With a budget of something close to 10L and with 12L being an inconvenient stretch, I was set on looking for a car that would give me the same driving pleasure as my figo.

BHPian kedar3223 recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

I have a 15 year old gen 1 Figo petrol. The car was purchased used with 40k km on odo has has been serving me well for the past 11 years. Even though the engine is not the most exciting amongst its peers, the steering, ride, handling and overall solid feel more than makes up for it. All in all, its a car that I truly love. This is something considering that I am a motorcyclist through and through.

Now after all these years, I think its time to move onto something newer, more active safety features. Plus the service experience has become tedious. Just a younger car. As I am being offered just about 50k for the Figo, I might hold onto it. I have made no attempts to sell it off directly.

Just a few months back, my requirements was pretty clear. I am 30 year old, 5'7". I use by bike for daily office commutes of 50kms in summers and winters. The bike was also being used for weekend trips and friend meetups. The car was being used for monthly grocery runs, family function and festival visits, parents doctor appointment, to carry larger items, occasional trip. The car was used for commutes to work only during the initial monsoon months of June, July and August. All in all, the car used to average about 8000-9000km of annual use.

With a budget of something close to 10L and with 12L being an inconvenient stretch, I was set on looking for a car that would give me the same driving pleasure as my figo. I definitely wanted a little more pep for sure. Also given the narrow roads, family of 3-4, parking at home and office, sub 4mt car is what I need and the narrower the width, the better. I was a little confused between manual and automatic. The thing is my commute doesnt see much traffic but it does involve getting through narrow goan village roads. I counted and I used to average about 450-500 clutch engagement-disengagement per commute. Having test driven the cars, i had narrowed down to 1. Ignis zeta mt as the cheap and cheerful option(6 airbags missing), the 2. new swift zxi mt as it felt like a near like for like replacement for the figo(engine was peppy lower down, good handling and suspension, cozy dimensions) although with lighter build, 3. baleno zeta/fronx delta plus and amaze vx mt as the grown up mature choice. But the one that I was most excited for was the 4. skoda kylaq. This in its classic or signature mt form was my top choice. It gave me the fizz as they say and all within my comfortable budget. I was getting to grips with the skoda ownership costs, challenges of having a single service dealer located 30-40kms away and was ready to pull the trigger.

Some cars that I gave a miss-
1. Tiago, Punch, Altroz and Nexon- The service centres and owners first hand experience here has been horrible. https://g.co/kgs/xGruKJx & https://g.co/kgs/iEcUop7.
2. Renault Kiger and Nissan Magnite- not too many cars here and I have heard the spares are priced at a premium. Somehow the other turbo cars felt better value.
3. Toyota's Maruti- the maruti service centre is closer and has multiple options of dealers.
4. Hyundai- not really a fan of the 1.2. Feels souless and not suited to the fun to drive requirement. The venue turbo/n line and i20 n line manuals are really good. But they are priced beyond my budget and the n line suspension is quite stiff for a primary car.
5. Brezza is a sweet non offensive car. But the kylaq just blows it away as an experience.
6. 3XO- same as tata.
7. Kia sonet and syros- over budget for the turbo variant and required features. Found the ride to be stiff in the sonet.

And then came a curveball. I am to get married soon and my wife to be wants to learn how to drive and not always be dependent on me for her mobility. Me having to work from office and her working from home(2 days office close to my place of work), it also made sense for her to learn driving to take care of day to day chores and travel with my parents in case of an emergency.

She is a complete newbie. She is also 4'9". Given these requirments, I have decided to buy a car thats more geared towards her requirement.

Now what would be the best plan of action in this case?

1. If I were to consider AMTs, which companies have the better ones? Having gone through the new swift reviews, the amt seems to receive high praise for what it is. Is the swift amt different from other marutis like the ignis and baleno? How is hyundai and Tata in comparison?
2. Will the smaller entry level cars like alto and kwid be way easier to learn on then say a slightly more complete cars like the Ignis, i10 nios, swift, baleno, fronx etc? Ignis zeta amt, i10 nios sportz/exter sx amt, swift zxi amt, tiago xz or punch accomplished plus amt(considering these not as I have no clue which amt tunes are the best) are being considered in the 8-10L range. I have chosen variants with seat height adjustment.
3. Should i splurge a bit more and get i20 sportz cvt, amaze v/vx cvt or stretch to kylaq signature AT? Did i miss any other sub 12-13L auto that is worth considering?
4. We make about 19L combined post tax. So really dont want to stretch too much beyond the 10L mark. Need to find a car thats a balance between ease of driving for her and something thats not dead boring for me. The more the fuel efficiency and ease of maintenance, the better. Also given that we are looking at automatics, wanted to know if I should consider cruise control as a must have feature? Theoretically, I like the idea of being able to use cruise control at 30-40kmph and the car taking care of the gear shifts.

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So, after using the original set for close to 4.5 years I upgraded again to a newer model from Deelife itself.

BHPian vsrivatsa recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

Deelife TPMS Upgrade

So, after using the original set for close to 4.5 years I upgraded again to a newer model from Deelife itself. Had to do a bit of a circus as Aliexpress shipping to India is longer allowed. I had to order from Aliexpress to US and then get it from US via a friend who was visiting last year. Have been using this for more than 6 months now and thought I should post an update here.

One con of the External Model of the TPMS which I realized was that there is a small Rubber Washer that comes with the Screw type sensor. This wears out over time and one of the tires I observed that there was a very slow and very mild air leak - the air would stay for a week or so and gradually the pressure would drop. I did some search and found that Nexdigitron does sell generic washers on their site (https://www.nexdigitron.com/products...or-tpms-sensor) and tried these to extend the life for sometime. But then given these devices are meant for safety felt it is better not to tinker around and decided to upgrade to the newer model.

This time I went for the Internal TPMS. Here is an Unboxing and Installation video of the new Model of the TPMS.

Deelife Universal Internal TPMS Review

I do see a similar looking Model on Amazon.in now recently - so for people interested can possibly opt for this Skyshop model on Amazon India site and the ratings appear to be good as well:

Skyshop® Solar A280 TPMS (Car Tire Pressure Monitoring System): https://www.amazon.in/dp/B0CR7PV84H/

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I recently got some work done from Mr. Sudhir. There was a dent on my father-in-law's Kushaq. This was the primary reason to call him.

