Suzuki?s high five

Hiding down in the bargain basement of the new car market is a small five-door Suzuki, made in Japan and not Korea, with plenty of kit and keen performance from its small capacity engine.

The Ignis five-door is a tall, boxy little hatchback offering accommodation for four, five at a pinch and better if those in the back seat are kids.

It has been around for four years but who would know.

That should change with Suzuki Australia in the process of spending more on advertising and sharpening prices.

Ignis five-door runs a 1.3-litre, all-alloy four-cylinder engine with twin cams and a maximum output on 60kW/106nM.

Rather than putting a focus on performance, this engine is all about economy and low emissions.

It gives the Ignis good performance as long as it's not fully loaded with passengers with the air on.

In these circumstances, it's a case of pedal to the metal and flick the gearstick.

If you hate forking out for petrol, you'll love this car.

On the highway cycle it can return 4.88 litres/100km – that's almost as good as a hybrid petrol/electric car that costs three times as much.

Now figure out how long it would take to recoup the difference in fuel usage – a hundred years maybe.

For mixed driving, economy would be about 6.0L/100km.

Two transmissions are available, a five-speed manual is standard but the auto is a four speeder.

Both work well with the 1.3L engine.

Another area the Ignis shines is parking.

Being compact means easy access to the tightest places.

It also has a small turning circle and power steering further adding to parkability.

Ride is comfortable considering the car's short wheelbase and small wheels.

It's not sporty but is up to most types of driving offering comfort on rough roads and confident cornering.

The short wheelbase doesn't seem to cause much pitching.

Safety is boosted by dual front air bags and seat belt pretensioners.

The five-door scores plenty of standard equipment including air-conditioning, remote central locking, single CD audio, electric front windows and exterior mirrors and plenty of other goodies.

It's fairly generic inside with the usual grey plastic dash and fascia, an instrument housing and cluster of switches and steering wheel control wands.

The seats are small but pretty good on a longish drive.

Boot space is adequate for the average weekly grocery chop but the load space can be enlarged by folding the rear seats.