[freakmuzik]

Here's to sharing my experience of purchasing an Ignis as a replacement for a 2010 Wagon-R VXI ABS. Though there is a lot of information regarding the car on T-Bhp, I've always felt there might be some tiny thing that might be of help to some tiny soul out there. What's the forum for, otherwise? Hence trying to put out a brief, yet, honest journey of this purchase.

Ode to our beloved Wagon-R

My memory from 2010 has me with my family being excited to take delivery of our much awaited Wagon-R VXI (with ABS & Airbags, for which we had to wait for 6 months), the smell of freshly-baked interior trims, the feeling of sitting over the plastic seat covers, of praying that everything be good with the car after reading all T-Bhp gyaan as a teenager. The first ride back home is still fresh in my memory.

The very last pic of our Wagon-R that I took in September, 2024

Prior to this, we had a Premier Padmini of 1989 make as our primary car. Later, in early 2010, we got a Yellow Nano from the very first list of bookings. And then came the Wagon R in White, the blue eyed boy. The car took us safely to so many places, almost all of Kerala, a bit of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. I did my first highway drive with a learners license in this car. It saved my sister from an accident and also became part of our whole life, being with us for a considerable part of our life and a lakh kilometers. It was my mother's favourite child as she used it the most and we couldn't fathom how it was nearly 15 years already.

But, leaving the emotional part aside, the car slowly started showing its age with few parts needing replacements and a few more that might have to be changed soon. There were a couple of spots of rusting and the boot space was really tight too. Plus, there's the matter of re-registration in 2025 as well. So we finally made a decision to part ways with our Blue-eyed boy and start looking for an ideal replacement.

What to look for?

Since my mother drove the Wagon-R the most (maybe not in kilometers covered, but time spent), it was purely her comfort in mind coupled with other general parameters such as:

1. Easy Ingress/ Egress
2. Sufficient power for being driven on weird Kerala inclines with the AC on
3. Automatic
4. Hill Hold
5. Service availability
6. Decent Boot Space
7. Commanding driving position
8. Rear Wash & Wipe
9. Driver seat Height adjust

With this list, we narrowed down to test-drive the following cars: Wagon R AMT, Punch AMT, Punch EV, Citreon C3 (1.2 NA), Exter and Maruti Ignis.

[freakmuzik]

The (re)search:

Let me share my inferences from the test drives here (have shared some of these in another thread before, but I feel it makes sense to put it down here again)

Maruti Wagon R

Likes:

• All the usual Wagon-R traits - ingress/egress, view, nimble, etc.
• Great usable boot space
• Still the easiest car for the elderly
• Lots of legroom all round
• Good power thanks to 1.2 L and being super light

Dislikes:

• Feels a step down in quality compared to the previous generation
• Expensive for what it offers (top end)
• Poor underthigh support at the rear
• NVH was poor
• This version of K-series feels dull and noisier compared to the one in Ignis

Good evolution in all ways except for the perceived quality and seat-comfort!

Punch AMT

Likes

• Very well appointed interiors
• Great view from driver's seat
• NVH was pretty good
• Very comfortable seats for 4 adults with good under-thigh support and decent legroom
• Decent boot
• Easy ingress and egress
• Brilliant ride and felt rock solid on the road

Dislikes

• AMT was a little slower to respond than W-R
• AC took a bit of time to cool the cabin (The TD vehicle was 25k run though)
• Power, though totally sufficient, wasn't amazing
• Biggest con is the lack of Hill Hold
• Horn position is the most impractical

Citreon C3 (1.2 NA)

Likes

• Very mature Ride and Handling
• Amazing AC
• Very good under-thigh support esp for front seats

Dislikes

• NVH was extremely poor with road noise and engine noise coming in
• Only Manual
• Interiors were super plasticky
• Lack of features
• The driver info display was super basic and looked very very poor
• The whole car felt like a Maruti it terms of flimsiness
• Non-adjustable rear headrests

Punch EV

Likes

• Amazing power with well laid out drive modes
• One pedal driving is super easy with the right regen
• Seat comfort and sufficient space
• Feature rich
• Ride quality and stability + All other pros of the petrol

Dislikes

• AC felt weak (TD car was again nearly 20k run and sun was crazy today)
• Slightly raised floor made seating position a little less comfortable than the petrol

Hyundai Exter

Likes

• Extremely roomy interiors
• Plethora of features
• Featherlight steering wheel
• One of the better digital displays
• Humungous boot space
• AMT was pretty well tuned
• Amazing air-con

Dislikes

• Rear seats were extremely low compared to front, making the rear passengers feel very weird. Even the bolstering of the front seats did not work for me
• Driving experience was very toy-car like: Dead and too light a steering, whole car felt a bit floaty
• Interiors of the TD car had some faded plastics which was surprising
• Ride comfort was neither there nor here
• There was something about the car that felt like it lacked cohesion as a product and experience
• Engine felt average for some reason
• Finally, the looks didn't work for me at all

Must say, the Hyundai sales team were amazing!


