The world’s cutest micro-crossover, the Suzuki Ignis, has come in for its midlife facelift and tech upgrade, including a revised powertrain.
Mild aesthetic brush strokes
While it’s a relatively modest facelift, the changes are easy to spot. The old single-bar-and-mesh radiator grille has been replaced by a five-spoke effort, which ties the Ignis in better with some of its stablemates, like the Jimny and the Vitara, while the bumpers have changed fore and aft. They now feature what look like skid-protectors in an inverted-U shape, replacing the squarer look of the old Ignis’ nose and the thick, horizontal black bar that used to sit at the back of the crossover.
Inside, little has been altered, but there are fresh accent colours in the form of Lazuli Medium Blue Pearl and Medium Grey Metallic, while the instrument cluster’s dials have been redesigned in a sharper, black-and-white theme. Oh, and moving quickly back to the outside, there are 11 single-tone and seven two-tone colours available for the updated Suzuki, including three new shades - which are Caravan Ivory Pearl Metallic, Rush Yellow Metallic and Tough Khaki Pearl Metallic.
Larger li-ion battery
The Ignis has always been available with the (very) mild ‘Smart Hybrid Vehicle by Suzuki’ (SHVS) drivetrain, but it has been upgraded for the 2020 model year and beyond. The 1.2-litre Dualjet engine now features a dual-injection system with an electric-intake variable valve timing (VVT) set-up, plus a variable displacement oil pump and electric piston cooling jets. And yet, the electric part of the Ignis’ powertrain has also received a boost, as its lithium-ion battery capacity has been expanded from 3Ah (ampere hours) to 10Ah. This allows the updated Ignis to store more kinetic energy harvested during deceleration phases, which in turn then powers the electric motor to assist the engine during acceleration to improve fuel efficiency.
Alongside the changes to the hybrid powertrain, a continuously variable transmission (CVT) option is offered for the Ignis for the first time, which promises better acceleration at low speeds and greater fuel economy at higher, cruising speeds. The updated Ignis should go on sale from April.