2023 Suzuki Ignis Owner’s Manual

Suzuki has a knack for building eccentric small cars that pack an unexpected level of road competence, and the Ignis is easily up there in contention for one of the best of the many quirky options from the automaker.

The Ignis is a tiny-footprint SUV built to provide intense competition for the hyper-popular city cars that grace the streets of the UK and Europe.

With dimensions that are just 3.7m by 1.7m, the Suzuki Ignis is around the same size as tiny city cars like the Volkswagen Up!, Kia Picanto, and the Hyundai i10. Hence, this places this nameplate firmly in the "small cars for city driving market class", albeit with a unique twist.

The Ignis ships with Suzuki’s AllGrip all-wheel drive system, an anomaly in this weight class, as most city cars only offer two-wheel drive. While including all-wheel drive won’t turn this small SUV into an off-road champion, it gives the Ignis enough robustness to outperform most of the competition on any surface easily.

The 2023 Suzuki Ignis also packs a 1.2-liter Dualjet mild-hybrid engine that makes a passable 82 horsepower, but—thanks to its mild-hybrid system, which provides extra oomph in terrain where you would typically have low engine speeds—provides decent acceleration and more responsiveness than the Volkswagen Up!, Toyota Aygo X, and the Dacia Duster.

The powertrain also comes standard with a precise enough five-speed manual gearbox with an optional continuously variable automatic transmission.

Another big plus to the new Ignis is its exterior profile. Thanks to a mild mid-cycle 2020 facelift, the 2023 Suzuki Ignis sports a fairly macho front, more than what you would get with most vehicles in this market segment, at least. The new bumper and a Jeep-esque radiator grille seem like a pleasant bonus in a car this small.