New 2017 Suzuki Ignis: full prices, specs and on sale date

Full pricing and specifications for the new Suzuki Ignis have been announced, confirming expectations that it’ll offer an affordable route into the SUV crossover class.

• Read our full Suzuki Ignis review here.

Suzuki is asking £9,999 for the cheapest, two-wheel-drive Ignis in entry-level SZ3 trim, rising to £13,999 for the four-wheel-drive model with the brand’s innovative ‘mild hybrid’ engine. That price pitches it squarely between urban runabouts like the cheaper Skoda Citigo and Toyota Aygo, and more expensive SUV crossovers like the Renault Captur and Peugeot 2008.

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All Ignis come with air-conditioning, DAB radio, Bluetooth connectivity and six airbags, but only the top-of-the-range model gets autonomous emergency braking.

Suzuki Ignis design

Despite being diminutively proportioned (it’s only 13cm longer than the Fiat 500), the Ignis’ geometric styling gives it significant road presence, while a ‘mild hybrid’ system should keep running costs appealingly low.

The Ignis stands apart from the rest of the Suzuki range. First previewed by the Suzuki iM-4 concept at the 2015 Geneva motor show, it looks bold, with some elements referring to cars of Suzuki’s past, such as the SC100 ‘Whizzkid’ Coupe of the ‘70s. It looks tough, too, with bulging wheelarches and an angular window line, with black window and windscreen pillars creating a ‘floating roof’ look.

The black mesh grille is surrounded by a piece of chrome trim, while the slender headlight clusters are framed by large U-shaped LED running lights. There are also chrome-surrounded foglights set deep in the front bumper.

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Inside, the two-tone white-on-black dashboard appeals, while the lower dashboard and internal door handles are available in either orange or silver – although which of these you get is determined by which of the 11 body colours you choose.

As the Ignis is quite a small car, it wouldn’t be fair to expect a huge amount of space inside, but the 267-litre boot (dropping to 204 litres when four-wheel drive is fitted) is a reasonable size given the car’s dimensions.

True, the Renault Captur has a huge 455-litre boot, but that’s a bigger and more expensive car. It’s fairer, in a way, to compare the Ignis with a city car like the Citroen C1. This is only about £1,000 cheaper than the Ignis, but only offers 196 litres of luggage space.

Engines

There are two engine options available with the Ignis. The first, and cheapest, is a 90bhp 1.2-litre petrol, which returns 61.4mpg and gets the car from 0-62mph in 12.2 seconds.

If you’d like a little more acceleration and economy, Suzuki’s SHVS (Smart Hybrid Vehicle by Suzuki) system is worth knowing about. Rather than being a full-blown, complex and expensive petrol-electric hybrid, the SHVS Ignis has an upgraded started motor and a lithium-ion battery pack.

These work in conjunction with the 1.2-litre engine to provide an extra boost when accelerating compared to the standard Ignis. The SHVS model is about 4mpg more efficient than the non-SHVS car and just under half a second faster from 0-62mph. You’ll have to upgrade to top-spec SZ5 trim if you want the SHVS engine though, and this pushes the price up to £12,999.

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Four-wheel drive is available for a further £1,000 with the top-of-the-range SHVS Ignis. This offers more grip and slightly sprightlier performance, although it dents economy by about 4mpg.

The Ignis comes with a five-speed manual gearbox as standard, while a five-speed automatic is £800. It’s worth noting this is a ‘robotised’ version of the manual gearbox, rather than a conventional automatic, so it may not be the smoothest of operators.

CO2 emissions range from 97g/km for the two-wheel-drive SHVS model to 106g/km for the 4x4 Ignis. Road tax will be cheap, whichever car you go for, but note the new road tax rules coming in April mean the Ignis will get the same flat-rate £140-a-year levy that most new cars will attract.

Trim levels and equipment

The Ignis is offered in three trim levels: SZ3, SZ-T and SZ5. Entry-level SZ3 models come with front electric windows, DAB radio, six airbags and Bluetooth connectivity.

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Upgrading to SZ-T trim costs £1,500 and adds sliding rear seats, a reversing camera and sat nav, as well as 16-inch alloy wheels, roof rails and wheelarch extensions for a beefier look.

The top-of-the-range SZ5 models get upgraded air-conditioning, rear electric windows, LED headlights, keyless entry and go and Suzuki’s ‘Dual Camera Brake Support’, or DCBS, safety system.

Safety

It’s worth knowing a little more about the DCBS system. This is Suzuki’s name for autonomous emergency braking, which is one of the most significant safety systems to have emerged in recent years. It’ll brake the car for you automatically if it senses a collision you haven’t taken action to avoid and is well worth having.

Independent safety body Euro NCAP agree: without DCBS, the Ignis scored an underwhelming three out of five stars. With the system fitted, it was awarded the full five stars. It’s just a shame DCBS isn’t standard across the Ignis range, or offered as an individual option: if you want it, you have to go for top-spec SZ5 trim.

Prices and release date

The Ignis is attractively priced, starting at just £9,999, while the most expensive 4x4 SHVS model is still reasonably inexpensive, at £13,999. It goes on sale from January 2017.