BHPian blackwasp recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

Updating this old thread as I recently got some work done from Mr. Sudhir. I first contacted him and sent him videos of the damages. We set an appointment and he was on time along with his assistant. There was a dent on my father-in-law's Kushaq. This was the primary reason to call him.

Before starting on the Kushaq. Notice the dents on the fender and lower bumper:

The end result - minor touchup is needed on the fender. I will re apply the PPF later once I get the car back to Mumbai. The lower bumper dent is fixed as well:

He also spotted this on my Ignis' lower front bumper:

Very much satisfied with the result:

A small dimple near the fuel lid of the Kushaq was also fixed, but I don't have the before and after pics of the same.

He does work in Mumbai and Pune both. I am not sharing WIP pics as he requested not to share the same on a public forum.

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Well, frankly it has been a delight to drive the car, in-spite of having moved from a much bigger and powerful car.

BHPian shekatkar31 recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

Ok... just to add my perspective to this very interesting thread.

I moved to the Ignis Delta AMT from XUV 5OO. Background story being that I had to sell the latter once it was nearing 10 years in Delhi NCR (somewhere in 2021). The Ignis was, at that time, being used by my wife since 2017. We got the Kushaq for her and I got the Ignis (albeit at that time I thought it would be a stop-gap till the time I got another one).

My work involves mostly city driving in Delhi and every 2-3 months I have to go to the mountains - mostly alone - to HP and UK for work and occasional excursions / treks. So the driving is a mix of city driving, highways and a good share of mountain driving.

Well, frankly it has been a delight to drive the car, in-spite of having moved from a much bigger and powerful car. The following are the points I would like to highlight:

- Very high maneuverability in city. The compact size enables parking in tight spots, easy movement in all kinds of traffic. This was a big comfort over the previous car.

- The compact size also helps in mountain roads, especially narrow roads. When major roads are blocked during rains / landslides and you have to go through alternate routes, which can at best take 2 cars with some difficulty, this becomes a huge plus point.

- High power to weight ratio - with a 1.2l engine and only 850 odd kgs, this works in 2 ways i) overtaking and pushing in city traffic, especially in start-stop situations; ii) high incline or bad road conditions, especially in the mountains. Going to remote mountain villages, this is a boon. I have personally been able to get Ignis out of spots, where bigger cars aren't able to do so.

- Comfortable on Highways - If you are willing to swallow your ego, the car gives a very comfortable drive within the speed limits. 100 to 110 feels a breeze and never have I felt the engine to be complaining. In XUV, I used to drive at the same speed and hence have not felt anything missing.

- Good AMT sensor - In all three situations, the sensor works very well. On inclines, the car simply won't move to the 2nd gear below 3k rpm, hence there's no question of stalling; and the shifts are very intuitive as well.

- Mileage - Even including mountain stretches, an outstation trip easily gives close to 20 kmpl. I am a very conservative driver and maybe this helps as well. Highways is 22 at least, with reasonable cruising. City is close to 15-16.

- Low service costs and ease of repair - Maruti is one of the most reliable brands in the country and consequently, their ownership costs are low. Also, in case you get stuck somewhere, repair shops easily are able to at least get you to the next large town.

The only negative that I have found in the car is the suspension being stiff. The rear suspension of the car does take a toll on the rear of the driver as well. However, in such cases, one has to be slightly more aware of the road undulations.

So overall it has been a very good experience. I have taken the car to the Parvati valley in HP and till Munsiyari in UK, across some treacherous conditions, in snow as well as in rains. The car has performed very well in all these conditions

Hope this gives some fruitful insight. Personally, I now don't intend to change the car. Spent around 60-70k on service (fluid replacements), window rain strips and tyres last year and have felt a marked improvement in the driving. So hopefully the car goes on for the next few years as well.

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We just did a back-to-back TD of the Wagon-R 1.2 ZXI+ AGS and the Ignis Alpha AMT.

BHPian condor recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

We just did a back-to-back TD of the Wagon-R 1.2 ZXI+ AGS and the Ignis Alpha AMT. Both were 1.2L engines, but the Ignis was smoother to drive - the gear changes were not as apparent as in the Wagon-R. The feel of the two vehicles is very different, and the choice was Ignis.

We checked the Wagon-R due to the seating position, and the AGS. While the seating position and visibility were good, the Ignis was not behind. The car being considered as a replacement for my wife's A-Star, Ignis was not found lagging in these.

Both cars are of similar footprint, size, and weight. as the A-Star. The Wagon-R is taller, but the extra head space is just extra for us.

What I noticed is that the Wagon-R's height helps it get a larger boot space of 340 litres, while the Ignis is far behind at 260L. But being intended for city use, this is not a deal-breaker for us.

The other point about ISS in the Wagon-R vs only Start-Stop in the Ignis: I don't think this is a great feature to have. Have tried a Brezza recently, and the S-Cross too. This feature can get irritating.

I think the Start-Stop button works just fine - and one can use it depending on the duration of stop-at signals.

Then there is the point about the rated FE of the Wagon-R being higher than that of the Ignis - 25 kmpl vs 20.89 kmpl, but for city use, this should not matter so much.

So now waiting for the offers for August before we proceed.

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I was pleasantly surprised by how easy it is to manoeuvre in traffic, something impossible in my Ciaz or Mahindra.

BHPian tatafanatic recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Why Herbie, it was the name of the first English movie my parents saw, my mother doesn’t remember the story but name has stuck in her memory and the day she saw the car she called it Herbie

Prelude & My father’s automotive journey

My father survived the partition, he was 5 when horrors of partition came knocking at the family doorstep in Lahore, it was a torrid time as my grand mother used to recite, she with her two sons braved the horrors making it to Amritsar and then later Delhi as waiting for her husband (my grand-dad) turned to be futile, once in Delhi the lady who once had three servants at disposal did all she could with a sewing machine at the refugee camp. Her sons (my father and his elder brother) did all they could supporting with attending school run in camps, an elderly tutor saw some spark in the kids and took them under his tutelage, he supported their education and also got them to meet one of school trustees Mr. Harichand Gupta who ran a sweet shop amongst other businesses in Rajendra Nagar, benevolent Mr. Gupta got the family from camp to spare accommodation he kept as a go down, my father and uncle showed amazing academic spark which even Mr Gupta recognized so he offered them a job at his sweet shop post school hours. Both the kids did amazingly well academically and later professionally.

