2023 Suzuki Ignis GLX Review

Completely unironically, I think I’ve found one of my new favourite cars in one of the most unlikely forms; the Suzuki Ignis. 

The Ignis is the epitome of the current state of the car industry - SUV’ification.

In a car with a wheelbase of just 2.5m, Suzuki will sell you their ‘micro SUV’ that weighs just 865kg.

So why is it one of our favourite new cars? Well of course, you will find out in this review!

How much does the Suzuki Ignis cost?

Although the Suzuki Ignis has seen a number of price increases over the last few years (thanks, inflation and poor dollar!) it still is one of the cheapest new cars you can buy in Australia.

The whole range kicks off from just $23,490 for the base spec GL Manual; interestingly the only spec available with the manual. Add $1,000 if you want the CVT automatic transmission.

The GLX we are testing here today raises the prices to $26,490, although the automatic CVT transmission is included in that.

And if you want a black spoiler and black decals, you can spend another $1,500 dollars and get the Shadow Edition. However, unless you really want black stickers and a spoiler, we struggle to recommend this specification.

• Suzuki Ignis GL (Manual): $23,490 driveaway + $1,000 (Auto)
• Suzuki Ignis GLX: $26,490 driveaway
• Suzuki Ignis Shadow: $27,990 driveaway

Although Suzuki might say this competes with the Hyundai Venue, it’s closer competitor is the Kia Picanto GT-Line and MG3.

However, considering the former is $21,390 driveaway and the MG3 is $20,990, the value proposition of the Ignis does start to decrease.

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What do we think of the exterior looks of the Suzuki Ignis?

Look… this thing is quirky.

There is no middle ground, either you love it or you hate it. You can let us know what you think in the comment section at the end of this article!

We, frankly, love it. Because it is so unique in a world where cars are all starting to blend into each other.

It’s also functional, with bright, auto LED projector lights (surprising, at this price point!).

Even though it looks like it has lots of functional aero up the front, its actually mostly blocked off - that increases aerodynamics and as you’ll see, this engine does not require much cooling.

But after this thing was facelifted in mid-2020, it’s clear to see that they have ‘SUV-ified’ the snot out of the Ignis, adding in black plastic cladding and contrasting body panels, while also adding some functional roof-rails.

Suzuki says, repositioning the micro-hatch to an ultra compact-SUV has doubled their sales. Although to be fair, the COVID shortage of cars probably helped with that demand - but it’s impressive nonetheless.

You’ll notice that the 16” alloy wheels look hilariously small compared to the boxy side of the Ignis, although we love the design of them.

They are incredibly narrow though, which interestingly, doesn’t impact the ride as much as you would think.

You’ve also got what suspiciously looks like the Adidas 3-stripe logo at the back, although we hear that is to replicate older Suzuki models circa-1980’s, to which this thing has certainly done well.

And then the rear… well, it’s okay. Certainly extremely functional, as you will see in the boot section! 

Maybe that spoiler would look good though.

What’s the interior and connectivity like of the Suzuki Ignis?

The interior of the Ignis is a genuine surprise.

You can see the SUV-ification has continued here, mainly with the sheer volume of space on the interior.

At 5’11”, I feel like I have acres of room - much more than can be said of the Kia Picanto and MG3. More specifically, the dash is quite pushed back which means my knees have plenty of room.

In fact, the seats - despite being literal slabs of minimally styled foam - do adjust massively, so if you are a taller person in need of a micro-car, this is probably the choice for you.

Moreover, the seats can be yanked up really high - and I mean really high. To the point where you strangely do feel like you are in a proper SUV. Impressive.

Interior quality, however, leaves quite a lot to be desired.

The infotainment display - which has recently been upgraded in a sneak move by Suzuki - has a housing around it which can very easily be moved.

All materials are hard scratchy plastics (though, not at all a surprise at this price), but more importantly, do reflect a lot of sound - so this thing is loud on a highway run.

The speakers are suitably average, despite there being the addition of 2 tweeters in this GLX.

But quality aside, everything just works.

The air conditioning controls look fantastic, and more importantly work very well with auto function.

The steering wheel is a really nice unit, and the analogue instrument cluster works really well.

Not to mention, the cabin looks fantastic. The contrasting colours, the quirky design; it feels like a very decent place to spend time without that ‘cheap’ feeling you can often get at this price.

What about the back seats of the Suzuki Ignis?

This is the most impressive thing about the Suzuki Ignis, and that is it’s packaging.

Firstly, the doors open 90 degrees. And if you are a parent in need of loading kids in, this will be one of the easiest small cars to do that.

At 5’11”, I have heaps of headroom, legroom and toe room. That is unheard of in such a small car.

Not to mention, you can adjust the rear seats by sliding them or reclining / inclining them to get more comfort or room, depending on what’s in the boot.

Keep in mind though, that only the base-spec GL is a 5 seater. The GLX and Shadow are both 4 seaters (with that better seat design), and it’s much more comfortable for rear seat passengers. 

So no complaints here.

