Suzuki Ignis 2021: Cheapest SUV in Australia misses out on Hybrid, AWD variants

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The Suzuki Ignis light SUV will retain its affordable $18,990 driveway price of entry for 2021 in Australia, continuing to undercut most rivals in the immensely popular segment.

Suzuki first launched the Ignis in Australia in 2017 and the little SUV received a mild facelift in early 2020.

The facelift included a visual redesign of the grille along with the front and rear bumpers, giving the diminutive SUV a gruff appearance despite its small footprint.

That nip and tuck also increased the entry price from $17,690 to $18,990 driveaway for the base GL with a five-speed manual or $19,990 for the CVT automatic. 

As standard the GL packs power windows, a reversing camera, a 7-inch multimedia touchscreen fitted with satellite navigation, along with wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Moving up to the top-spec GLX bumps up the price to $20,990 driveaway with the automatic as the sole transmission choice. 

For the slight $1,000 price premium the Ignis GLX gains keyless start, daytime running lights, rear privacy glass and 16-inch alloy wheels. Suzuki also swaps out the three-wide rear bench for two larger seats that have the ability to slide and recline. 

Despite the increase in price, the Suzuki Ignis remains the cheapest SUV in Australia. Its closest competitor being the Hyundai Venue which now starts at $24,280 driveaway.

Suzuki offers a five-year unlimited-kilometre warranty for the Ignis –with capped price servicing also offered for five years or 100,000kms with an average cost of $293 each year.

Under the Ignis’ bonnet is the same 1.2-litre four-cylinder engine found in the Swift, the tiny powerplant making outputs of 66kW/120Nm, or just enough to push around the Ignis’s absurd 865kg total kerb weight. 

That engine is connected to the front wheels only, with neither a hybrid or AWD drivetrain currently offered in Australia.  The overseas hybrid has a slightly detuned petrol engine at 61kW and 107Nm with a combined figure including the electric motor not officially stated.

However, the petrol-only Suzuki Ignis still return impressive fuel economy figures, claiming a fuel usage rating of about 4.8L/100km, mostly thanks to its incredibly low weight.

While the tiny size and lack of driven wheels of the Suzuki Ignis may leave many to doubt its off-road credentials, the little SUV has a useful 180mm of ground clearance and has its wheels pushed right out to the corners allowing for a respectable approach and departure angle of 20 and 38 degrees respectively. Enough to tackle most gravel roads on your weekend hiking trip.

2021 Suzuki Ignis pricing:

All prices shown include the estimated cost of on road fees.

• Suzuki Ignis GL (manual) – $18,990
• Suzuki Ignis GL (automatic) – $19,990
• Suzuki Ignis GLX – $20,990

Metallic paint remains an additional $595 extra across the Ignis range.