Suzuki Ignis engines that tend to run out of puff at about 1.2 Dualjet SHVS Allgrip SZ5 5500rpm, the naturally aspirated Ignis is happy ‘The car’s light weight to rev freely. Its engine may sound a little gruff, List price £14,249 but it has a real charm to it. means it feels eager And unlike many rivals, the Ignis is available to turn in despite with four-wheel drive. Okay, the rear wheels Target Price £13,705 are only driven when the front ones start Price as tested £14,899 being relatively tall’ to slip, but it should be fine for a bit of light off-roading, even with its road-biased tyres Extras RIVALS and relatively low ground clearance. Fervent Red paint with contrasting Our chosen SZ5 trim brings a tonne of black roof (£650) equipment. So much, in fact, that the only option I felt the need to add is Fervent Red Running costs paint with a black roof (£650) to help the Test economy 45.6mpg Ignis stand out in car parks. I just hope no one mistakes me for Postman Pat. Hyundai i10 Volkswagen Up What else does £14,899 (including that True MPG 53.3mpg option) buy you? For a start, there’s a Official average60.1mpg Our current City It’s smaller inside, touchscreen infotainment system with Tank 32 litres Car of the Year but the high-quality Bluetooth, sat-nav and a rear-view camera, Contract hire £208.83 (+VAT) per month treads a more interior and punchy as well as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto Cost per mile 12.6 pence conventional path turbocharged smartphone mirroring. Insurance group 18 than the Ignis. engine appeal. You also get an automatic emergency braking Typical insurance quote £562 per year system, which proves very effective at warning

6 | Reprinted from What Car? October 2017 whatcar.com Reprinted from What Car? October 2017 whatcar.com | 7 CARS OF 2017 COMPARISON

FIVE GOLD RINGS Well, four gold rings, perhaps, plus one cut-price but endearing little trinket. Autocar’s road test contingent each pick their favourite car of 2017 and convene to compare, contend and contrast. Let the festive fun begin PHOTOGRAPHY STAN PAPIOR, LUC LACEY

8 AUTOCAR.CO.UK REPRINTED FROM 13/20 DECEMBER 2017 REPRINTED FROM 13/20 DECEMBER 2017 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 9 CARS OF 2017 COMPARISON ASTON MARTIN DB11 V8 Price £144,900 Engine V8, 3982cc, twin- turbocharged, petrol Power 503bhp at 6000rpm Torque 498lb ft at 2000rpm Gearbox 8-spd automatic SUZUKI IGNIS 1.2 SHVS SZ5 4X4 Kerb weight 1760kg 0-62mph 4.0sec Price £14,499 Top speed 187mph Engine 4 cyls in line, 1242cc, Economy 28.5mpg (combined) petrol, with hybrid assist CO2, tax band 230g/km, 37% Power 89bhp at 6000rpm Torque 89lb ft at 4400rpm Gearbox 5-spd manual Kerb weight 860kg Anonymous rural lay-by 0-62mph 11.5sec plays host to £650k of Top speed 103mph flash cars. And a Suzuki Economy 60.1mpg (combined) CO2, tax band 106g/km, 20% ATT SAUNDERS They’ve thought long and hard about We’re here to talk about what matters to blokes like me about our favourite cars of cars like this. But they remembered M the year, and probably to make it so utterly, insanely rapid. to not agree on which For power and pace, it was on another is the best overall. There’s a Porsche, level – a supercar unquestionably a McLaren, a Lamborghini and an quicker than a hypercar: quicker Aston Martin in the car park – as you than a McLaren P1, no question. would probably expect. Then there’s MS It’s the only five-star road test yours, Prior. Presumably, being your car here, which should count for habitually organised self, you found something. We had reservations that all of the cars you really wanted about whether it was exciting enough to bring had been spoken for by the in all the scenarios and situations time you chose the Suzuki Ignis? that a supercar ought to be. But, when MATT PRIOR That’s not entirely you get an idea of how much faster it true . The Suzuki isn’t the best car I’ve is than its immediate rivals, I don’t driven this year, but it is one of the really see how you can be anything cars I’ve liked most. It’s really nicely other than massively excited by it. engineered: it’s small, it’s short, it’s DAN PROSSER You can drive ❝ light, it’s clever, it’s four-wheel drive the 720S at 40mph and feel more and it’s the only car here that’s really connected than other supercars. You The Suzuki Ignis isn’t the best car compact enough for these country don’t need to drive it fast to enjoy it. roads. It’s nice to drive but, moreover, MS I’m convinced it’s a better I’ve got a lot of time for it – because road car than a Ferrari 488 GTB. it’s harder to make a car like this well Not sure you’ll all agree on that… I’ve driven this year, but it is one than it is to make a carbonfibre AF I’d just like it to ride a bit more supercar. It’s a nice piece of kit. like a 570S. I know they deliberately MS When I drove it, I remember moved the ride compromise a bit: of the cars I’ve liked the most thinking: “If I was 23 again, I’d really closer to a 675LT