In-depth reviews

Suzuki Ignis owner reviews

“The Suzuki Ignis is a small SUV that’s not much bigger than a city car. It has character in spades and should prove cheap to run, but it’s a flawed gem”

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31 Jul 2020

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Carbuyer Rating

3.7 out of 5

Owners Rating

4.5 out of 5

Reviews

Owner Reviews

5 out of 5
4 out of 5
3 out of 5
2 out of 5
1 out of 5

82%of people would recommend this car to a friend

Common Problems

Gearbox / clutch (1 case)

Review 1 of 11

Tell us what you think about your car?

I have owned my Ignis SZ-T automatic for four months now and I’m extremely pleased with it. I have had no problems at all with the car and it performs better than expected. The average fuel consumption I have recorded since beginning ownership is 56.5mpg, which for a small automatic used mainly in a built-up area is, in my opinion, pretty good. The transmission is not a regular automatic but an automated manual, where an electronic clutch has been added to a manual gearbox to facilitate the automatic changes. It is slightly jerky when cold, particularly between first and second, and second and third gears. However, when the car warms up, it is fine. I have also found that the gearchanges are a lot smoother if you take your foot off the accelerator (as you would when changing gear in a manual car), when the gears are about to change. I have also found that the gears are a bit more controllable than in a standard automatic, when using your right foot/pressure on the accelerator. Instead of paying for the Suzuki sat-nav upgrade when I was purchasing the car from the dealer, I bought the relevant SD card off Ebay for a significantly lower price and it works absolutely fine. I was originally going to buy the SZ5 model but as I didn’t want climate control or keyless entry, and could upgrade the sat-nav relatively cheaply, I decided on the SZ-T model instead. Personally, I don’t miss having electric rear windows, which the SZ5 has but the only thing I do miss (and it’s relatively minor) is the intermittent facility on the rear window wiper. As this wiper doesn’t have to be used every time I use the car, it’s not a major issue. The car is well constructed and has no squeaks or rattles, not that you should expect them on a car only a few months old but other makes do seem to suffer from Day 1. It’s good to drive, easy to place on the road and in particular, easy for parking due to its boxy design and the very useful reversing camera. The instruments are extremely clear, and I like that the speedo is the largest dial in the middle of the binnacle, directly in front of you. Bearing in mind the car’s compact exterior dimensions, the car is very spacious on the inside. I am 6ft tall and don’t feel in the slightest bit cramped. Because it’s a bit higher off the ground than a standard hatchback, it’s also very easy to get in and out. Overall, I’m very pleased with my purchase.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

We live up in Scotland there are not to many automatic SZ5 models around. We spotted one online at the other end of the country and had it delivered to our dealership. Unfortunately, there was a gearbox issue from day one. There was an issue with the clutch which had to be replaced at 3400 miles. Another problem I encountered was when I accelerated In drive from a standstill after the new clutch was fitted, the car juddered. I took it to the dealership up here in Scotland and, because it is manual clutch with an electronic controller, you can't give it too much accelerator or the car will judder when moving off. The technician demonstrated twice on a road test. The car seems otherwise well put together and the engine is sweet. Oh how I wish they had put the full automatic gearbox in like the Suzuki Splash – it would have been perfect. Were also disappointed by the service of the original dealer.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

No Red thumbs down

Tell us what you think about your car?

This is my wife's car, she is delighted with it, but the auto gearbox when changing from 1 to 2 and 2 to 3 feels hesitant while the rest of the gearchanging is hardly noticible. The dealership service department says its normal. The car has not done a thousand miles yet so it could be that it needs to bed in.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

I've had this for 3 weeks so far and only needed to put £31 of petrol in. It’s done 370 mile and still shows 1/4 full. This car is is exactly what I needed. It's economical and easy to park, has a great driving position and nifty rear seat adjustment to create more space. It looks good, too. It could be a bit nippier, but from a practical point of view and in terms of standard features, you cannot beat it.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

Great car with a funky shape. It's well designed for space, comfortable to drive on long distance journeys, and packed with handy features.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