Amby Years (1988—2013)!!! Unbelievable!!

What my father took from his childhood experiences to the book apart from hard work and discipline was liking for Mr. Gupta’s youngest daughter (eventually our mother) and his Ambassador car, when financially independent and after some years on a Lambretta scooter he got his first Ambassador in same color as one Mr. Gupta had, those times in the car were enjoyed by my elder siblings, by the time I came in the world and gained knowledge to understand what a car means we had third iteration of the Ambassador. As years passed we continued having the same brand but different iterations till Mr. Birla shut shop on the vehicle which apart from gobbling entire family was nothing but bundle of trouble, even the local mechanic advised to burn it down so my father scouted every single mechanic in Delhi to help us when the car ran in rough weathers which it did a lot of times.

Till 2013 we had an Amby, it almost cost my brother his final CA exams, my sister her bar exams and me my first posting, father insisted he’d drop me to the station and if it weren’t for Mr. Khanna our neighbor on his M80 who saw us stranded roadside, I would have missed my train!!!

I have a few good memories if the Amby, we had an annual run to the Jwalaji temple and I would always fight with my elder brother to sit in the window side of the front seat. I was never school dropped or picked, but on occasions father went to drop granny or someone to Chandigarh station I would hop along, on return journey I did fall asleep on my fathers lap as back then there were no bucket seats affront. Majority of Amby’s were diesel cars so they had a push button for start and a heater for winters, my job was to push the button and check the heater. I also made some pocket money cleaning the car later. The last iteration was Ambassador grand, on its last day I was around so took my parents out for dinner, the dinner was excellent but the car had to be towed back as it had bouts of indigestion!!!

PS – I knew a colonel whose pride was his Ambassador, so mighty was the pride that from year of purchase through years of ownership, finally till date of sale the plastics on seats were intact!!!

Tata Estate (1993-1996)

We had a joint family till end of 1996 so there were always two cars at disposal, the ambassador omnipresent so burden on other one was up to my uncle, he too being a product of the partition didn’t do things in normal way. In 1993 Tata Estate came home, and it were at my brother’s wedding I remember the car came to its glory , he was very clear that post marriage he would drive home in any vehicle but not the ambassador so Tata Estate was assigned the responsibility, that particular day it rained nuts, the situation went from bad to worse and my brother and his newly wed wife didn’t reach home before wee hours of the morning next day!!

Till date I chide him on this but by far and large his authority on ‘Comfort’ is unparallel as he compares everything with the backseat of the Tata Estate!!! All the sofa’s and beds in my house have his stamp of approval!!

Again had a few fond memories of the Estate, we had become a huge joint family of 9, we cousins bonded well, my bother then had become a CA and had a valid driving license so he would take us around for long drives, he also smoked back then so it was all us younger lot to clean the car seat of smell and get paid for the duty. My sister who learned to drive on the Estate made me come with her on her driving ventures, her driving then and now remains horrible but again I got paid for not opening my mouth on the small dents she would get scrapping other vehicles regularly.

The Estate was huge and gobbled stuff with no sweat, it had power windows a noble concept back then and also prone to issues, it had a rear wiper which we all felt was something alien, there were rear AC vents which was pretty much alien till then

PS- The car was an emperor in the milieu of Indian automotive congregation, It had many first of things but was horrible when came to parking in tight spots, my elder siblings got their driving license in the Estate and I remember they saying they failed every test but could park it in a tight spot which mightily impressed the RTO guys!!!

Maruti Esteem (1996-2004)

This car I enjoyed as in these times I was married too, my wife for one has this amazing ability then and now to doze off to sleep the moment she steps in the car, she also has this habit of listening to classical music when she’s driving and that puts me to sleep instantaneously, Esteems comfortable seats and decent music system helped us both!!!

Mahindra Scorpio (2004 – 2024)

My father would when possible visit me at my postings, he took great pride sitting front seat of the official Jeep, he would tromp around proudly as if telling the world, he was the only reason for my being in uniform. My last active posting in Leh I had him visiting to see the beauty of the place as his health still supported the trip, he took very little notice of the place but sitting afront in the official Jeep (Safari) was busy saluting in reciprocation.
But coming to the topic, I assume it were during these times he fell for the concept of having a SUV, those times choices were limited to Tata Sumo and Mahindra Scorpio, others being too rustic or too expensive, so in 2004 we had the first family Scorpio, by 2024 we had 4 different iterations of it. My father took great care of them and never allowed any of his kids to drive the SUV, I always found him in a great mood driving the Scorpio, I don’t think any of the cars ever gave him trouble as well. It was quite something to have a Scorpio and an Ambassador parked together, it was like having two kittens at home, one played naughty and other played innocent.

Post COVID he greatly reduced travel and self-driving, Solan the city had become a mess with traffic and unruly parking, maneuvering the SUV was now a headache, so we decided to part with it, I had an extra car at my disposal which I urged him to use but his generation considered that a hand out so declined.

PS – every time I was to fly back post holidays my father in his Scorpio would be at doorstep, I would tell him my official transport was available but he insisted dropping me himself, even if I was to leave in wee hours my father turned up. Those times my mind would be occupied with posting related activities but today as a parent I do understand how tough it would have been for him, maybe he knew there was a chance of me not returning back in form I was leaving and if that be he wanted my last journey to be with him around.

I don’t have much information on the Scorpio years as I wasn’t around. My time was spent more in the woods hunting mischief mongers.

Herbie Comes Home

Last month finally considering various parameters my parents moved from Solan to Panchkula, here my brother stays so do my maternal aunts and their extended families (many of them are doctors so that’s added bonus). Once he settled in the new dwelling and absorbed the surroundings he began pestering to purchase a new vehicle, my brother has a Kia Carnival which he offered whenever needed but father despised owing to its size albeit ingress, egress and creature comforts of the Carnival are unmatchable.
Normally the youngest child is more spoilt and least patient but in our case it’s the other way around, thanks to decades of hunting in the woods I had developed immense patience (somedays I even live through and entire event of classical music without batting an eyelid). So the duty of helping my father over test driving options fell on me, I assumed this would be a challenge but was rather surprised when he said he’d made his mind to get the Maruti Ignis.

