The Indian imminent Maruti Suzuki Ignis was showcased at the Paris Motor Show. The car at the show was the production ready European-spec model and was slightly different from the one which will be available to us. It will go on sale in the European market early next year.
Powering the European version will be a 1.2-litre Dualjet (K12C) engine producing 89bhp and 115Nm, which can be found in the Euro-spec Baleno and Swift. With an SHVS (Smart Hybrid Vehicle by Suzuki) system the power will be sent to front wheels through a five-speed manual or an AMT transmission. There will be an optional Allgrip all-wheel drive available as well. With the scheme of dual tone, the colour options will include three of the new shades out of available 14– flame orange pearl, helios gold pearl, and a neon blue.
The European version is a tad bigger and is loaded with features. It will sport the daytime running lights along with LED and projector lamps. Infotainment will have a touch control display panel with Bluetooth, USB compatible to use smartphone applications via the display, navigation, rear-view camera, Google services with Android Auto along with Apple Carplay feature. Additionally, it also comes with MirrorLink. In the safety department, there are two stereo cameras, lane departure warning, Dual Camera Brake Support and weaving alert. Other safety features include ESP and Suzuki’s Total Effective Control Technology (TECT) concept which offers a high level of collision safety. In the European market, the Suzuki Ignis will face competition from the likes of the Dacia Sandero and Fiat Panda.
In India, there will be an option of diesel powerplant as well. The 1.2-litre K-Series petrol engine and the 1.3-litre DDiS diesel engine will be available to us. The petrol engine will make 83bhp and 115Nm of torque while the diesel will produce around 74bhp and 190Nm of torque, as in the Swift. However, these figures may be different in the Ignis, as it could get a different state of tune. There may be an optional CVT gearbox as well. Maruti is also considering a 1.0 BoosterJet turbo-petrol engine mated to the AMT.
The Ignis could join the Baleno and S-Cross as the third offering from the Nexa. The compact crossover will be locally produced and it will be targeting Mahindra’s XUV100 which had no serious competition in the compact crossover segment until now. Expected price for the Ignis could be between Rs 5-7 lakh