Great small car - highly recommended. Whilst it is a small car it is like a Tardis as it is huge on the inside, and the sliding rear seats allow limo like legroom or greater boot space. The car looks great, is well made, well equipped and very cheap to run. Absolutely delighted with our purchase.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

Bought mine and instantly saved in fuel bills and VED. From £200 a month in diesel to £35 for petrol. VED from close to £400 to £45. Great little car with character and loads of interior space for the run about town and still capable on a motorway run. Good points, fuel, road tax, visibility, wide doors, features on the shvs a/grip , 'chuckabilty' and turning circle, head room. Not so good, that fuel cap lever I keep opening with the back of my foot, buffeting when the rear windows are open at anything over 5 mph, lack of a proper spare wheel and the price of replacing the tyres with the OEM Bridgestone ones - don't do it seriously, £400-600 to replace them - I never paid that when replacing the ones on my old Defender.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

This is a drivers car. Ok, it’s not a performance car, but if you enjoy driving, and prefer to be involved in the driving process, then this is a great small car to drive. The steering is precise, the feedback through the wheel is accurate and the gear change is crisp and precise. But most of all the car has character. The last time I drove a car with as much character was when I had a MK1 Golf GTi. My last car was a Subaru XV, a great car in many ways but my Ignis is definitely more fun. That aside, the interior space is amazing for such a small car, the equipment levels excellent and the build quality spot on. No, it doesn’t feel luxurious but the fittings and materials feel as though they will last for years.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

I love this little car. It has everything I need from a small car. I can't understand why some motoring journalists are a little unkind about the car. I expect that if you get out of an Aston Martin etc you are going to be unimpressed with the power of the engine but, here in the real world, the car's performance is perfectly adequate. The list of equipment is superb and the drive is smooth and comfortable. The gear change is sweet. The driving position is good. I would certainly recommend this car. Don't be put off. Listen to what Ignis OWNERS have to say about the car.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

I have had this car for 6 years since new. It is a great value car with superb equipment for the price, amazing versatile space and great fuel economy. But it's an early car so ride is dreadful over bumps and several components have been poor quality so warranty claims, MOT advisories and failures from 4 years old and a breakdown call out. Not expensive to fix but the quality of components is definitely budget. I do like this car and with substandard components replaced, I intend to keep it - it is cheap to run.

What's the one thing you like most about your car?

Huge space for its size; love the sliding rear seats which give you leg room or larger boot space, great level of equipment for the price, really economical.

If you could improve one thing, what would it be?

Ride over bumps is awful (Suzuki upgraded suspension quite quickly but did not have the courtesy of recalling their sub-standard early cars). Component quality poor: driver's seat cushion (replaced twice under warranty), clutch cable bracket failed (breakdown service called), front drop links (advisory at 4 years old, replaced due to MOT failure at year 5). The car has had clonks, rattles, aplenty. Suzuki and their franchised dealer have also underperformed (in my opinion).

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

No Red thumbs down

Tell us what you think about your car?

This car was cheaper to buy (£8,300) at 6 months old with 2,000 miles on the clock, which I chose from a dealer. It is a hoot to drive with super low weight, a revvy little engine and real analogue feel. It reminds me of an eighties hot hatch but with better reliability and safety. I specifically went for the base trim for the lowest cost, weight and 3 rear seats. Its controls are so simple and easy to use. No need to read the manual!. After 2 years of driving and 25000 miles my mpg is 52 and my daily grind is a 50 mile motorway journey. I can often fill it up on contactless! It has no problems in the fast lane although is noisy at speed. Now this is the crazy bit!. . .the exterior is tiny but the interior is so much bigger than you would imagine. It's bigger than my wifes mini 5 dr. This year i took it on holiday as a family car and it fitted; The mrs and I 3 kids All our luggage (although minimal airplane carry on size only) A dog (smallish) A skateboard A scooter And a coffee machine ! Staggering for such a small car (no roof pod by the way) It also looks funky and has not broken down. Love it.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up