Why Ignis I asked, we can scout options I said, but father was done discussing, he had travelled in some acquaintances Ignis and found the car to be perfect proportions to his asking, I reminded him compared the Scorpio he was accustomed to for decades this would be very different but that didn’t dither him, I also reminded that Ignis being what it is wasn’t much on back seat comfort as now he would be driven around but that didn’t dither him as well, he had made up his mind and wanted me to help with paper work only, he had even made up his mind on the color (white) & the variant (Zeta)
Nexa Experience

To my disbelief my father had even zeroed down the showroom, Modern Auto Nexa Showroom was place he had shortlisted, I for one found the experience very good, years ago I was on the committee on Gypsy modification for our suitability and found Maruti engineers rather lacking and disoriented compared to Tata and Mahindra, not saying that’s a yardstick but I thought Maruti was just passing of tis vehicles without much thinking.

The Nexa guys were well informed, I had many queries on servicing, immaterial to general understanding that Maruti’s service is well stretched the fact the car should go regularly for servicing would be unusual. My father has very little patience for all these supporting issues, he was more like a small child in a toy shop, kept fiddling with instruments and adjusting the seats, the Nexa guys didn’t mind it so bode well.

Now came issue of MT v/s AMT, I tried hard to drive the point on AMT being more convenient etc but fell on deaf ears, he was bent towards MT and MT it was, I wanted to bargain on accessories which Maruti skimps a lot on but again father was all ok with nothing, finally I asked him to check other cars till we negotiated on price “I am a CA, now you will teach me Finance” the real mean streak of the man came in full shining as he hard bargained on every cost element with the sales guy, they offered us good discount which I assume was “Good Riddance” than benevolence!!

Herbie as she is

Ignis is unmistakably a very tiny car, it doesn’t have much in terms of creature comforts as well, the drivers seat is passable as decent for city rides and running local errands, the back seat is stiff and not to liking for a comfortable long drive, the boot again is tiny and nothing much there, I found the over all layout of the dash convincing, unlike new cars with too much laid out Ignis layout is simple and functional. The build quality is passable like any other Maruti car, even my Ciaz the eldest and longest sibling doesn’t have much in terms of build quality (An anecdote to that effect later)

However one weekend I found myself in Panchkula in the driving seat on a day marred with insane traffic, I was pleasantly surprised how easy it is to maneuver in bottle neck traffic, something impossible in my Ciaz or Mahindra Jeep, Ignis was in its own element, not once did I feel I could have been in a better car to manage the day, truly in city drives it’s the best car I have driven till date.

Anecdote on Maruti built quality
Captain Arindam was my neighbor who every night post dinner lit a cigarette (we stayed on 5th floor), spoke on worldly stuff and sang praises like a canary on his new Maruti Omni and the Crystal Ash Tray he’d bought while returning from a foreign posting, his time to smoke and my time to return from night run coincided so many a times Arindam found me the perfect guinea pig for a listener, one day while imparting worldly knowledge his hand struck the ash tray which went crashing down on his Maruti Omni, we rushed down to see if the crystal ash tray had met its sad demise but lo and behold it sat there on the hood of the Omni like a grumpy kid, the impact was such that it had put a crater size dent on the hood of the Omni, had it dropped from a floor above it would have cut the hood open with a hole.

Arindam’s face was same my kittens have when they see me opening new packet of wet food but it turning out to be chicken instead of tuna fish!!

Herbie goes Shimla

Every year me and my brother do a sojourn to Shimla. I was once very badly wounded and my brother that very moment was having a drink at a resort in Shimla with his buddies, my news disturbed him so much he says that if I were to walk out healthy, every year he would take me that day to Shimla and drink the same alcohol he was drinking when he got the news, the levels to which humans stoop for drinking found a new definition that day but the ritual has continued for years.

So, this year when that golden day arrived we found wanting on vehicles, his and mine regular cars were busy so we asked dad if we could borrow the Ignis, the old man agreed but with condition that I drive on way back as he didn’t trust a drunkard with the wheel. That was acceptable but eventually he called every hour asking how we were, where we’d reached and most importantly how was his car, normally my father calls me only when a hurricane hits the town types!!!

The drive from Panchkula to Shimla on days years ago was eventful experience, today it’s a nightmare, I wonder why tourism in India has gotten this bad and unruly but maybe it’s the new acquired wealth which has created a generation that takes almost everything for granted.

Am I the only one to say Kia Seltos and Sonet now rule the Indian roads, its impossible to miss them as they are about everywhere, I like the Carnival, its something very different to what we have around but wonder what does Seltos and Sonet offer that Tata’s and Mahindra’s are lacking, I haven’t driven them so can’t comment but their sizeable numbers mean that something about them must be really appealing.

Driving the Ignis was fun, it has an responsive steering, a decent music system and decent ergonomics which help driving it around, the driver’s seat though isn’t at par with the Ciaz or Tigor I have, the gear throw is fun, it doesn’t burn much fuel too and has ability to handle bit of bad patches in a decent manner, at a particular angle it looks decent too. I tried sleeping in the rear seat for some time my bother struck the wheel but the suspension set up is stiff, I was bouncing around almost all the time.

I think Ignis is a fun to drive compact city slicker, like the RE Hunter my sister rides, its not really for the long runs.

Herbie goes golfing

I found my self on a golf course with retired admiralty one fine Sunday, we had a good game and as we were leaving admiralty requested me to drop him home as his vehicle had gone to run some errand, one never says no in such instances and for my breed no is not even an option so that got me and admiralty playing our own kabuki dance on how to place our golfing gear in the Ignis (had borrowed for a day), we danced around for some time till things got settled. Once we set in motion even he was pleasantly surprised how easy maneuvering the Ignis in city traffic was, for a man who had helmed mighty warships this was like playing a video game so he ordered me to get moving and allowing him to drive. I for one assumed since he’s maneuvered mighty war ships he’d show grace and panache but the man was an absolute monster. I asked him where did he learn to drive like a maniac and he’d say he played a lot of video games to kill mundane time on board!!!

Not to mention years on Sea he couldn’t venture his head out and shout at captains of other ships he made the most of his discomfort yelling at people who crossed us while driving!!

