Maruti Ignis Long Term Review
Long Term Test No. 140
Car Tested: Maruti Ignis Diesel
Kms Done: 4340 kms
Test Started at: 15,300 kms
Test Concluded at: 19,640 kms
Mileage: 18.5 km/l, 20.2 km/l (best), 16.8 km/l (worst)
Fuel Consumed: 234.59-litres
Fuel Cost: Rs. 15,718/-
Rs. per km: Rs. 3.62/-
The Ignis doesn’t look like a Maruti car, it has its own design language
The Ignis is quite an unusual hatchback coming from the stable of Maruti, which is usually known for offering cars targeting a wide audience. The Ignis though is a car for millennials as they say. In spite of cannibalising with its multiple siblings such as the Swift or even its NEXA roommate Baleno, the Ignis has its own appeal. After living with the offbeat hatch for a long while, we tell you how it fares on day to day driving.
The Ignis comes with a size everyone would love in cities like Mumbai
In a sea of cars in your parking lot, it is easy to spot the Ignis, thanks to its quirky design language. It is somehow a mix of futuristic yet retro styling elements which you never see with a Suzuki badge. Some hate it while some love the youthful appeal of the Ignis. The compact dimensions make it very practical to park in tight spots. Along with the rear parking sensors and camera, even a novice driver can park the Ignis without breaking a sweat. This practical nature of Ignis also comes handy while getting in and out of congested traffic situations.
You won’t get to see such elements in any of the current Maruti cars
Speaking of traffic, we spend a lot of time on the road on our way to office and in a city like Mumbai, it’s a daily routine. I usually keep a bottle of water, juice cans and knick knacks in the car and the Ignis has a place for everything to keep it neat and tidy. There are a lot of cubby holes, cup holders, bottle holders which boosts the practicality quotient of this car. However, there is one recess on top of the glovebox which I find useless, there’s nothing you can put there.
The attention to detail is quite surprising for a car this size
Just like the unusual exteriors of the Ignis, the dashboard design too is unique for a Maruti. The 3-spoke steering of Ignis is exclusive, you won’t find the same steering in any other Maruti. The instrument cluster is quite big and easy to use and comes with separate buttons for MID controls. The switches in the centre console of the air conditioning are aircraft inspired. Even the dashboard has a flat and minimalistic design which looks quite European with a floating infotainment touch screen unit. The UI of the infotainment system though is the same as all Marutis but easy to use. However, it’s weird to see that my colleagues’ iPhones (6 & 7 Plus) can stream music from Bluetooth but I’m not able to stream with my iPhone X. I cross-checked in the new Swift but it doesn’t happen.
The boot space of the Ignis isn’t very practical
The Ignis scores high in the ergonomics department and is loaded with features
Since the Ignis is a tallboy hatch, it feels airy and has good headroom even for tall passengers but there is limited legroom at the rear and three passengers at the back is a tight fit. The cabin space is similar to the Swift. Due to the compact dimensions, even the boot space is quite limited and you won’t be able to fit in large suitcases, in this case only one or a few bags.
The Ignis now comes only with a petrol engine option
Our test car came with the popular 1.3-litre diesel engine. There is considerable lag but once you get the turbo spooling (above 2000 RPM), the car just pulls relentlessly and it is quite fun pushing the Ignis hard in a straight line. In traffic, the lag makes it feel a bit annoying and you constantly keep upshifting and downshifting but the clutch is light and gearbox is very smooth which doesn’t make the drive cumbersome. We’ve managed to get 18.5 km/l average fuel consumption with 20 km/l being the highest with sedate driving and 17 km/l being the lowest with hard acceleration. However, Maruti has now discontinued the diesel engine option in the Ignis and now it only comes with the 1.2-litre petrol engine options with 5-speed manual and AMT.
It is quite easy to spot even when you’re far away
The ride quality of the Ignis is on the stiffer side and at low speeds it is very prominent. Maruti might have tuned it to control the body roll because of its tallboy design but still there is a fair amount of roll when you push it around the corners. The steering provides adequate feedback but it can never get close to the feedback of the Swift’s steering. The light weight makes the handling sharp and lively but the tyres don’t offer the amount of grip you would like to have.
We wish it could get fatter tyres for better grip
The Ignis turned out to be a good workhorse for the MotorBeam garage thanks to the incredible fuel economy and the size of the car having so many features on offer. It was our videographer’s favourite tracking car as well because of its window size. The Ignis is indeed a cool car to have for millennials because it looks unique, offers cool features and is a capable machine for office runs. It’s not the most practical or the most fun Maruti hatch out there but yes it manages to tick the right boxes for a bunch of people seeking out-of-the-box cars with Maruti’s reliable badge.
The quirkiness of the Ignis is its USP
What’s Cool
* Compact dimensions makes it a good city runner
* Massive attention seeker with its quirky design
* Long list of features on offer
* Fantastic fuel efficiency
* Maruti’s reliable after sales
What’s Not So Cool
* Limited rear seat space
* Low end turbo lag
* Stiff at low speeds
See it from any angle and it’ll look different
Testers’ Note:
Further Reading –
2017 Maruti Ignis Test Drive Review
2017 Maruti Ignis Video Review
Maruti Ignis Long Term Review – First Report