Maruti Suzuki have let loose the Ignis, their latest offering in the premium Nexa stable.
The iM-4 Concept, shown in 2015, was a more-or-less accurate depiction of what the future held for us. The production model has arrived true to the original inspiration and sports all the highlights that marked it apart: the unique headlamp design, a peppy petrol engine and, overseas at least, a choice of an all-wheel driveline.
It’s already here in India, the car was showcased as a 2017 model and, now, there is a 1.2-litre petrol engine car, as well as a 1.3-litre turbo-diesel car, each of which are familiar tried-and-tested engines. Maruti Suzuki India have also confirmed the availability of both a five-speed manual transmission as well as an automated manual option for both engines. Aimed at a younger target audience, living in the now, with the tag-line being ‘#NoneOfAKind’, it has some unique choices for buyers. Two levels of customisation are available: ‘Terra’ and ‘Sprint’. A choice of dual-tone roof options for red and blue cars, together with interior trim highlights in the body colour are available, as are a choice of wraps, and accents for the grille and fog-lamps.
More good news comes in the form of the fact that the Ignis is being retailed through Maruti Suzuki’s Nexa premium dealership channel, making it the third model to be offered via their premium set-up. Further good news, the icing on the cake, even, comes with the announcement that all Nexa cars – Ignis, Baleno and S-Cross – are now offered with standard ABS and dual front airbags across all variants. The Ignis also gets ISOFIX child-seat anchors.
The Ignis is a potential game-changer for Maruti Suzuki. The none-of-a-kind SUV-style hatchback has already captured a lot of attention from the images. Looking at the Ignis, we can speculate that it is intended to be placed right below the Baleno; a very competitive market space.
The international-spec Ignis took everyone by surprise by scoring a five-star rating from NCAP. That model has features like AEB (Autonomous Emergency Braking). We hope that Maruti Suzuki retain as many of these features as possible with the Indian version of the vehicle also.
The Ignis has been competitively priced, starting from Rs 4.59 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi).
Petrol:
1.2-litre, in-line four
83 PS, 113 Nm
Five-speed, manual/automatic, front-wheel drive
Pricing: (ex-showroom, Delhi)
Sigma: Rs 4.59 lakh
Delta: Rs 5.19 lakh
Zeta: Rs 5.75 lakh
Alpha: Rs 6.69 lakh
Delta AGS: 5.74 lakh
Zeta AGS: 6.30 lakh
Diesel:
1.3-litre, in-line four
75 PS, 190 Nm
Five-speed, manual/automatic, front-wheel drive
Pricing: (ex-showroom, Delhi)
Delta: Rs 6.39 lakh
Zeta: Rs 6.91 lakh
Alpha: Rs 7.80 lakh
Delta AGS: Rs 6.94 lakh
Zeta AGS: Rs 7.46 lakh
