Maruti Ignis Review – Petrol, Diesel, Manual & AMT

Showcased at 2016 Auto Expo in Greater Noida last year, the new Maruti Ignis compact car was launched last month, at an EDM concert hosted by Axwell. At least 5,000 people were in attendance when the car was launched, possibly the grandest car launch India has seen.

Maruti Suzuki Ignis is on sale via exclusive NEXA dealerships. Bookings of the car have been open for some time now, and reports suggest that waiting period has already crossed 2 months. You can only book the new Ignis online via the NEXA website by paying INR 11,000. This amount is fully refundable in case you decide not to buy the car.

Maruti claims that the new Ignis is the most feature-rich car in the segment. There will be more features and customization options on offer than any other car offers currently in the small car segment. Customers will be able to digitally create and see their customized Ignis SUV at the touch of a button, thanks to new Maruti iCreate app.

Maruti reveals that the Ignis will target a group of buyers who they call the Millenials. As per Maruti, Millenials are those who are born in the late 1980s and the early 1990s. We head to Chennai, to experience the Ignis first hand, and here is our Maruti Ignis Review

Maruti Ignis Exteriors

With the Ignis, Maruti Suzuki has approached a completely new design language. It is unlike any other car which is on offer today. Not inspired by anyone, Ignis is the first of its kind, says Maruti Suzuki. Though a small car, the Ignis does not look like one. In fact, it very much looks like a SUV when parked. It is only when it is seen with other cars on road, you realize that the car is in fact much smaller than you expected.

This has been made possible due to the unconventional design. In the front, Ignis gets single frame grille accentuated by chrome in the center as well as on its border. Top-end variants also get stylish headlight with projector lamps and LED DRLs. The body coloured bumper houses circular foglights with chrome embellishments.

Side view of Ignis is highlighted via stylish glossy black alloys wheels, protruding wheel arches, plastic cladding, and an unconventional C-pillar design. The sloping windscreen meeting the flattened lower part of the rear is what gives the Ignis its tall boy design. Also part of the rear design are two large taillamps, lower bumper which houses black plastic cladding, and a Suzuki logo just above the license plate in the center.

In addition to this, to make the exteriors even more funky, you have the option to customize the exterior with decals, etc. To sum it up, the Ignis looks really attractive, no matter from which angle you look.

Maruti Ignis Colours

Maruti Ignis colour options on offer include a range of single tone and dual tone colours as mentioned below.

Maruti Ignis Dual Tone Colours of Ignis

– Tinsel Blue with Midnight Black
– Uptown Red with Midnight Black
– Tinsel Blue with Arctic White

Maruti Ignis Single Tone Colours of Ignis

– Glistening Grey
– Silky Silver
– Pearl Arctic White
– Uptown Red
– Tinsel Blue
– Urban Blue

Maruti Ignis Interiors

Like the exteriors, the interiors are also unique, and something that you will see for the first time in a Maruti. Thanks to the tall boy design, the cabin feels a lot spacious than you would have imagined. The cockpit styled floating dashboard features dual tone ivory and black console.

The dashboard design is accentuated by the addition of tablet styled touchscreen infotainment system which is placed in the center of the dash. This state of the art infotainment system takes care of navigation, music, AM/FM Radio. It is also compatible with Android Auto and Apple Car Play. You can also connect your phone via bluetooth. The system is easy to get used to and works without much fuss.

Below the infotainment system, you will see cockpit inspired AC controls with a LCD display in the centre. The buttons have a nice, premium feel to it, and are very easy to operate. Below that you also have smartly placed ports to 12V charging and USB/AUX.

The three spoke steering wheel comes with buttons that control the infotainment. You can use these to change tracks, accept calls, etc. The simple yet cool looking instrument cluster features speedometer in the center dial, tachometer in the left and a LCD screen with MID (multi-info display) on the right.

The circular AC vents on the sides of dashboard come with a faux carbon fibre finish. Together with the two rectangular vents in the center, they maintain the cabin temperature pretty well. Speaking about speakers, they are decent, and nothing exceptional. We would have hoped Maruti to install better speakers in the car, considering the other rich premium features on offer in the cabin.

Seats are comfortable, and claim to deliver seating for five adults. But, it will be difficult for three average built adults to fit in the rear seat, as it might get cumbersome during long journeys due to less shoulder room. Legroom for rear passengers is decent, and will not be an issue even for tall passengers.

Talking about space, the cabin comes with a lot of storage options. On the dashboard you have glove box, above that too there is space to keep things like pen, usb, etc. Each door comes with bottle holder. You have more space just below the AC controls, where you get two cup holders and more space to keep your valuables like smartphone, wallet etc.