Herbie goes camping

My father takes my daughter and my niece to annual camp at Gilbert Trail, even at his age he is more active than his grand kids, they spend a weekend together, not sure what topics are discussed between the milieu but the tradition has been on for decades. With the Scorpio it was only left to my father to do all the driving, with the Ignis now there were three and as the superstition goes ‘that if three soldiers lit their cigarettes from the same match, one of the three would be killed or that the man who was third on the match would be shot’, well not literally but in this case they had it all coming, for one my father in his wisdom got nitrogen filled in all the 4 tyres but not in the spare wheel, then he threw away the manual scissor jack kit and ordered a hydraulic one, this made sense but the travel happened before it could arrive and the folks left with their own providence, murphy’s law came calling, one of the tyres got punctured, folks got stranded, fanatic calls were made, worried wife blamed me, worried sister in law blamed my brother, worried mother blamed my father!! Once the circle of complaints were over with I called a known resource who had a tyre dealership not that far from the location they were stuck and got things sorted, now father blamed for me being a stupid as the guy refilled the tyres with air!!!

I assume rest of the trip was routine as no more calls came along, Herbie did just fine

Herbie goes to the temple

My mother insists a visit to Jwalaji temple annually for generic well being of the family, near and dear ones. we adhere as almighty has indeed been kind to us collectively, as its a family affair we hire a tempo traveler but this time father insisted he'd drive with mother and the two grandkids, rest of us could come their own way, I wasn't much game to drive so brothers Carnival came in handy, now this isn't a writeup on the carnival but i find that vehicle to be a gem of one, its as big as an apartment in Mumbai and it comes with amazing creature comforts, this time i found myself fast asleep in not time and gave a tough competition to my wife who has a Nobel in 'Sleeping from moment you sit in a car'

The journey is over 200kms majority of which is on decent tarmac. My parents made it faster then us as my father is man with heavy foot, albeit an octogenarian now he finds age just another number once behind the wheels. Seeing him drive like a lunatic sitting in comfort on the Carnival was absolutely enjoyable, he was stopped twice by dutybound traffic cops, of course we kids have to pay the fine, the old man gets miser on such matters, his car was captured twice on speed camera's newly installed, I guess he even inaugurated one of them as the picture quality was at par with wedding photos

We requested him to go slow on return but that fell on deaf ears, his craze to beat the pedal continued, however almighty didn't falter on blessings we didn't cough more dove on fines

I think Ignis is a bit underrated car, it handled really well inspite the least amount of confidence I had on the driver behind the wheels

An Anecdote to part with

The Carnival has pampered my bother to no ends and he wouldn’t stop complaining how tiny the Ignis was or its lacking of ventilated seats blah blah blah, as I thanked almighty for giving me providence to take whatever his rants were in from my left ear and let it pass from my right an anecdote came calling

Once we had it all coming held up in NE rain forests. I was hit when a blank passed through my ear and cut a piece of it, the boys got confused if they should continue, go searching for the body part which flew away or just tie some bandage and get moving, finally a bandage was done and the medic said “its good now you will hear less but its bad as now you will talk more’”, withering in immense pain I had a laugh, once all done I was hurled in a vehicle with blood streaming down and driven at lightening speed to the hospital, their the needful was done and I was marched out with some more bandages etc only to see the driver of the vehicle fuming all red “Saab, aapko goli laagti to main saamajhleta paar ek kaan ka chota sa tukda kya gaaya aapne puri seat khoon se gaandi kaardi” I laughed again

As long as we sat all intact in the Ignis, everything was fine!!

I liked the car, its a good city slicker, trust was a good read, didn't ponder into tech details as I am not game for that stuff

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Have to see about long term durability though as they are merely held by the primer and the double side tape only.

BHPian DhinaStark94 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Ever since I had bought my Ignis sigma last year from True value, I had a list of accessories/wish list in my mind. The car came with foglamps, seatcovers, silver wheelcaps, and audio system + Remote key/unlock as accessories from the True Value side. It lacked the black wraps in B,C pillars, had no black wheel paint for stock steel wheels (they were in silver) as well as no roof rails.

Immediately after taking delivery I wrapped the pillars in black and got the wheel caps painted in black along with the steel wheels.

This was the easy part, any decent paint shop can do it. The hard part was sourcing a quality roof rail. Tried several from Amazon and MGT brand from boodmo and they were all small. Finally sourced one for Rs. 2600 from PreethAuto parts in Chennai from India mart of all the places. They fit well and look similar to the OE roof rail. We have to apply 3m paint primer and use the 3m double sidded tapes to fit them. Had them wrapped in black as well along with the Adidas strips in the rear quarter panel.

Have to see about long term durability though as they are merely held by the primer and the double side tape only. My paranoid mind is thinking about the rain seasons and the hot summers and if they will ruin the tapes. Only time will tell. Please ignore the mess you see in the grille, it's a big story.

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The Ignis Radiance Edition features a host of cosmetic enhancements.

Maruti Suzuki has launched the Ignis Radiance Edition priced at Rs 5.49 lakh (ex-showroom).

The Ignis Radiance Edition features a host of cosmetic enhancements both inside and out. It is available in Sigma, Zeta and Alpha trims. 

The base Sigma variant gets additional accessories worth Rs 3,650. These include wheel covers, door visors and chrome trim. The Zeta and Alpha variants get accessories worth Rs 9,500, which include new seat covers, cushions, door cladding and door visors.

The Ignis Radiance Edition is powered by the same 1.2-litre petrol engine as the standard car. It produces 82 BHP @ 6,000 rpm and 113 Nm @ 4,200 rpm and is paired with either a 5-speed manual or a 5-speed AMT.

Over the years, I have clocked 70,000 km on my Maruti and it has given me no big trouble. I am pretty happy with my decision.

BHPian Sudheesh recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

This is about how I landed with my current car, a pre-owned ‘Maruti IGNIS Alpha 1.2 MT’, installing a CNG kit in it and my user experience.

I started writing this in 2022 and finished it in 2024 owing to my habit of procrastination. So here goes.

It was November 2020, shortly after the first wave of COVID-19 in India. I was actually not in need of a new car at that point. I was using my elder brother’s 2010 Hyundai i10 Magna (1.2 Kappa) for several years and was pretty happy with it. He was thinking whether to take it to Chennai with him or not, because Covid had made public travel a real hassle. I realised that if I bought a car, my brother could have the i10 for himself. It was clear in my head that I’d be buying only a used car because it made more sense in my condition then, as Covid had helped to lower my salary by half for several months at that time. Also, a well-maintained used car appealed more to me than a new one because of the drastic increase in new car prices.

