Took a test drive of Ignis recently.
I am in market looking for a car with good headroom and for city driving.
Ignis being the only maruti hatchback with suzuki TECT, decided to check it out.
Positives
1. Loved the compact dimensions and the commanding driving position. Perfect for city driving.
2. Engine is good. Loved the low end driveability. It is quick revving and never feels low on power throughout the revv range.
3. Light clutch with short travel.
Negatives
1. Steering - Driving the Ignis made me realise what all the reviewers used to mean with terms like 'steering is not precise' and 'it doesn't feel connected'.
When I tried to do sudden maneuvers it takes some time (half a second) to have an effect. Just felt really wrong.
2. Rear legroom is limited. But is expected for a smaller dimension car.
I wanted to drop Ignis because of the steering feel (or lack of it) but I am thinking to have another test drive at some other dealership. Too hard to believe that Maruti with such great steering (Ritz, swift, dzire) could mess it up in Ignis.
Nexa and Maruti Suzuki dealers in Chennai don't seem to have stock of the BS6 Manual transmission test drive vehicles (Wagon R or Ignis). Not sure why they have only AMTs for test drives. :Frustrati
Is it the same story everywhere?
Hello everyone, here is my first ownership review in this forum. Hope you all will like it
Likes
- Compact size for city driving.
- 180mm Ground clearance is a boon to drive.
- Boxy shape outside leads to generous space inside for a small family.
- Fuel efficient.
- Dual Airbags and ABS.
- Great engine that offers punchy performance.
Dislikes
- Sheet material of the doors are very flimsy.
- Back seat angle could have been a bit better.
- the Interior plastic quality is no match to its korean competitors(even the Hyundai Eon interior feels better to me atleast).
Why buying a new car when the existing one runs flawlessly?
Our 2015 Hyundai Eon Era+(Pristine Blue colour) runs perfectly, infact it has done whole West Bengal trip except Sundarban area, it has done a Ranchi and Varanasi trip last year flawlessly and runs just fine till date. So why there is a need for another car?
The car has only one big flaw to me is the low ground clearance, it just scrapes almost every medium size speed breakers. It was in the month of June in 2019, my father suggested me to put our Eon(which has crossed 38,000 kilometers only) ad in various Car selling sites. But the response was pretty dull, and people are quoting the price as a joke, so contacted the Car Dealers. Maruti Suzuki Nexa and Hyundai came to evaluate and quoting price quite average. Our budget was 5-5.50 lacs.
Requirements
- Bigger engine compared to the 800cc
- A good ground clearance (as we go for frequent long routes including rural areas)
- Enough space for 3 members and decent boot space
- Airbags and ABS is a must
- Good aftersales service
So far Me, my father and mother has finalized between 4 cars, Maruti Suzuki WagonR, Maruti Suzuki Ignis, Hyundai Santro and Tata Tiago.
Maruti Suzuki WagonR was ruled out because in under 5.5 lacs only the 1.0 version WagonR is available, which is a let down to me.
The Hyundai Santro was ruled out because my family doesn't like the front look of the car and the ground clearance is more or less like a Eon, so the option left was Maruti Suzuki Ignis or Tata Tiago.
One evening called Nexa and told them to send the Test Drive Car to my house, and they immediately agreed to send the car next day. Next morning the test drive car arrived and we went for a spin. It was quite a good experience and the sales representative is also very knowledgeable and get the quotation and discounts. On the same day I called another NEXA outlet to send their vehicle for another test drive and get the quotation and the maximum discount. After that I called Tata Motors to enquire about the Tiago as the car is quite good and cannot be ignored, but as my father is an ex-owner of Tata Indica Xeta he was not at all ready to take another Tata Car due to the bad experience of their service in the past, still I told him that their is no harm in taking a test drive so I called Tata Motors and told them to send the Car and they agreed but after that didn't receive any call nor a test drive vehicle from their side and we decided to go with the IGNIS from the 1st dealer as the discount amount and the old car quotation is also good.
Test Drive Car arrives
On 12th July, Me and my Mother went to the showroom and paid Rs 11000 as booking amount. We opt for the Sigma variant, it is providing almost everything except the stereo system. My father told me to choose the colour of the Car but I knew it that he wanted a White coloured car, as he likes White Car very much. The dealer told us that we will get the car in 3-4 weeks and we were quite ok.
Showroom Display Car
The On-road price of Ignis Sigma costs Rs 5,62,000 and we got a deal of Rs 1,80,000 for the Old Car, the dealer offers Rs 55,000 discount for the Ignis, this makes the deal final for this showroom compared to others who offered 10-15k less discounts.
After that we decided to take our Hyundai Eon for a drive to Bakkhali for a 2 days trip before we handover the car in a few weeks. On 29th I got a message from the Sales Representative that the Car has arrived in their stockyard. I asked about the VIN and he provided the number immediately. I told them to deliver the car on Saturday afternoon.
D-day
On 3rd August the day has come to handover the Eon to them and welcome the Ignis. It was actually a emotional moment for me as I learnt driving in this car, it has served us in each and every moment for this years without any hiccups. At around 2.30 P.M we reached showroom and handover the Car Keys and papers to them. The freebies we got are foot mats, perfume, rain visors, glass cleaner.