than a 650S. And fancy this.” It’s just so much more I wish they had that Ferrari-style characterful and interesting than ‘bumpy road’ setting in which the ❞ most small, cheap cars. dampers relax a bit more. That would RICHARD LANE It’s nicely buoyant be easy to do, wouldn’t it? I think it’s on country roads, it doesn’t feel out of a trick they’re missing. control at high speeds. But it’s a bit DP I didn’t like the f lipping display. out of its depth on the motorway. It seems like a gimmick. The graphics ANDREW FRANKEL As someone are small and hard to read, and it still who has an aversion to the modern doesn’t get out of your way, so you’re trend towards SUVs, you not seeing more of the road. If they can get in the Ignis – even after had simply redesigned the LCD for a something ridiculous like a McLaren less distracting display mode, they’d 720S – and it’s not unpleasant. have achieved the same result. It’s as You can appreciate the purpose though somebody said “we need a it serves, and imagine the person ‘delight’ feature here” – so they came you’d recommend it to. And that’s up with one. That’s very un-McLaren. what I struggle to do with all those RL I like the McLaren, but I love crossovers. It’s quite focused, its fun the Huracán. You’d be astonished and it makes you feel happy. There by how co-operative it is – you really you go, it’s the winner. Shall we eat? can live with it. For a car that looks MP Can we have five steak and this good and goes this absurdly well, chips, please? Go on, who’s next? that has been the real surprise. AF With the McLaren, I was There isn’t another supercar in the amazed by its sheer speed, and how world with such a feral engine. With easy it is to go quickly in it. I also its valves open, the exhaust shriek is like the fact that it does all that, yet it deafening, but also expressive. works on a completely practical basis. The steering isn’t perfect, but the The visibility is amazing. If you’re old chassis gives you the confidence to and fat, you can get in and out easily. get near the redline and lets you push Hugely capable 911 GTS As incongruous two- It’s got good luggage space, and the hard – even through off-camber is able to keep its head car shootouts go, this driving environment is sublime. corners and big undulations. ◊ under the radar – just one is right up there…

10 AUTOCAR.CO.UK REPRINTED FROM 13/20 DECEMBER 2017 REPRINTED FROM 13/20 DECEMBER 2017 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 11 CARS OF 2017 COMPARISON turbocharged torque. Now, Saunders. What about your Aston Martin? MS Well, what do you blokes think of the DB11? How many of us drove the V12 version and thought it was the right DB11 when we drove it? MP I’m willing to have my opinion revised by this new one. MS For me, the DB11 V12 didn’t quite feel like an Aston Martin – or not quite Aston enough. It wasn’t the engine so much as the way it steered. But, when I drove the DB11 V8, I realised we only got half the picture. The V8 and V12 are two halves of the same image – and the V8 is intended to appeal to blokes like us. It seems a bit odd that they needed to get an AMG engine in order to make a DB11 that feels like an authentic Aston Martin. But it speaks volumes Dinky but clever Ignis to me that Aston is planning to take is in its element on most of the V8’s suspension and narrow back lanes steering settings and roll them onto the V12 for the 2019 model year. AF Do you think anyone will have a MP What do you think of the MP Straw poll: if we couldn’t go The reason I like it so much is problem with the fact that you can engine note, Stormy? I haven’t home in the car we brought with us, because it feels like a car built to my buy a Mercedes estate with the same driven it far, but it doesn’t seem how many of us would take the specification, to address all the engine and another 100bhp? Should quite as loud as an AMG’s. Aston? No one? What about the things I didn’t like about the V12. an Aston not have the ultimate MS No – it isn’t. AMG uses a lot of Suzuki? Another no score. The And the car also feels important. version of any engine it uses? speaker trickery these days to Porsche? That’s three. What about There’s more riding on the DB11 than MP No, I don’t mind that. I’ve got a produce that bassy exhaust noise, the Lamborghini? Two, then. No one on any other car here, I reckon, and bigger problem with the Mercedes and the first thing Aston did was to for the McLaren? That’s interesting… it matters that it fulfils its potential as column stalks, just like the Audi ones dispense with that. To me, it’s a bit MS If this is like that radio show a and a true Aston Martin. in the Huracán. At £150,000, you more breathy and delicate than, say, and I’m the one talking when the The V8 does that, for me. It’s not could do me a proper stalk, really. an AMG GT; just different enough to music stops, that means the Aston Frankel’s hat and coat the greatest driver’s car in the world, It’s not that much to ask, is it? feel like Aston’s own. It feels like it wins. Either way, can photographer stand to attention while sure, but now it feels like it’s about AF Well, it probably is, actually. But belongs, no question. But I remember Stanley stop scowling and eat his the lads rough it for lunch as good as it can be. it certainly doesn’t appear that way. driving six-cylinder DB7s… fish and chips? L