Maruti Ignis

Likes

• Great view from the drivers seat makes the car feel so small and chuck-able
• Love the engine in totality and the note
• Ride was very mature and the car felt planted till the 90 kmph. Didn't push further
• Sufficiently well kitted
• Front seats were very supportive
• Overall build felt better than other entry level Maruti's
• Amazing air-con

Dislikes

• Rubbery steering with no-real feel and typical Maruti's lack of return-to-centre action
• AMT is not the best in the set of cars
• Rear seats are a little claustrophobic compared to the rest with limited legroom
• Shape of the rear
• Boot space is smallest among all the contenders
• The fact that the car is nearly 7 years old
• No Crash Test rating available

The second round of test-drive that sealed our choice.

Overall analysis

View from Driver's seat - Ignis>Wagon-R=C3=Punch=Exter
Ride Comfort - C3=Punch>Ignis>Exter=Wagon-R
Perceived Quality - Punch>Exter>Ignis>Wagon-R=C3
Front Seating comfort - Punch>Ignis>C3>Exter>Wagon-R
Rear Seating comfort - Punch>Exter>C3>Ignis>Wagon-R
Boot Space - Exter>Wagon-R>Punch>C3>Ignis
Engine+AMT - Ignis>Wagon-R>Punch>Exter
NVH - Punch>Exter>Ignis>Wagon-R=C3


Regarding the pricing,

Wagon R ZXI+ DT AGS- Rs. 8.30 L
Ignis Alpha AGS - Rs. 9.02 L
Hyundai Exter SX(O) AMT - Rs. 11.20 L
Tata Punch Creative AMT - Approx Rs. 11 L (from carwale)
Citreon C3 Shine NA Manual - Approx Rs. 9.3 L (from carwale)


My mother still had a soft-corner for the Wagon-R brand but yet another thorough test drive of both these cars locked our decision. Booked Maruti Ignis Alpha AGS in Nexa Blue from Indus Nexa showroom in the Kazhakoottam By-pass. We initially booked it with Sarathy motors but later figured they only had a showroom in Kollam which they did not mention. There were a few more stuff that they weren't transparent about so we went ahead with Indus.

Ex-showroom: 8,06,000/-
Insurance: 25,651/-
Road Tax: 1,04,780/-
Extended Warranty (6 yrs): 19,588/-
Registration: 1155/-
Fastag: 500/-
Nexacard: 885/-
On-Road: Rs. 958719/-

Discounts:

Consumer offer: 50,000/-
Bonus Offer: 20,000/-
Exchange Bonus: 14,000/-

Net on-road: 8,74,719/-

Since I wasn't in town, I got my father to check the car out in the yard and take a few photos for me. I definitely couldn't ask him to do a PDI but witnessing the car with a clean paintwork atleast felt good.

We had a decent delivery experience as we had to settle with the day before Onam. They had to deliver 60 cars so one can imagine the kind of confusions and delays but, they did their level best. The car did have a few fingerprints here and there, they forgot to put paper mats inside and all that. But still, I won't complain as the experience was respectful in total. For folks wondering why we chose such a busy date, this was the only time that all four in our family were in town.

[freakmuzik]

About the car

We are loving the car and it fulfills the purpose it was intended for without a doubt. Our Ignis has barely touched 1,000 kms as I write this - reason being that my mother hasn't found the time or the circumstance to get accustomed to the car to drive it all by herself in full confidence. The 2nd service is also done by now and there are no niggles or anything of that sort to mention.

I took my parents for a quick drive from Trivandrum - Kollam - Ernakulam - Kottayam - Trivandrum as there were a couple of weddings I had to attend. Though I had my Altis with me, I wanted them to get used to the car and also get it run a bit and see for myself how it is.