I began searching for a good used car. I was clear about my requirements. Until then I had been using the i10 and apart from the fuel efficiency, the car was a real gem. It was the perfect hatchback with a nice engine, good handling (despite its somewhat tallboy design), nice interiors (the plastics had not faded even after 10 years of usage, no rattles or squeaks), adequate space, good AC, etc. I really liked driving it and wouldn’t feel tired even after a long drive. I had too many good memories with that car.

So my next car had to be at the same level as the i10 if not above it. As I loved to drive, the car had to have a good engine and reasonably good handling. I was looking only at small petrol hatchbacks, period. My usage was limited and mostly in town and highways. It must be easy to maintain and easy on pockets. Should have power windows, minimum 2 airbags, ABS, and reasonable fuel efficiency. Since I would be the only one driving it, my comfort mattered the most. I don’t like to sit too low, a little tall boy nature is preferred. Mostly 2 or maximum 3 people will travel in the car including me and hence rear seat comfort, leg space and boot space were not of much relevance. In short, if I get a small peppy car with a fuel economy of about 16 kmpl, I would be happy.

Then came the budget which was nonexistent to start with. There were two options, buy an old car with around 7-8 years on it under 2-3 lakhs, use it for a couple of years or buy a car within 3 years at around 4.5-5 lakhs and use it for as much as I can. I started looking in OLX and quickly understood that the first option was not possible simply because the cars didn’t meet my expectations, either they were too old and felt their age or the features were too limited or the engine wasn’t good or the fuel economy was bad.

Also, I removed Hyundai from the list as I wanted a different brand this time. Even though the Hyundai Grand i10 was a good option, it didn’t seem exciting enough and also our i10 was not very pocket-friendly since it passed 1 lakh km on the odometer. So, no more Hyundai. I was not a fan of Maruti Suzuki but I liked their 1.2-litre engine as I have been driving my colleague’s Baleno daily for the past one year. The engine was smooth, rev-happy, returned good mileage and no faults or issues, but I personally don’t like Swift or Baleno due to the sunken seating and the overall interior feel. Toyota and VW were simply out of the question as the former didn’t have a desirable hatchback and the latter was not pocket-friendly at all. Only Tiago made any sense from the stable of TATA but I didn’t like its engine. I wasn’t thinking just in terms of practicality, the car had to have an element of excitement in it.

So, after thinking for a couple of days, I arrived at the Ignis. I liked the front end of the car and the boxy design which made it look like a miniature SUV, but I despised its rear end when I saw it for the first time, as time went by I had grown somewhat soft on its appearance though. But going through its reviews made me aware that this was a good small car and I have to test drive it to make a decision. The car was new in the Indian market as it was launched in 2017 and hence not many Ignis were available in the used car market. The used car prices in Kerala are always on the higher side compared to other states and that didn’t help either.

Going through OLX and talking to some of the used car dealers through friends made it clear to me that I would get only the base model Ignis Sigma at 4.5 lakhs and I was not up for it (when the car was launched, 4.5 lakhs was the ex-showroom price for Sigma). It had to be at least the Delta variant which came with essential features and that would put me down by 5 lakhs for a good car. I really came to understand the resale potential of a Maruti! Even the Delta variant didn’t appeal to me that much because the front end lost its charm without the LED headlamps and DRL. But I knew that the top-end model was beyond my scope, hence I decided to find a good Ignis Delta , test drive it and hopefully get it for a good bargain. But I knew that a well-maintained one would definitely cost upward of 5 lakhs as the price of a new car OTR has increased by a fair amount in the past couple of years. I looked online and found that there were only a couple of Ignis Delta in my city, and a few dozen in the state of Kerala with asking prices ranging from 5.25 to 5.6 lakhs.

One of those was quite near my home at a Maruti True Value Shop. I went there the next day itself and as luck would have it, they didn’t have the Delta variant and had two Alpha MT variants, one from 2017 in Nexa Blue and another from 2018 in Uptown Red. Both cars were TD vehicles from the nearby Nexa showroom and were replaced when the latest cosmetic updates came in. The asking prices were 5.75 lakhs and 6 lakhs respectively. I almost laughed to myself at this point, I could buy a new car at this price! My thought was, I am not going to buy this, but since I have not driven the car, will do a TD and at least it will save me from wasting time searching for another Ignis if I didn’t like the car. They gave me the Blue one to TD because the battery in the Red one was dead. As I sat inside and started driving, I realised that this is a really nice car! The seating position was nice, the road view was good, steering felt OK, the car was peppy to drive, shifts were slick, the engine had enough grunt and was smooth as expected. The main difference was that unlike Baleno or Swift, the engine felt and sounded sportier in the Ignis, maybe because of the power to weight ratio.

Also the interior was pleasant in black and white theme. The front seats were good and provided adequate support, the dashboard was black which I liked, body coloured door handles on the inside and the inserts in the centre console made a nice touch. Rear doors looked drab from the inside, rear seats also lacked under thigh support but that was not an issue with me. The boot had enough space thanks to the nearly vertical rear design, you could stack things pretty high. Also the seats were 60:40 split and had ISOFIX anchors, I was really impressed. I told the SA that I like the car but it is way beyond my budget (about 1 lakh), he told me that the cars are in perfect condition and as I am not planning to exchange my car he cannot do much with the pricing. The maximum he can do is 5.75 lakhs for the 2018 model Red one and 5.5 for the 2017 model Blue one.

I went home and again started searching for cars online and after some time came to a conclusion that I will have to spend a minimum of 5 lakhs for a good car that met my expectations. I was also certain that after I get the car, I will most definitely spend some money on it for a touchscreen navigation system or a rear camera or good speakers. When I factored in all my observations, the 2018 Red Ignis seemed like an option. But I had not driven it, so again I called the SA and asked him for a TD for the Red car. I went in the next day and drove it. The car felt in better condition than the previous one but the clutch felt a bit heavier, but this was expected as it was a TD vehicle. Apart from that, the car was well kept and the interiors were neat with no signs of abuse. I liked the car and now came the question, do I need to buy this at a price way above my budget or should I keep looking for something less costly. I sat down and began to assess my requirements again. I came to a decision that I really liked Ignis and wanted to buy one. I also considered what I will get in a used Ignis Delta variant which will cost me around 5 lakhs, and anyway I will have to add money to make it as per my taste. Then I considered the Red Ignis Alpha and considered what I will get for 5.75 lakhs.

