Suzuki Ignis 2022 review: GLX long-term | Part 2

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and to my eyes, the Suzuki Ignis GLX is an ‘interesting’ proposition. After all, the exterior design certainly is distinctive.

After two months of ‘ownership’, my partner reckons it’s “cute”, and one of my work colleagues thinks it looks like a turtle. Needless to say, everyone I’ve shown it to has had an immediate opinion.

If you’re asking me, though, Suzuki has done a great job of making the Ignis stand out from the crowd. That front end certainly is turtle-like, with the chunky LED headlights adding to that impression with their punctuating daytime running lights.

The reptilian comparison is clearly made stronger by my test vehicle’s 'Khaki Green' paintwork, which hammers home the point. Speaking of which, how nice is it to see a brand offer more interesting colour options? It’s too rare these days.

Suzuki has done a great job of making the Ignis stand out from the crowd. (image: Justin Hilliard)

Then you’ve got the Jeep-like grille, albeit with just four slots, but it makes for a strong appearance alongside the bumper’s silver ‘skid plate’ insert. Fog lights are along for the ride, too.

Around the side, it becomes obvious just how small the Ignis is. The wheels are pushed all the way to the corners, yet it’s still tiny to look at.

Despite not having much real estate to work with, Suzuki’s designers have still managed to add some intrigue to the Ignis, with the black plastic ‘vents’ on the side of the bonnet a highlight (yes, I genuinely like them) alongside the Adidas-esque pressings on the rear quarter panel.

Then there’s the cool-looking, black 16-inch alloy wheels, prominent wheel arches, silver roof rails and steeply raked rear windows. I really enjoy the attention to detail.

Around the side, it becomes obvious just how small the Ignis is. (image: Justin Hilliard)

At the rear, the Ignis’ cutesy vibe continues, this time with its bulbous tail-lights, which are offset and split by the well-creased tailgate. Again, the bumper’s headlined by a silver ‘skid plate’ insert as well as flanking faux air intakes.

Inside, the Ignis keeps things simple, as you’d expect for one of the cheapest cars on the market. That said, I appreciate the effort Suzuki made to cut through the sea of dark hard plastics with a large, white insert that spans the width of the dashboard. And yes, those outer air vents are surrounded by fake carbon-fibre accents.

The only soft-touch material you’ll find is the artificial leather trim on the steering wheel’s rim and the gear selector’s boot. Cloth upholstery is otherwise found, covering the seats in a conservative pattern.

As mentioned in the first instalment of this long-term review, the Ignis’ headline change for MY22 is the move from the usual in-house 7.0-inch touchscreen multimedia system with inbuilt satellite navigation to a new third-party 9.0-inch unit without nav. Wired smartphone mirroring is available, so you don’t miss sat-nav at all in the city. The increase in size is, therefore, worth it.

Inside, the Ignis keeps things simple, as you’d expect for one of the cheapest cars on the market. (image: Justin Hilliard)

But Suzuki should be commended for persisting with physical climate controls, with the rocker switches and buttons at the bottom of the centre stack a welcome sight as most other brands continue to (annoyingly) transition to touch-based interfaces.

While we’re on the topic of keeping things analogue, the Ignis’ instrument cluster is filled with a large speedometer and a small tachometer, both of which are of the traditional variety. But to the right of the former is a monochrome multifunction display, which is also basic – but it gets the job done.

Speaking of the interior, the Ignis is more practical than you’d think. But again, the GLX flagship on test here only has four seats, while the entry-level GL has the usual five.

While it would be nice to take four passengers, having a two-seat rear bench is actually a mercy in the Ignis’ case, as there isn’t enough width in the first place to accommodate three occupants of any size.

The GLX flagship on test here only has four seats, while the entry-level GL has the usual five. (image: Justin Hilliard)

But behind my 184cm driving position, I’ve got a surprisingly good two inches of legroom and oodles of toe-room, which is great. Headroom is more limited, at a couple of centimetres, but as a four-seater, the Ignis is a lot roomier than most would expect.

The same is true of the boot, which has a cargo capacity of 264L, enough to swallow up one large and one small suitcase, although there’s a very tall load lip to contend with but no tie-down points. At least the relatively square aperture is friendly.

Need a little more wriggle room? Stow the GLX’s 50/50 split-fold second row and slide it forward, using the easily accessible manual release latches, to unleash a more generous 1104L, but the unavoidable hump in the boot floor requires some working around.

Should it be required, there’s a space-saver spare wheel hiding under the boot floor, but don’t count on a 12V power outlet being available for handheld vacuums and the like.

As a four-seater, the Ignis is a lot roomier than most would expect. (image: Justin Hilliard)

It’s a similar story in the second row, where a 12V power outlet is disappointingly nowhere to be found alongside a USB port, let alone rear air vents or a fold-down armrest. There are, however, bottle holders in each of the door bins and at the back of the centre console. And let’s not forget the map pocket on the front passenger seat’s backrest.

In the first row, things are a lot better, with a 12V power outlet and a USB-A port positioned at the base of the centre stack, with the large open cubby below perfect for placing a smartphone or two.

But don’t think about taking advantage of the central storage bin, because there isn’t one. That also means there’s no accompanying armrest. The traditional handbrake (yes, remember those?) takes up that space, although you can throw a few coins beneath it.

Ahead is a pair of cupholders, while the front door bins can take a bottle each as well as some very narrow items. But the decently sized glovebox is on hand for storing larger items – if you’re prepared to remove the owner’s manual.

As far as this month’s fuel consumption is concerned, I averaged 6.6L/100km over 425km of driving, of which even more was city-based than last month’s 6.3L/100km effort – hence the 300mL increase.

That said, it’s worth noting my distance travelled was down significantly this month due to my undefeated streak in hide-and-seek coming to an end, with the ‘little C’ virus finally finding me and knocking me out of action for a good 10 days.

But I’m back to good now, so my third and final month with the Ignis is shaping up as a big one, as it’ll be my chance to take a deep-dive on how it drives (by getting behind the wheel a lot more) and deliver my overall verdict. See you then!

Acquired: April 28, 2022

Distance travelled this month: 425km

Odometer: 2518km

Average fuel consumption this month: 6.6L/100km