Looks and Design:

Ignoring the design of the rear, I love the car from every other angle. It does have a micro-SUV stance, amazing ground clearance and it is tyred just right that it complements the total look of the car. I'm not a huge fan of the front grille but other than that, I can't spot anything wrong with the car. It doesn't feel 7 years old to look at and I can't imagine what would be a possible facelift to this car.

Interiors and Seating Comfort:

A neutral, pleasing design with sufficiently good feature set

Interiors are almost typically a Maruti. The reason I say 'almost' is because of some tiny bits that make it feel a bit upmarket, just like the trip info button being neatly integrated near the A/C vent and in the steering. I absolutely love the driving position - I'm sure it would take anyone just a few seconds to find a perfect driving position. The front seats are not too big but does the job with decent under-thigh support. The pedals are placed perfectly and so are all the controls. I love the design of the Air-con controls and the rest of the buttons there. I feel happy to not have purchased a car that does not come with buttons for A/C controls.

Love this part of the Centre console. But only 1 USB port and that too a non-future-proof USB A.

The plastics are built to a cost without doubt. The door pads are too basic to look at except for the body coloured door handles. The interiors are sufficiently practical with bottle holders around and a mid-sized glovebox. I wish they had provided an auto dimming IRVM for Alpha - that would have been very thoughtful.

'Rear seats are decent even for a 6 hour journey' - these precious words from my mother comforted me further with the choice. You don't get a rear armrest though nor do you get rear AC vents (asking too much, am I?). Legroom is just sufficient and not as good as some of the competitors. But this is one of the easiest cars to get in and out.

Driving Experience:

I have driven the car myself for around 600 kms and must say, I am thoroughly impressed. The car has very good road manners, a mature suspension compared to the similarly priced Wagon-R and the ideal tyre size make a big difference too. The best part of the experience is definitely the 1.2 L K-series engine. It is always ready to respond to all your inputs, even for a quick overtake, and I totally love the sound of it. I did end up revving it upto 4k once and if I wasn't conscious, I might have revved it up more just to enjoy the note.

The steering is very vague and is such a downer compared to the otherwise brilliant package. It feels so disconnected to the car - so much that it feels like a video game. NVH isn't amazing but decent. Brakes seem to be pretty good with whatever amount of driving I got to do. For one part of the travel, the car was loaded with 5 pax along with 2 suitcases and it still drove very well. It never feels underpowered or scary. I'm so happy we chose this over the Wagon-R.

AMT - how's the experience vis a vis a Toyota CVT?

I know it's an Apples to Oranges comparison but it is what I have to compare with. I expected nothing from the AMT to be very honest. I just did not want my parents to deal with a clutch pedal anymore in their lives. But, after this short period of ownership, I find no actual fault with the AMT for the proposition it offers. It responds decently well and it does downshift a gear or two to overtake when I step on the gas pedal hard. For a context, I was driving in the treacherous MC Road in Kerala for nearly 500 kms. Okay, it isn't that quick to respond but it's not anywhere scary at all. With my Altis, it's definitely quicker to read my heavy foot on the gas pedal though (not that a CVT is quick ). Where the CVT shines is in the city where my Altis chugs along at less than 1.5k rpm almost all the time making it such a silent ride. Whereas the AMT keeps the shift felt. There is a very minute shudder, which is basically the working of the clutch, that I could feel in start-stop situations on inclines. Got to see how long the clutch lasts on this one.

If $$ allows, please do opt for a conventional automatic transmission but the AMT is not bad at all. From my experience 6-7 years ago where I stood dead against an AMT after driving a couple of cars back then, it feels way better right now.

Other points:

• AC is a chiller, though Altis is wayy better.
• Wired Apple car play works well.
• Audio quality is below average.
• Visibility is excellent.
• Reverse camera is just decent as in the night, it offers below average quality.
• Rear seat belt reminders without load sensors are annoying to the core.
• Boot is shaped well.
• 180 mm of GC is a boon.
• Fuel tank is very small at 32 literes. But an average of 14 kmpl in the city makes it liveable.
• I did like the headlights.

I still smile like a child when getting into any cars' driver's seat


I can life the Passenger side wiper only if I lift the Drivers side wiper. Weird


This rod is super short. It took me a while to figure out that slot and to end the fear that it maybe actually broken.


Once you are used to an Auto Dimming IRVM, this always makes you sad


The best part of the Ignis, undoubtedly!