The Ignis gets two airbags, ABS + EBD, ISOFIX child seat mounts and seatbelt pretensioners with load limiters as standard.

The Alpha trim came with Led Projectors with DRL which made the car good looking. The halogens in the other trims were really boring. Touchscreen navigation system with Android Auto was a good thing and whichever car I bought, I was sure to get one installed. Rear camera with parking sensors was also a requirement. The car came with all the plastic cladding, door visors and dual tone finish(uptown red with black roof) which made it look far better. It came with alloys, puddle lamps, fog lamps, accent lighting on metre console, engine push start/stop button, passive keyless entry, electrically folding ORVMs, automatic climate control, driver seat height adjuster, voice command system(which seems useless), 4 speakers plus 2 tweeters(quality average), rear defogger, rear wiper(absolutely needed), dual tone interiors, etc. (Also, without the Climate control console and touchscreen system, the dashboard was not at all pleasant to look at).

So, I reasoned that since I like to have creature comforts and some of the above features felt really necessary the price of the car would be justified if it had been 5.5 lakhs. But as I said, 5.75 was the last offer. But on further thinking, the price didn’t seem that high after all. As I said earlier, the vehicle was a TD car earlier and as such, it had all the bells and whistles of customization on the exterior and genuine seat cover from Maruti with red accents which looked nice (around 6-8K for that), four brand new tyres with under 1000 km on them (20K for that), battery was dead and they installed another with less than a year on it, the insurance was expired and they renewed it through Maruti dealer itself with zero depreciation cover which cost 15.5K. On top of all these, as I was buying the car through a Maruti True Value shop, they provided one year warranty on engine and gearbox with three free services and they will take care of the paperwork too.

Considering the list of features in the car along with these factors, the extra money that I am shedding suddenly seemed fully justified, also I would not have to spend anything on the car until the next insurance renewal. The remaining question was, whether I needed to spend this amount above my budget to buy a used car. But I was really sold on the car and the question seemed pointless!! I called my friend who was then working at Maruti service and asked him to check the history of the car. Satisfied with the response from him, the decision was made and I contacted my bank for a loan, got approval very quickly and on 27th November, 2020, around three weeks after the initial thinking, the car became mine.

The Eyeliner

The first add on after the car came home was a baby seat for my toddler. It was a Babyhug ISOFIX model and we are really happy about the decision. The convenience it provides while taking your little one on drives cannot be explained. My son can see the outside better as the seat is raised and he can sleep peacefully in it. The most important thing is that I can drive at the usual speeds and can brake as and when needed without the worry of him falling down while braking.

Then I got a dash cam from DDPAI and installed it myself. The camera came with a wiring kit and fuse connector so that it can be directly connected to the fuse box rather than the power socket. The dash cam is very important from a safety perspective. The camera clarity was better when it was new but not so much right now. Thinking about changing to a better one.

Annoying issue

After a few days, I noticed a problem with the steering, it wouldn’t return on its own after a turn. I was surprised that I didn’t notice it while test driving and on further investigation, found out that all the cars till the update in 2020 have this problem and are not rectifiable. I mentioned this complaint on the first service and they greased the mechanism and adjusted it without causing any play, it improved a bit, i.e., on faster turns, the steering would more or less return. But I got used to it in a couple of days and it doesn't bother me anymore. But it is quite surprising that such a problem would be unnoticed during testing after production and furthermore, it would be unaddressed by the company at a later stage.

What I felt about the car

The car is a joy to drive. Driving position is really good and the visibility is something that I appreciate highly. The grunt of the engine can be heard inside when pushed hard which feels quite sporty. The driver seat lumbar support is on the poorer side and is causing me back aches. The steering weight is comfortable for me but it is not as light as in some other cars. I drove my friend’s Tiago and the steering was feather light but it also lacked feedback. The dashboard is practical and made of hard plastic. It is evident that Maruti has cut costs in the dashboard department. Centre console and cup holders are just adequate. Where the car really shines is in the ease of use and practicality.

Highway stability and handling are better considering the tall boy nature. Getting in and out of the car is very easy for the driver but the rear seat passengers bump their heads on the roof sometimes. The steering column adjustment lever hits my knee sometimes while getting into the car and it can be painful. Is it just me or is it a design flaw, I am not sure.

The climate control display panel and switches are hard-bearing and pleasant to look at. If not for the touchscreen, climate control unit and dual-tone finish, the dashboard looks pretty boring and outdated by several decades. Initially, I thought that the white interiors would be a headache to maintain but I was wrong. The surfaces don't get dirty that fast and a microfiber towel and some car shampoo is all it takes to make it look like new. The speakers are average and because of the door panels, they rattle even more at high volumes. If you place anything in the door pockets, it has to be a snug fit, if not the rattles might freak you out.

Even though the car was good and I was satisfied with the decision, the differences between Hyundai and Maruti were obvious. I was using a 2010 model i10 till then and in all regards, Ignis fell into the same category of i10 such as size, shape, engine capacity, etc. But the i10 felt much better in many aspects even though it was a decade-old car. The interiors still felt brand new owing to the quality of plastics used, the fit and finish was way better, panel gaps were less, no squeaks or creeks, the doors felt better and the overall fit and finish was good. The feel-good factor is something that Maruti has to learn from Hyundai.

But, one term overshadows everything else: Mileage! There, Maruti shines like no other. Ignis returned a healthy mileage of 16.5 to 18 kmpl on average. The lowest being 15.5 kmpl when pushed hard and the highest being 19.5 kmpl on a long drive (calculated from full tank to full tank method). Also, services and spares were cheaper than before, but that meant I started to use the car more than I had anticipated before buying it. It led to my next decision which was to install a CNG kit in the car.

