Currently reading: 2020 Suzuki Ignis: rugged city car on sale from £13,999

Subtly restyled supermini gains a new CVT gearbox and revamped hybrid powertrain for 2020

The Suzuki Ignis has undergone a mid-life facelift, the quirky city car gaining subtle design tweaks and a new mild hybrid powertrain option. It's now available to order from £13,999. 

Three trim levels are available: entry-level SZ3 comes equipped as standard with air-conditioning, DAB radio with Bluetooth connectivity, LED headlights, electric front windows and rear privacy glass; mid-range SZ-T which is available from £15,499 and adds a rear-view camera, individually adjustable rear seats, 16in alloy wheels, widened wheel arches and smartphone compatibility; and top-rung SZ5 from £16,499, which brings sat nav, keyless entry, rear electric windows and a range of safety features including lane departure warning and 'weaving alert'. 

The Fiat 500 rival, launched in 2016, retains its boxy overall silhouette, flared wheel arches and compact footprint, but gains a new five-spoke front grille that brings it into line with the Jimny SUV, along with chunkier front and rear bumpers with silver-painted inserts. 

Suzuki’s 1.2-litre mild-hybrid Dualjet four-cylinder engine, available with an optional CVT gearbox for the first time, now features an uprated injection system, piston cooling jets and a variable displacement oil pump for improved acceleration and efficiency. With a power output of 82bhp and 79lb ft of torque, the new powertrain takes the supermini from 0-62mph in 12.7 seconds and on to a top speed of 103mph. 

Additionally, the hybrid system’s battery capacity has also been expanded from 3Ah to 10Ah, further enhancing fuel efficiency. The Ignis is now capable of 55.7mpg on the WLTP combined cycle and emits 114g/km of CO2 when specified with the manual gearbox. 

Ignis 02

Permanent four-wheel drive is fitted as an option on Ignis SZ5 Allgrip cars with a manual gearbox. As with the recently updated Suzuki Swift hatchback, it can divert additional torque to the rear axle when needed, and gains new functions for the Ignis including Hill Descent Control and Grip Control. So equipped, the Ignis is capable of 51.7mpg ang emits 123g/km of CO2.

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The car’s interior is largely unchanged, but a redesigned instrument panel and new colour options differentiate the latest Ignis from the outgoing variant. 

Suzuki plans to sell 6000 units of the updated Ignis in its first full year on sale in the UK, following the recent axing of the Suzuki Jimny compact off-roader from its now-exclusively hybridised line-up. The iconic 4x4 could re-join the range as a two-seat commercial vehicle in order to comply with emissions legislation. 

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Felix Page

Felix Page
Title: Deputy editor

Felix is Autocar's deputy editor, responsible for leading the brand's agenda-shaping coverage across all facets of the global automotive industry - both in print and online.

He has interviewed the most powerful and widely respected people in motoring, covered the reveals and launches of today's most important cars, and broken some of the biggest automotive stories of the last few years. 

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streaky 11 August 2020

Why a CVT?

I find it difficult to understand Suzuki; it does not seem to have heard of economy of scale, which I would have thought was crucial when its range is focused at the cheaper and smaller end of the market.  Why go to all the trouble of producing a CVT when it already had a 6 speed torque converter auto in the Swift, which I believe to be very good?  It's the same principle with the Jimny - why did Suzuki bother doing a few tweaks to that old nail of an engine when it had far better ones available,  ones which would probably have enabled it to continue selling the Jimny in the UK just when demand was sky high?  Talk about missing a trick.

xkr 11 August 2020

Defender

This is what the defender should've been

LP in Brighton 11 August 2020

Hybrid battery

Once again, no information on the hybrid batter (other than its Ah capacity) or power of the electric motor.

If the Ignis has a 48 volt system, then a 10Ah battery would mean a decent (for a mild hybrid) 480 Wh capacity. But if it's a 12 volt system, then the capacity would be a pathetic 120 Wh which means that it is not much more than a starter / generator, with little energy recovery or torque boost. 

It would also be useful to know which models are available with a hybrid option and the cost of this.