Suzuki’s brand new fire ball

With so many vehicles already launched in 2017, Travel Torque’s Melinda Ferguson believes the funky Suzuki Ignis could be the new crossover that leaves the rest parked on the curb.

What the heck does Ignis mean? I am staring at Suzuki’s just revealed baby SUV, along with a pack of car hounds who are furiously snapping pics to upload to social media. There’s a lot of competition among this crowd of mostly males to see who can post the first reveal on Twitter.

I am more concerned at this point with etymology – the origin of words – name drop, name drop.

So while they jostle for interesting angles of this funky budget crossover, I discover that many aeons ago the ancients believed that the universe, or cosmos, was composed of five basic elements: earth (terra), sky and air (aer/ventus) water (aqua) and fire (ignis). Next morning I get to see why “fire” is the perfect fit for the latest Suzuki, from the Japanese brand usually synonymous with affordability and reliability, but not often associated with unpredictability and style.

Here’s where the Ignis accelerates right out of the usual Suzuki box, with its funky bold exterior design and quirky modern insides. I particularly liked the Ignis’ insides with its stylish black and white two tone design.

But where I was really taken aback was by its lively performance on both tar and gravel. The Ignis’ ground clearance of 180mm is impressive, its 820kg light weight suits the 1.2-litre engine perfectly which packed a real punch both in the city and out on more challenging mountain pass and gravel roads.

 In fact so different is this ultra compact crossover SUV from its possible competitors, that there was general consensus on launch that the Ignis may have all but created a new segment in the hotly contested SUV crossover segment. Personally I like to refer to it as the “mini fire SUV” segment.

There are three Ignis derivatives with one engine available locally: the 1.2 GL, 1.2 GLX and 1.2 GLX Auto. They all have a 1.2-litre four-cylinder naturally aspirated petrol engine, with power outputs of 61 kW and torque at 113Nm. This may not sound impressive but behind the wheel it’s enough to facilitate a character filled performance.

Added bonus is that fuel consumption is impressive at just 5.1 L/100km. While I got to drive the top of the range 5-speed manual 1:2 GLX - with its 15-inch black alloy wheels, chrome grille, macho roof rails, LED daytime running lights and LED projector headlamps, keyless entry with start button and MP3/USB/CD Player with Bluetooth, I am keen to see how the five-speed auto fares.

In some European countries they have even introduced a hybrid option which I would love to see here but in our Green Denialist state that’s not likely to happen.

But where the Ignis really excels is in pricing. In the crazy expensive new car market, what can you get these days for under R200k?

Although “fire” may not be associated with all things positive right now, due to the recent devastating disasters along the Garden Route, watch local sales ignite for Suzuki this year.

	Melinda Ferguson Motoring journalist City Press p: 0117139001 w: www.citypress.co.za  e: melindafergusonwriter@gmail.com
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