The Maruti Ignis Specifications: Here's all you want to know about it

Maruti Suzuki is gearing up to strengthen its dominance in the Indian car market by expanding its reach in a variety of compact car segments. The Maruti Ignis is a crossover type model and is being promoted as a Micro SUV and it has much at its disposal to offer. The Ignis is slated to reach showrooms before Diwali. Let’s find out how the Ignis stands out from others in the compact hatchbacks market.

Design:

The design of the Ignis was previewed by the Suzuki iM-4 concept at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show, featuring a quirky crossover styling that is expected to grab attention. The India-spec Maruti Ignis will feature a chrome-accentuated grille, slight design tweaks and roof rails. It measures 3,700 mm long, 1,660 mm wide, 1,595 mm high, has a 2,435 mm long wheelbase and a 180 mm high ground clearance.

New Exterior & Interior:

In terms of design, Maruti Ignis is undoubtedly quite unique. Along with the Baleno, the Ignis will be one of the very few cars in Maruti to feature a distinctive interior design. The car has compact dimensions and short overhangs that along with flat body surfacing and upright styling with most of the elements being in rectangular shape complement its rugged appeal. Front-end is dominated by large DRL-equipped headlamps and flat surface grille. The Ignis features dual section tail lights. All in all, it looks a decent rugged vehicle as well as unlike any other Maruti Suzuki. It is also the first Maruti to feature a steering wheel that is not sourced from the Maruti Swift’s parts bin. The Ignis has a utilitarian floating dual tone dashboard that houses a freestanding SmartPlay display, and unique HVAC controls. Instrument housing is compact in size and is neat and easily readable. Making the cabin a more pleasant place is high headroom and impressive amount of legroom. Equipments on this new car include SmartPlay infotainment system with Apple CarPlay, Keyless entry, engine start stop button, all four power windows, front airbags, split seats, auto dimming IRVM, electrically adjustable and retractable ORVMs, DRLs, and anti-lock braking system.

Engine options:

Powering the diesel variants of the Maruti Ignis will be company’s tried-and-tested 1.3-liter DDiS engine equipped with Suzuki’s SHVS mild hybrid tech. Whether it would be 75 PS or 90 PS is yet to be officially confirmed. The India-bound Ignis will be available in both petrol and diesel types. A 5-speed manual will be standard in both models, while a CVT could be exclusive for the petrol variant.

Chassis, Suspension & Brakes:

The Ignis is strengthened with a new high-rigidity platform that has been developed for ‘A’ segment cars. It is fundamentally an advanced version of the Swift’s platform that supports the Baleno and will serve duty on the new-generation Swift also. McPherson struts at front and semi-independent torsion beam setup at the rear form the suspension. Braking power will come from disc and drum brakes at front and rear respectively.

Competitors:

So far, the Maruti Ignis has only one direct competitor in the Indian car market that is Mahindra KUV100. However, considering its size, specifications, and substance it will challenge the likes of Hyundai i20 Active, Fiat Avventura and Etios Cross too.

Positioning the Ignis is a challenge for Maruti Suzuki. Going by the package, it should be placed between the Baleno and Swift but to save the Baleno from being cannibalized we believe that the Ignis will be positioned at par with the Baleno. A starting price tag of around 5 lakhs can be expected that way, with the range topping variant asking for around 7.75 lakhs. Maruti had also confirmed that the Ignis will retail through Maruti’s premium line of NEXA dealerships.