How much can it fit in the boot of the Suzuki Ignis?

The Ignis has class leading boot space at 264L of boot space, and then this can be expanded by sliding the rear seats forward.

If you fold the rear seats, you can expect about 516L of boot space, however it should be noted that there is a big ledge when doing so!

Still, very impressive!

What’s under the bonnet of the Suzuki Ignis?

As we said in our video, the Suzuki Ignis has to be the only car to be factory optioned with Asthma.

The engine is small enough that I think we can consider it to be in the ‘cute’ tier.

Powering the mighty Ignis is a 1.2L 4 cylinder naturally aspirated petrol engine, pumping out a whopping 66kW at 6000rpm and 120Nm of torque at 4400rpm.

All of that power is sent through to the front wheels via a CVT automatic transmission.

It might not sound like a lot of power, and objectively it isn’t, but considering the Ignis weighs just 865kg it can certainly move its own weight.

In fact its power to weight ratio of 80.5kW per tonne, that’s substantially better than the Kia Picanto GT-Line at 62.3kW per tonne. Some food for thought!

How does the Suzuki Ignis drive?

Look, the Suzuki Ignis is no speed demon.

We timed the 0-100km/h sprint, to be fair with 2 people in the cabin, at 12.4 seconds - which is impressive for a car with little power.

Best of all though is fuel economy. Our week of driving, which was mostly around town and some spirited rural driving, netted us a fuel economy of 5.7L/100km which is fantastic.

Despite having small, narrow wheels, the Ignis feels really planted on the road. You have a huge amount of visibility thanks to the boxy, glasshouse design and a surprisingly high ride-height which admittedly does feel quite ‘SUV’ like.

The downside is the body-roll, which certainly exists with the Ignis. Thanks to its taller proportions and narrow body, it never feels extremely confidence inspiring when really going at it, but who the heck is going to be doing that in their Ignis anyway?

The lack of safety, which we expand on a little later, is definitely the biggest disappointment. I’m not expecting active lane centering, blind spot monitors, or the sort - but the resounding lack of driver aids is certainly a big cross for us.

Suspension deserves a mention too. You can feel that it is a cheaper architecture underneath, with some bigger bumps bottoming out the suspension pretty quickly. It was never unruly though, and apart from the large amount of road noise inside the cabin, driving down the highway is a comfortable enough affair.

Shoutout to the turning circle on this too, which at 9.4m is superb.

Moral of the story? It’s a great city car, but out on the open or back roads, it can feel a little out of its place. 

Who could have guessed that, hey?

How does the Suzuki Ignis perform off-road?

Look, if Suzuki want to call this an SUV, we can’t not mention its off-road capabilities.

They even mention off-road stats like ramp-over angle on their website!

The Ignis has a ground clearance of 180mm (unladen), an approach angle of 20 degrees, ramp breakover angle of 18 degrees, and departure angle of 38 degrees (that is actually very good).

So, of its closest competitors, it is true that the Suzuki Ignis is the most capable off-road. But that doesn’t mean it is good off-road objectively. Just keep that in mind.

Is the Suzuki Ignis Safe?

Safety in the Suzuki Ignis is disappointing at best, unacceptable at worst.

The Ignis has not been evaluated by ANCAP, but the version sold in Europe obtained a three-star safety rating in 2016, which is no longer valid.

During Euro NCAP assessments, the Ignis achieved 79 percent for adult passenger safety, 79 percent for child passenger safety, 67 percent for pedestrian protection, and 25 percent for safety assistance.

Key safety features encompass:

• Airbags for the front, front-side, and curtain areas
• A brake assist system (BAS)
• Assistance for holding on hills
• A rearview camera

In our opinion, however, the total lack of active safety technology - including Autonomous Emergency Braking found on the Kia Picanto and MG3 - is in need of change.

It’s a shame, because it leaves a black mark on an otherwise fantastic car.

How much can the Suzuki Ignis tow?

The Suzuki Ignis can tow up to 800kg.

So not much of a tow machine.

How much does the Suzuki Ignis cost to service?

The Suzuki Ignis comes with a 5 year, unlimited kilometre warranty and capped price servicing.

Service intervals are 12 months or 15,000km (whichever comes first) and are priced at

• Year 1: $319
• Year 2: $429
• Year 3: $409
• Year 4: $449
• Year 5: $349

Total cost of capped price servicing for the Suzuki Ignis is $1,955 - that’s pretty cheap.

Final thoughts - should you buy a Suzuki Ignis?

We love the Suzuki Ignis, because it does so much right.

It’s cheap(ish), is comfortable to live with and cheap to run. Plus, it’s a Suzuki - so it’s probably pretty reliable.

Not to mention it looks good (though subjective), and has best in-class practicality.

The issue we have is the price compared to a Kia Picanto GT-Line and MG3 - both of which are ~30% cheaper. 

We can excuse that price jump considering the practicality benefits of the Ignis, but we can’t excuse the lack of active safety technology.

If you can live without the active safety technology and an expired 3 star safety rating - you will love the Ignis, however.