Suzuki Ignis updated for 2020; prices start at £13,999

• • SUV-inspired styling tweaks
• Mild hybrid battery increased in size
• New interior trim and instruments

The refreshed Suzuki Ignis is now on sale, with prices starting from £13,999. The new car gets subtle interior and exterior styling changes, and an updated petrol engine with improved mild-hybrid assistance. A new automatic gearbox is also available as an option.

2020 Suzuki Ignis prices and specifications

SZ3 trim kicks off the range, and includes air conditioning, LED headlights, DAB radio, Bluetooth and tinted rear windows. Mid-range SZ-T spec cars get an infotainment touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and split-folding rear seats, alloy wheels, roof rails and a reversing camera.

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The top-spec SZ5 trim brings sat nav, climate control, keyless entry and start, rear electric windows and front fog lights, plus extra safety equipment including lane-departure warning.Oddly, only the cheapest SZ3 trim gets five seats, whereas higher specification cars get four seats. The SZ-T model starts from £15,499, and SZ5 is £1,000 more expensive.

Styling and interior

A new five-slot front grille has been added, bringing the Ignis inline with Suzuki's SUV range. The front and rear bumpers have also been redesigned, with silver contrasting trim to give the Ignis a tougher look. Eleven single-tone and seven two-tone paint jobs are available, with 'Caravan Ivory Pearl Metallic', 'Rush Yellow Metallic' and 'Tough Khaki Pearl Metallic' new shades for 2020.

Inside, there will be new gunmetal grey or blue accents matching grey or blue cloth seat upholstery. The instruments also feature a new set of dials with contrasting black and white graphics.

Hybrid engine

There's also an updated 1.2-litre Dualjet petrol engine, now featuring dual injection for better response and efficiency. The mild hybrid system has been upgraded by expanding the capacity of the lithium-ion battery from 3Ah to 10Ah. This allows more energy to be harvested under deceleration while driving, which is then used to assist the engine while accelerating.

Now available as an option, a CVT automatic gearbox will suit drivers who don't want to shuffle through gears, especially in the heavy traffic and town driving where most Ignis’ will be used.

Suzuki says cars with a manual gearbox can achieve 55.7mpg and 114g/km on the WLTP cycle, while ALLGRIP four-wheel-drive models return 51.9mpg and a slightly higher CO2 figure. Adding a CVT automatic gearbox to the front-wheel drive Ignis sees fuel economy drop slightly to 51.3mpg with 0-62mph taking 12.4 seconds. When specced with a manual gearbox and front-wheel drive, the Ignis manages 0-62mph in 12.7 seconds.

Like the Suzuki Ignis' chunky design? Read our in-depth review, and compare it against the Volkswagen up!, Fiat Panda and Hyundai i10.