∆ You get the massively intimidating to look utterly incredible and more AF You can leave it anywhere too. persona you want in a car like this, outrageous than any competitor. You’d have to think hard about where Sorry, Alfa and yet it’s not nearly as intimidating as That’s job one for a Lambo, you’d park the Lamborghini and Audi, the Ignis is our you’d think to drive. It’s capable and whereas McLaren started with the McLaren, but wouldn’t think twice car-park champ pin- sharp. It allows you to grab it by driver and worked outwards – form about parking a 911 on the street. If I The Top Floor of the Waitrose the horns and get a bit carried away. following function. They’ve ended parked a 720S on a residential street, That’s what a Lambo ought to do. up with a design that isn’t nearly as I’d be worried about it all the time. Car Park Award for the easiest car to What has really blown me away is arresting, and not by chance. But I wouldn’t worry about a 911. They that it feels well-sorted and liveable McLaren’s approach is right for them. have just enough ubiquity to make on all sorts of UK roads, and in filthy AF I see no reason why a them a bit inconspicuous. negotiate in tight spaces and city streets weather. This is an Italian supercar Lamborghini can’t do both. A good, DP You’re right. I had an Audi R8 developed for track days at the comfortable seat and driving position for a while. It was my only car, so I Nürburgring. They’ve finally hit the is so basic. If every time you get in you had to park it on the street now and WINNER SUZUKI IGNIS brief, and that was always going to think: “I’m going to be in pain by the again. Sure enough, somebody HIGHLY COMMENDED BENTLEY BENTAYGA, bring about something special. time I get out”, that’s a limiting factor smashed a window and broke into it. DACIA SANDERO STEPWAY LPG AF I have to say, I loathe the Audi for how much you’ll use it. Having Would that have happened to a 911? cabin content. The switchgear in the said that, the Performante is probably Perhaps – but much less likely. We’ll get to the winner in a minute. ready to come out. Or, better, I could Huracán is all sourced from Audi. the best Lamborghini I’ve driven. MP If you told me that I had to drive First, an explanation. This award is give him the shopping list and drive It’s not even Audi’s latest stuff: it’s the It’s a Lamborghini for those who any of the cars in the car park – but I so named because Autocar Towers around the block until he came out.” kind you’ll find in a 10-year-old A4. aren’t just into the image. It’s a proper had to drive it everywhere I needed to shares a ridiculously tight multi- Hmmm. Guess there’s a logic It spoils the illusion: it makes it feel driver’s car. But I fear I wouldn’t have go for the rest of the day – I’d take the storey car park with a Waitrose, and there, of sorts. Still, ultimately – less special than it ought to. the stomach to use it anything like 911. It’s compact, you can see out of it, the ten-storey ascent to our top-floor and in one of the unlikeliest MP It’s a £200,000 car. For that you’ve done this week, Ricky. there’s room in it, it stops, it goes, it’s parking area provides an excellent paragraphs you’ll have read in price, you shouldn’t have to put up DP How much more would you use quick but not ballistic, and it doesn’t test of a car’s agility in tight spaces. Autocar in some time – the Bentley with parts-bin components. a Porsche 911 GTS, Andrew? We both make you look like a total tosser. So, er, how did Bentley’s massive Bentayga was swept aside by the RL Those things haven’t bothered thought it was fantastic to drive. You MS But does it still feel special after Bentayga SUV finish second in an new Suzuki Ignis. me too much – and I don’t think they get a level of usability you don’t get 15,000 miles over a couple of years? award that should be all about small, Describing the Ignis as a would if I owned it. Nobody can tell with a GT3, thanks to the second-row Does it become ordinary because nimble machines? People have some “top-drawer small car”, Jim Holder me they’d take the McLaren’s V8 seats. You don’t get the GT3’s engine, you use it too much? explaining to do… said: “Yes, it looks a little dorky, instead of that V10? And it’s the sadly. But, even so, the GTS’s motor is AF Quite the opposite. I’ve done Let’s start with Dan Prosser: with its high-ride height and short best-looking car here by some way. great by turbocharged standards. 