Driven to extinction: Suzuki Ignis

There are certain constructs that really aren’t all that to boast about. In Victoria, I once chanced upon the world’s tallest moss. Likewise, the smallest SUV sounds likely to leave you overwhelmingly underwhelmed.

To that end, we bid sayonara to the MF-generation Suzuki Ignis. It had been predicted for some time, with reports from November of last year quoting dealers who were adamant that the Ignis was about to be given the hoof due to its lack of Autonomous Emergency Braking function. Suzuki’s Australian arm denied it, in a kind of mealy-mouthed manner, and yet here we are.

“Ignis is at the end of its lifecycle,” said Suzuki Australia’s general manager Michael Pachota at the new Swift launch. The reason? Something something AEB. Which is strange because UK cars get a camera-based safety system that includes, among other features, AEB.

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True, AEB is set to become a compulsory fitment here for all new passenger vehicles in rules that come into force from March 2025. It’s already required on new models introduced since March 2023, but Suzuki has had some legacy vehicles sitting in showrooms that sidestepped that requirement. The Ignis is one, the outgoing Swift another, and the base atmo Vitara is another Suzuki that will soon run afoul of the regs.

As unexciting as a tiny SUV sounds, the Ignis found itself doing rather well of late. That’s largely due to the migration of its former rival set to more expensive price points. Cash-strapped buyers who want a new-car warranty and an elevated driving position had virtually nothing else to throw their money at and, at $22,490 driveaway, the outgoing model still looks good value.

It has, rather inevitably, stepped up from the $15,990 price tag it arrived with in 2016, and a 2020 facelift saw the baby crossover receive a welcome uptick in Aussie orders, with sales rising by 27 percent year-on-year. Undercutting base versions of the Kia Stonic, the Mitsubishi ASX, the Hyundai Venue and the larger MG ZS, the Ignis carved a niche for itself via the simple expedient of low pricing coupled with the fact that it was actually pretty good fun to drive, especially with the five-speed manual ’box.

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It had its quirks. The base Ignis GL could seat five, but if you stepped up to the ritzier GLX, you only got a four-seat capacity. That was offset by better headlights, a sliding rear bench and 16-inch alloys rather than 15-inch steel wheels. Further savings can be realised by avoiding being tempted to splash another $1000 on the CVT transmission. It’s a dud. With no turbocharger to help things along, the 1.2-litre engine needs to be kept on the boil and the manual helps here. You feel in control, rather than the CVT’s random thrashings. You know the auto ’box is trying to deliver the optimum torque, but it’s not a wholly satisfying experience.

Any small, cheap car that departs our market is a miss. The Suzuki Ignis wasn’t perfect but it had its charms. An SUV that can carry next to nothing nor offer any off-road ability never seemed much of a recipe, but some things are more endearing than they have any right to be. Count the Ignis among ’em.

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Aussie sales

• 2016: 41
• 2017: 2408
• 2018: 1435
• 2019: 1074
• 2020: 851
• 2021: 1979
• 2022: 1878
• 2023: 2280
• 2024 (YTD): 997

The inside line on ride

Obviously the 16-inch alloys look a good deal better than the povvo 15-inch steelies with wheel covers. But herein lies the rub. The bigger wheels may have had the edge in aesthetics but because they also rode on lower-profile tyres, they tended to introduce an unwelcome nibbliness to the Ignis’s ride. Our advice? If you’re going cheap, stick to your guns and get the base manual GL.