Maruti Ignis Interior Colour Options

– Uptwon Red Accents
– Titanium Accents in Pearl Arctic White, Silky Silver, Urban Blue, Glistening Grey
– Tinsel Blue Accents

Maruti Ignis Engines, Mileage, Variants

Engine lineup for the Maruti Suzuki Ignis in India includes both petrol and diesel options. It is the same 1.2-liter K12B engine with VVT and the 1.3 liter DDiS diesel engine which is offered with the Swift. Both engines are mated to a 5-speed manual transmission as well as an AMT gearbox. The petrol variants will deliver 20.89 kmpl while diesel variants will deliver 26.8 kmpl.

New Maruti Ignis will be offered in a choice of four trims – Sigma, Delta, Zeta and Alpha.

Points to Note

• AMT option will only be on offer with Delta and Zeta trims
• LED projector headlight with LED DRL only on offer with top-end variant (Alpha)
• Touchscreen only on offer with Alpha. Delta, Zeta get 2-DIN music system. Sigma does not get music system
• Delta, Zeta and Alpha get USB, Bluetooth and Steering mounted controls
• Automatic climate control only with Alpha trim
• Push button start/stop only on offer with Alpha and Zeta trim
• Spare wheel on all variants will be of steel
• ABS, EBD and dual airbags is standard across all trims

Maruti Ignis Dimensions

Maruti Ignis Petrol Specs

Maruti Ignis Diesel Specs

Maruti Ignis Tech Specs

Features & Safety

How is it to Drive

Powered by the same engine as Swift, the Ignis feels more powerful, thanks to lighter body-weight. This also translates into better acceleration and higher top speed. But is the Ignis equipped enough to handle this? Let’s find out.

Over a period two days, we managed to drive all four variants of the Ignis which are on offer. These are Petrol Manual, Petrol AMT, Diesel Manual and Diesel AMT. Of these four, the first one we got our hands on was the Petrol AMT variant. This one drives like a charm and surprised us the most.

It was almost effortless to drive this car inside the city. Be it stop and go traffic, or the sudden bursts of acceleration you need while winning those small battles when driving in the city, this car does it all well, and with as much ease. The petrol manual variant too provided a similar experience, but add the hassle of pressing the clutch and changing gears every now and then in the city traffic condition.

Diesel AMT had a bit of a turbo lag, and was not as impressive as the petrol AMT. Diesel Manual variant was a bit more enthusiastic to drive around, but the gearbox felt more notchy as it was not easy to shift into gears. We mentioned the same to the tech team of Maruti Suzuki present at the event, and they confirmed that they will look into it.

The AMT gearbox on board the petrol and diesel variants felt way more efficient and smarter than the one we have seen on previous Maruti cars. The gearbox understands the driver’s style much better and upshifts / downshifts more efficiently. Another aspect to speak about is the NVH levels. Surprisingly, the NVH levels of this car are very good. We did not expect a car in this segment to eliminate road and wind noise so efficiently.

The small size makes it easy for the Ignis to manoeuvre inside the city. High groundclearance allows it to tackle almost anything the Indian roads throw in front of it. On the highway, the car easily managed to cruise in the 120 kmph range, and if need be, you can even push the car beyond 150 kmph without much hassle. Braking offers a good bite, and the availability of ABS is a boon. Tyres provide decent grip, even while taking on those corners.

Suspension is tuned towards the softer side, which allows the car to absorb bad roads / potholes with much ease. But the same results into some body roll when taking on the ghat / hilly roads. Speaking about fuel efficiency of Ignis, you can expect the petrol variants to deliver above 15 kmpl while the diesel variants do deliver 20+ kmpl.

Maruti Ignis Price

Maruti Ignis Petrol Manual

Sigma – INR 4.59 lakh
Delta – INR 5.19 lakh
Zeta – INR 5.75 lakh
Apha – INR 6.69 lakh

Maruti Ignis Petrol AMT

Delta – INR 5.74 lakh
Zeta – INR 6.30 lakh

Maruti Ignis Diesel Manual

Delta – INR 6.39 lakh
Zeta – INR 6.91 lakh
Alpha – INR 7.80 lakh

Maruti Ignis Diesel AMT

Delta – INR 6.94 lakh
Zeta – INR 7.46 lakh

All prices above are ex-showroom Delhi prices.

Maruti Ignis TVC

Maruti Ignis Brochure

Maruti Ignis Verdict

Maruti Suzuki seems to have launched a winner yet again. Understanding the needs of their target customer, Ignis is not only an affordable small car, but is also rich on features, coolness quotient, and safety. Though created for the millennials, the Ignis package looks attractive enough to lure buyers of hatchbacks, SUVs and sedans which are priced in a similar range. Adding the fact that it will be sold via NEXA, the deal is made even more tempting.

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