10,000 miles in a 911 Carrera S, and it “Concrete walls, small building, length, but that makes it perfect MS I agree. I don’t care that the The car is more road-biased than has become more special if anything. other vehicles – all swept aside by for urban living.” Lamborghini’s cabin ergonomics the GT3. And you could actually use With miles and use, I’ve begun to the hefty Bentley as though they Holder added a prediction: are compromised. Every time I feel it every day. You wouldn’t be worried appreciate how great the Porsche is to weren’t there.” “Another car maker will take the like complaining, I’m reminded how about piling on the miles. It’s not far drive. The more I drive it, the deeper Andrew Frankel, can you do any formula, make it more stylish, sensational it looks from the outside. off being as great to drive as a GT3, is my esteem for it. And oddly, I don’t better? “Because my man could just double the price and be hailed for I want a Lamborghini to be designed then there’s all that usability. miss Porsche’s old atmospheric f lat drive around the block until I was inventing a new type of car.” like that: from the outside in, in order That’s hard to argue with. six, either. I’d just rather have the 12 AUTOCAR.CO.UK REPRINTED FROM 13/20 DECEMBER 2017 REPRINTED FROM 13/20 DECEMBER 2017 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 13 ❝ OUR CARS Our new Ignis is already doing a good job FEATURED THIS WEEK of charming everyone who drives it ❞

Suzuki’s designers have done a good job, given the short but tall proportions

MILEAGE 5729 There’s much to like here, a few bumps in the road aside

he Suzuki Ignis is one of the coolest new cars driven car, reducing to a claimed 204 T of 2017, it strikes me. litres in the Allgrip – but, in practice, It looks characterful the Ignis 4x4 still has plenty of and different, it is cheap, cleverly carrying capacity. packaged and does things that most With two kids in child seats, The Ignis’s quirkiness doesn’t control, electric windows and keyless small cars won’t. If I were 21 again I needed the car’s back seats in stop there. Unlike so many off- entry and go. If that wasn’t enough, and in the market for a new car, it their rearmost setting – and thus road-inspired crossovers out there’s a pair of individually sliding would be high on my shopping list. configured, ended up with more there (I’m looking at you, Renault and reclining rear seats, just like in There are some compromises to cabin space than you’d ever believe Captur, Peugeot 2008 and Vauxhall a grown-up SUV. If you push them accept if you choose to have your possible in a 3.7-metre car. That left Crossland X), it’s actually available all the way back there’s a surprising Ignis with four-wheel drive, however a fairly short boot – but one still big with four-wheel drive – Allgrip in amount of rear leg room and the – and life with our long-termer is enough to swallow a buggy loaded Suzuki-speak. This is a fairly typical high roof means even tall adults shining a light on some of them while upright on its end and to carry a torque-sensing system that fires won’t be rubbing their scalp into the making others seem less important. couple of soft bags next to it. power to the live rear axle if it feels headlining. First, to touch on that live axle rear The other compromise is the the front wheels slipping. Not only does it all look good on suspension. It impacts much more fuel tank size: the Allgrip has two Unlike the similarly priced Dacia paper, but our Ignis is already doing on the Ignis’ ride than its handling, litres fewer than its front-drive Duster, you can’t lock the Ignis in a good job of charming everyone who but it doesn’t leave the car with an counterpart. Averaging a consistent four-wheel drive, but it should be drives it. What it lacks in outright insurmountable dynamic obstacle 50mpg, that means filling up every fine for a bit of light off-roading. We speed, it more than makes up for in to overcome. Around town, there’s 320 miles – where you might get won’t be venturing too far off the zesty enthusiasm as it screams round a bit of a shortage of compliance to more than 350 out of the front-driver. beaten track, though; it might have to its rev-limiter while delicately the suspension over speed bumps, Even so, a 300-odd-miles cruising short overhangs to give reasonable sipping fuel. which you soon learn to take a little range seems fine for a small car. approach and departure angles, but It’s entertaining in the bends, more slowly than you might have I guess I’m inclined to forgive this FIRST REPORT the road-biased tyres and a low ride too. Even our top-spec car weighs first expected to in a car with more car a lot because I like it. But then height prevent it from being a cut- just 920kg, so it feels eminently ground clearance than the average there’s plenty to like. price Land Rover Defender. chuckable, despite its relative height. supermini. At higher speeds, the car’s MATT SAUNDERS Of course, while all this technical Grip is good and it resists understeer ride is slightly restless – but it’s not stuff