Suzuki Ignis Sport
Entering the world of rallying is no easy task for a manufacturer. Not only do you have to pay to see drivers smash your priceless cars to pieces, you also need a good enough vehicle in the first place.
Suzuki may have plundered its rallying heritage to create the Ignis Sport, but it lacks sparkle. The engine is lively and quite flexible for a small 16-valver, but the gearbox isn't up to the task, while the interior is a little cheap. Still, it's a good effort and decent value.
Entering the world of rallying is no easy task for a manufacturer. Not only do you have to pay to see drivers smash your priceless cars to pieces, you also need a good enough vehicle in the first place.
To qualify for the Junior World Rally Championship (JWRC), car makers must produce a minimum number of road models that share a percentage of the rally machine's parts. Still with us? Good.
Citroen has already brought us the stripped-out C2 GT (we drove this car in Issue 784), and now Suzuki is about to join the fray with the Ignis Sport. With a new 1.5-litre 16-valve VVT engine, this is the most powerful Ignis yet, pumping out a healthy 107bhp. Performance is lively, with the 0-60mph dash dispatched in 8.9 seconds, while the boxy body has been lowered by by just over 50mm to improve cornering stability.
On the road, the car feels slower than the figures suggest, and while the retuned suspension does a decent job of keeping everything in the right place through bends, it doesn't have the fluid feel of a Ford Sportka or Citroen C2.
The engine is a hard worker, though, and thrives on high revs, delivering its power all the way through to the red line. Unfortunately, the gearbox is less willing and doesn't like to be rushed into action. Thankfully, the rally versions get a super-quick six-speed sequential version. The cabin is also something of a mixed bag. The seats are set way too high, while the cheap yellow netting in the headrest is enough to make you wince. And while the carbon fibre dash looks decent enough, you can't help feeling that Suzuki missed a trick here.
Had it ripped out all the unnecessary soundproofing and fitted a rally style suede-rimmed steering wheel instead of a fake leather one - remember the old Peugeot 106 Rallye? - Suzuki would have given this model a genuine JWRC interior. Instead, it's neither fish nor fowl.
It's difficult to see the Ignis Sport passing into history as one of the great little stormers - unsung or otherwise. A solid and lively machine it may be, but it lacks the spark that sets a special hot hatch apart from merely a good one.