Very neatly integrated controls but still with two dummy slots


Medium sized glovebox


Got these floor mats online and the Seat covers are from Nexa. Parents also got the Steering grip done from them, which was not to my liking

I look forward to seeing this car being with us for many more years ahead, keeping us safe, with a lot of memories to build along with it.
Do let me know if you have any questions to ask or anything to share.

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[Utopian]

Congrats for the handsome, new Ignis. Despite its age, the design has aged well and the car still looks amazing. I still like the older front grill design better than the current one. Considering that you are upgrading from the WagonR, how is the rear visibility?

[condor]

Congratulations on the Ignis AMT.

Originally Posted by freakmuzik

I can life the Passenger side wiper only if I lift the Drivers side wiper. Weird

This the case with many cars, including at least some other Maruti's

[i]Got these floor mats online and the Seat covers are from Nexa..

I am using the Soft rubber mats from Maruti on top of these 5D mats. These 5D mats catch dust from going to the carpet, while the rubber mats give a softer feel below the feet.

[FrankMartin]

Congratulations on the new Ignis Alpha AGS !!
Incidentally, I also upgraded from a 2005 WagonR to a 2023 Ignis Alpha AGS, bought it pre-owned from Spinny on 26th Jan R-Day. It was
We had been looking for a starter automatic for my daughter to learn to drive and we test drove the automatic versions of Alto, WagnR, i10 and Celerio but after she checked out the Ignis she was completely smitten by it.
For now I am driving it to office everyday and it doesnt fail to put a smile on me !! Totally loving the Ignis !!

Originally Posted by freakmuzik

Got these floor mats online and the Seat covers are from Nexa. Parents also got the Steering grip done from them, which was not to my liking
[/center]

Can you please share the link for the floor mats ?

[ash22]

Hearty congratulations on your new Ignis.

Easy Ingress/ Egress
Sufficient power for being driven on weird Kerala inclines with the AC on
Automatic
Hill Hold
Service availability
Decent Boot Space
Commanding driving position
Rear Wash & Wipe
Driver seat Height adjust

Wish to check, Why Fronx Delta AMT is not considered. Since all your requirements are getting solved in this.

[finneyp]

Nice review!
Why didn't you consider Grand i10 NIOS?
I felt that the AMT on i10 was more linear & smoother to drive.

[DCEite]

Congrats for the car.

As a fellow Ignis owner, I resonate your views.

Mine is same color, although BS6 ph 1 and Manual (Zeta MT).

If you like the performance of the Ignis AMT, you would absolutely have a blast with the MT. The MT on the Ignis is tuned very well, with perfectly mated gearbox and gear ratios, short, precise and slick gear throws complemented by light but progressive clutch.

I sometimes just take out the Ignis on an empty road, put the car into third, let the revvs go beyond 2000, and this thing just takes off with brute power.

Best part is the FE. Even with spirited driving, it never goes beyond 16kmpl in city traffic with AC on most of the times.

[freakmuzik]

Originally Posted by Utopian

Congrats for the handsome, new Ignis. Despite its age, the design has aged well and the car still looks amazing. I still like the older front grill design better than the current one. Considering that you are upgrading from the WagonR, how is the rear visibility?

Thank you! And I resonate with your opinion about the grille. About rear visibility, it is not as good as the Wagon-R for sure, but thanks to a reverse camera, I really haven't observed a practical difficulty.

Originally Posted by condor

Congratulations on the Ignis AMT.

This the case with many cars, including at least some other Maruti's

I am using the Soft rubber mats from Maruti on top of these 5D mats. These 5D mats catch dust from going to the carpet, while the rubber mats give a softer feel below the feet.

Thank you.
Interestingly, I've never have noticed this wiper arrangement! Will keep an eye out. And, that's a good idea regarding the mats as these are pretty hard on the feet without doubt. Thank you.

Originally Posted by FrankMartin

Congratulations on the new Ignis Alpha AGS !!
Incidentally, I also upgraded from a 2005 WagonR to a 2023 Ignis Alpha AGS, bought it pre-owned from Spinny on 26th Jan R-Day. It was
We had been looking for a starter automatic for my daughter to learn to drive and we test drove the automatic versions of Alto, WagnR, i10 and Celerio but after she checked out the Ignis she was completely smitten by it.
For now I am driving it to office everyday and it doesnt fail to put a smile on me !! Totally loving the Ignis !!

Can you please share the link for the floor mats ?

Awesome to hear that! Thank you for the wishes and congratulations to you too! It does seem like a perfect car at the moment for a fun to drive, practical and reliable small car.