Our Hyundai Eon, parked at Nexa dealership yard before taking delivery of the new car
After that we saw the Ignis getting cleaned and polished, by then the documentation and cake cutting ceremonies take place.
Ignis getting ready
Me, My Ma and Baba
After that we decided to visit our very known Car accessories shop in Shyambazar to get the stereo, seat covers, parcel tray, wheel caps fitted.
Reached home safely
In September, decided to make my Ignis truly different by making dual tone with the help of removable black vinyl, it costs Rs 7000.
Now some pictures
Notice the huge wheel arches which are very prone to get scratches
I like the front of the car, it gives a impression of butch looking
Rear profile is very odd to look at, it just doesn't gel with the overall shape
The side profile is good, I like the big wheels and the ground clearance, it helps a lot
The All black cabin is very easy to clean, I like the simple layout
The Stereo
The front seats offer good support, the adjustable headrest is standard
The rear seat with generous amount of leg room, Sigma model doesn't offer rear adjustable headrest
Aftermarket Parcel tray
Exterior
The Exterior styling is definitely polarizing, I quite like the overall car except the Rear Tail lights and rear bumper. The tail lights are very old school in design. My mother also doesn't like the rear of the car. The paint quality is good but the panel gaps near the rear windshield is not at all proper.
Interior
The Interior will get the job done but the plastic quality is not that good compared to its korean rivals. The fit and finish is ok and everything falls in hand easily. The bottle holders in the front doors are good for 1 litre bottles but the rear door bottle holders are small in size. Their is enough space for 4 people and a kid. The leg room and headroom for a is no problem at all, under thigh support is ok for a 5.9ft person.
Driving position, Visibility and size of mirrors
Driving position is very commanding as the car sits quite tall. It helps in bumper to bumper traffic. The Visibility is very good except the rear, thanks to it's wide C-pillar. The ORVMs are quite good in size and offers good visibility.
Air conditioner and effectiveness
Inspite of the black interiors, the Air Conditioner performance is very good, it cools the cabin in no time. Blower 2 and sometimes 3 is enough to cool the cabin.
Audio system
The sound of the audio system is quite good, nothing to complain.
Braking
Brake padel feels a big spongy to my liking but still the braking is adequate. There is very little amount of nose diving also takes place during hard braking.
Steering
Steering size is good and it is feather light, that helps in city trafic. In highway only a slight amount of weight is there. The steering doesn't come to centre after taking a U-turn and have to turn manually.
Handling, Grip levels, stability, body roll and turning radius
The handling is quite neutral and nothing to complain. The Grip level from tyre are good in tarmac roads but it looses traction in rural area roads gravel roads. Stability of the car is good despite its small size, their is very little body roll when on drives fast in the ghat section but that is not a prolem at all. The turning radius is spot on it helps to turn the car effortlessly.
Engine,Driving Experience and fuel efficiency
The 1.2 Engine is the primary reason to consider this car, it is such a gem and quite punchy as well. The pull from this motor is very good, and it touches triple digit speed easily. Gear shifts are very slick,throws are very short and the clutch action is light also. The Car is mainly used for weekend trips, overtaking is a breeze and due to the stiff suspension their is very little movement also in highway. Their is enough grunt from the motor to pull the car nicely, and one will never feel loss of power. The NVH level is average, tyre noise comes easily into the cabin. Till now the Car is absolutely hasslefree to drive and has completed its 10000kms/third service in 6.5 months.
The motor is quite fuel efficient, it constantly delivers 14-15kmpl in city traffic and around 21kmpl in highway.
After sales service
The after sales service is a boon, Maruti service van comes to service the car. The first 2 services cost Zero and 3rd Service costs Rs1650 which includes Engine oil change, Ac filter cleaning.
Yours truly 
Good choice.
My brother has also Ignis Sigma, It's good choice to buy and spend some money in modification. Only problem initially was weird steering (there is a dedicated thread, also GTO's observations on S-Cross are also pointing similar behaviour) but even on that front also, things have started improving after crossing 5000 kms.
I have had an ignis since 2017. Amt though!
I live in a rural area.
Negatives-
AMT good for only sedate drivers.
Its handling esp the front suspension is lumpy and crashy.
Its EXTREMELY flimsy and should not be taken on a highway.
Positives-
The manual engine and gearbox are really peppy and frugal.
The car looks lovely.
Maruti service centres are everywhere and are cheap.
Good urban runabout.
One year passed last month and I completed my 1-year service. The cost was a bit high and I stupidly didn't check with the dealer on what all was required to be done with the car and he did things not really required. Should have paid more attention to what was supposed to be done. He tried to upsell me an AMC contract but no way I will be going back to the service center again in future.
The car has given me a totally trouble-free performance and it puts a smile on my face even after one year. Haven't run it much as I don't commute to work but aside from the tyres which I really don't like I have no complaints with the car. It always starts immediately, runs very silently, the engine is a gem, the AC is excellent, visibility while driving is simply fantastic and it's a breeze to manoeuvre in the city.