is of great interest to anoraks very well indeed. Throw it into a bothersome. Grip level and handling like you and me, a typical Ignis owner corner off throttle and you’ll feel agility are both pretty good. TEST DATA SUZUKI IGNIS might be more interested in the stuff the rear come around round oh-so- To me, the car’s real genius is SUZUKI IGNIS 1.2 you’ll interact with every day. Being slightly. For something that looks so its packaging, which is affected SHVS ALLGRIP SZ5 It seems to offer a lot: handy tech, all-wheel drive and power. So is this an SZ5-spec car, our Ignis has plenty unsporting, it’s far more enjoyable in a minor way by the hardware Price £14,249 Price as tested £14,899 of equipment as standard. So much, than it has any right to be. necessary for four-wheel drive. You Economy 48.5mpg Faults none baby SUV as good as its spec sheet suggests? We have eight months to find out in fact, that the only option we’ve had Everything is looking very rosy get a 260-litre boot in the front- Expenses none Last seen 21.6.17 to add is Fervent Red paint with a so far, but we have until February t would appear that enough 4x4-ness to make it look like Vehicle by Suzuki). Unlike systems zero-emissions running? Put simply, black roof (£650) so we can find it a to form solid conclusions. With the Suzuki is suffering from something a bit different within the fitted to the likes of the Toyota Prius it makes the little 1.2 feel like a bigger bit more easily in car parks. car being shared around the road I a spot of writer’s block class. Think of it as the automotive or Lexus NX300h, SHVS doesn’t engine. You’re unlikely to win any So what else does £14,899 test team, it’ll be interesting to hear at the moment. After equivalent of a wellington-boot-shod have a large battery pack eating traffic light drag races, but it allows (including options) get you? For everyone’s views on it. Suzuki Ignis ALAN TAYLOR-JONES reintroducing the Baleno nameplate pug in camouf lage gear. into interior space. Instead, there’s you to be in a higher gear, reducing a start, you get a touchscreen MILEAGE 8850 LAST SEEN 23.8.17 last year, ‘Ignis’ has now been lifted There are even a couple of nods to a little lithium ion battery that sits revs and helping fuel economy. So far infotainment system with Bluetooth, from the storage bin, dusted off and Suzuki’s more distant past. Those under the front passenger seat. This we’ve seen more than 45mpg without Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and TEST DATA Three miles into my journey, I was slapped onto the back of an SUV- familiar with the rear-engined feeds a combined starter/generator trying at all. even sat-nav. It also has a rear-view warned loudly to fill it up with petrol. cum-supermini. Whizzkid coupé of the 1970s might that’s attached to the engine via a Pleasingly, there is fun to be had camera just in case you can’t work out SUZUKI IGNIS 1.2 DUALJET Brimming the 30-litre tank cost only Thankfully, while those in the recognise the upswept window line belt. It isn’t powerful enough to pull at the top of the rev range. As more how far the truncated rear is from an SHVS ALLGRIP SZ5 about £30, and was sufficient for a naming department were scratching and three diagonal faux vents on the the car on its own, but it does add a and more cars move to turbocharged immovable object. Price £14,249 Price as tested £14,899 round trip to Bournemouth and Kent their heads, Suzuki’s designers seem C-pillar. Look under the skin and it’s useful 37lb ft low down in the petrol engines that plateau around You get another couple of cameras Options red paint, black roof £650 Economy from our office in Twickenham. The to have had a f lash of inspiration. a bit more high-tech. engine’s rev range. SHVS uses power 4500rpm and run out of puff at up front that monitor the road for 45.3mpg Faults None Expenses None car’s mild hybrid system is barely Despite the new Ignis being shorter Our long-term test car is the top- regeneration, so when you come off 5500rpm, it’s nice to have an engine the automatic emergency braking noticeable but effective. It’s another than a Ford Fiesta, Suzuki’s top of-the-range SZ5 that is powered the throttle with the engine in gear, that feels like it produces more poke system. There are LED headlights OWN ONE? SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCE way in which the Ignis punches above crayon-wielders have created a shape by a 1.2-litre four-pot with a hybrid the battery is topped up again. the harder it spins. Some may not like with auto levelling, too. its featherlight weight. SS [email protected] that’s a bit tough, a bit cute and with system called SHVS (Smart Hybrid So what’s the point if there’s no the gruff engine note, but I do. Other niceties include climate 14 AUTOCAR.CO.UK REPRINTED FROM 21 JUNE 2017 REPRINTED FROM 21 JUNE 2017 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 15 To find out more about the Suzuki Ignis visit cars.suzuki.co.uk