Here's a link to the floor mats - https://zapcart.in/products/gfx-car-...tomatic-manual

Originally Posted by ash22

Hearty congratulations on your new Ignis.
Wish to check, Why Fronx Delta AMT is not considered. Since all your requirements are getting solved in this.

Thank you!

My mother didn't want much of a step up in terms of dimensions. Hence, we did not consider any 4m cars. Though dimensions show a jump of a few centimetres on paper, Fronx did feel like a bigger car to drive (We shopped one for my uncle along the same time). Plus, it didn't give a tall-boy feel that a Wagon-R user gets used to

Originally Posted by finneyp

Nice review!
Why didn't you consider Grand i10 NIOS?
I felt that the AMT on i10 was more linear & smoother to drive.

Thank you!
We skipped the i10 Nios as it was considerably lower in terms of seating. I have driven the Nios and Exter and yes, the AMT is way better. But the engine did not feel as responsive or lively as of the Ignis. Seating wise, even the taller Exter did not have a walk-in feel to it and generally my parents did not like the Hyundai seats.

Originally Posted by DCEite

Congrats for the car.

As a fellow Ignis owner, I resonate your views.

Mine is same color, although BS6 ph 1 and Manual (Zeta MT).

If you like the performance of the Ignis AMT, you would absolutely have a blast with the MT. The MT on the Ignis is tuned very well, with perfectly mated gearbox and gear ratios, short, precise and slick gear throws complemented by light but progressive clutch.

I sometimes just take out the Ignis on an empty road, put the car into third, let the revvs go beyond 2000, and this thing just takes off with brute power.

Best part is the FE. Even with spirited driving, it never goes beyond 16kmpl in city traffic with AC on most of the times.

Yay! Happy to meet yet another excited and content Ignis owner. I have driven the MT and loved it to the core. But since we shopped primarily keeping my parents in mind, we stuck to an Automatic to be future proof. But reading your words make me wanna drive the Manual yet again tbh

As you said, this engine begs to be revved!! Wishing you a great journey with the car too.

[Mat095]

Congratulations on your latest acquisition!

The Ignis, although, quite old in the market still feels like the better pick in the segment, thanks to that design, black rims and the amazing K12, it would still be my pick if I was in the market for a hatch!

I would seriously advice to upgrade the tyres and sound damping on the doors to make the NVH a little better. Other than that, the engine loves to be revved and will keep munching miles without much fuss.

[Aditya]

Exceptional, unbiased & detailed ownership reviews of cars have started going to our homepage reviews box. It's the ultimate stamp of trust from Team-BHP (as a platform) because lakhs of visitors every month check out reviews from there & make purchase decisions.

Your review has also been included here. Thank you so much for sharing .

[lxskllr]

Congratulations on your purchase! Wishing you a happy and safe motoring.

Couple of questions:
1. Is the engine in ignis K12M? What engine oil does the user manual state? 0W20?
2. Do you know if this K12M engine has been modified to take E20 fuel?

[freakmuzik]

Originally Posted by Mat095

Congratulations on your latest acquisition!

The Ignis, although, quite old in the market still feels like the better pick in the segment, thanks to that design, black rims and the amazing K12, it would still be my pick if I was in the market for a hatch!

I would seriously advice to upgrade the tyres and sound damping on the doors to make the NVH a little better. Other than that, the engine loves to be revved and will keep munching miles without much fuss.

Thank you and nice to see Ignis is your ride too! Since the usage is very minimal, there are not going to be any upgrades right away but let's see what lies ahead

Originally Posted by Aditya

Exceptional, unbiased & detailed ownership reviews of cars have started going to our homepage reviews box. It's the ultimate stamp of trust from Team-BHP (as a platform) because lakhs of visitors every month check out reviews from there & make purchase decisions.

Your review has also been included here. Thank you so much for sharing .

Attachment 2720433

Thank you so much! Indeed an honour

Originally Posted by lxskllr

Congratulations on your purchase! Wishing you a happy and safe motoring.

Couple of questions:
1. Is the engine in ignis K12M? What engine oil does the user manual state? 0W20?
2. Do you know if this K12M engine has been modified to take E20 fuel?

Thank you!

1. Yes, Ignis comes with K12M. This is the one that does not come with a VVT and I prefer this one over the one with VVT to drive. No Auto start stop either. The recommended engine oil is indeed 0W20 according to the user manual.

2. Yes, it can take E20.

Attaching the reference pages from the manual.