CNG retro fitment

I had actually thought about this before but held back as there were no CNG filling stations near my home. After three months of owning the car, a CNG filling station opened up near my home and I went through various review videos and articles on the good and bad of CNG and finally decided to get it installed. At this point, the car had covered 7.5k km. Along with my car, my friend’s Alto also got the kit installed as we carpooled to work regularly. My CNG kit was a sequential one from LOVATO and the Alto got an Open looped kit from LOVATO. The reducer and the ECM were from LOVATO and the other fittings such as the tank, advancer, etc., were from local vendors.

The CNG cylinder was of 12 kg capacity (65L water capacity) and as the gas was pressurised and filled, about 80% of the total volume was the filling capacity. That is around 8.5 to 9 kg can be filled in the cylinder depending on the pressure at the filling station. Also, the cylinder weighs around 65 kg and takes up most of the space in the boot. The gas is filled at around 200 bar pressure which is equal to about 3000 psi. To put it into perspective, the average pressure in a car’s tyre is about 30 psi.

I knew that the car would lose some power while on CNG and was mentally prepared for it. As per the data from Maruti, Wagon R CNG (1L) is around 9bhp less powerful than its petrol counterpart. But to my surprise, the car didn’t feel underpowered that much. On sudden acceleration and while overtaking in a hurry, yes it felt slower but not sluggish, and on highways, you could hardly feel the difference. Also, the car didn’t struggle even when it seated 5 people. But the same was not the case with the Alto, the car struggled when the AC was turned on and you could sense the drop in power while driving the car normally. Maybe this was due to the smaller engine of Alto which produced less power to begin with and also as the kit was open looped with no electronic control unit.

Driving on CNG meant that the car was now being used extensively as the running cost had now come down considerably. CNG costs less than petrol and the car gives more mileage on CNG. I am getting around 27 to 29 km/kg of CNG. This equates to about less than half the fuel cost of petrol to run the car. Ignis is my daily drive and I drive around 80kms a day for 5 days per week plus the weekend runs. After I got Ignis my bike has done only about 15k km in the past 3 and a half years.

Legal side of aftermarket CNG Fitment

The dealer should have Govt. approval and should be registered with the kit brand. The car should be at least a 2005 model. Also, the kit and vehicle should be on the Govt. approved list.

The following details are provided by the kit installer:

• Certificate from kit installer
• Detailed list of installed items
• Approval certificate for dealer from state transport dept.
• Approval for kit from ICAT
• Approval certificate for the tank from dept. of explosives
• Kit layout plan
• Detailed bill, etc.

For endorsing the CNG kit in your RC

Go to the Parivahan website - Online Services - vehicle related services - state - registering authority - Alteration of vehicle - fuel - petrol/CNG - enter retrofitting details - pay online fees - print fee receipt.

Apply to your concerned RTO with Fee receipt, original RC, kit papers from installer, copy of PUC and insurance. Present your vehicle in front of the officer for inspection. After the approval, a new RC will be issued with Petrol/CNG mentioned in it.

After this, apply with the new RC for endorsing it in your insurance as well. This is important for any future claims.

A weird issue!

As the original horn stopped working, I got a windtone horn similar to the one in the Polo. Some days later, I started to notice a very peculiar problem. Sometimes while accelerating, the car would violently jerk as if the power was completely cut off for a split second. The car wouldn’t turn off and there were no error symbols on the console. This happened while suddenly accelerating from cruising speed or accelerating after gear shifts, etc. Sometimes, there would be no problem at all. I noticed that whenever this issue occurred I was using the horn! But no fuse was blown, the horn relay was working fine and no wires had melted. The auto electrician couldn’t identify the problem and the possible cause was the battery. Checked the battery and the voltage was showing just around 12V and one cell was weak. Hence, I changed the battery to Amaron. Still, the problem persisted. Finally, I threw away the horn and its wiring harness and got a simple Bosch horn which could be directly connected without any relay. Problem solved!

The new battery was working fine but the battery indicator (sight glass) was never showing green and when checked with a multimeter the voltage was 12V, sometimes 11.9V. The alternator was working fine and the recharge voltage was also as expected. Gave the battery for charging and it was returned with the green indicator visible. After some days, the same issue reappeared. I've never faced any issue with starting the car and the battery was working fine as per the battery shop. I removed the dash cam for a few days but it didn't change the condition. Also, I couldn't find any leaks either. This condition has persisted till now.

Issues with CNG

As soon as the kit was installed, I noticed a jerky nature like a hiccup while shifting gears and on part throttle driving. They changed the tuning of the ECM and it somehow got ok but not perfect. After a year or so, the car shifted from CNG to petrol while driving as if there was no gas and this error kept coming back. The fault was diagnosed as the solenoid valve in the reducer gone bad. The fitment centre took back the reducer and gave me a new one under warranty. During this process, I learned about the types of reducers. There are single-stage and Multi stage reducers on the market and for a vehicle of 1.2ltr or above capacity, you should have ideally installed the multi-stage reducer but the one in my car was single-stage. I thought that it might be the cause of jerking at slow speed and gear shifts.

Later, after the car had done about 30k km post CNG kit installation, I tried to resolve the issue of this jerking again. Went to a CNG mechanic near my home, and stood there through the process for a whole day. He changed the gas injectors, no change. He changed the reducer to a multi-staged one, with no change. He changed the advancer, no change. Now only the ECM and gas cylinder were remaining which hardly seemed to be the problem. Finally, he reinstalled all the original parts and left it as it was. Hence the issue still remains unresolved. But I’ve learned to drive without causing the small jerk by using the clutch and it is not disturbing me that much anymore. But during this ordeal, I have learned one thing. There are not enough qualified mechanics for CNG cars and the ASS won’t look at retrofitted kits. If anyone knows a good CNG mechanic anywhere in Kerala or Coimbatore, please let me know.

On a side note

In October 2021, the Honda Jazz S i-DTEC joined our stable as the i10 was getting old. Sadly, we had to let go of our beloved i10 in February 2022 as maintaining three cars was proving to be a little too much. I was a bit emotional as I had a lot of fond memories with the car. It was my first car and the first car always remains special.

After 3 years and 6 months, the Ignis has done about 70K km with me at the helm. I changed the battery once, horn twice, and replaced the clutch while the odometer was at 85K. Once, a coconut fell on the bonnet and had to repaint that part. Later a small rock caused a crack on the front windshield and it had to be replaced. Other than that, the car has given me no big trouble and I am pretty happy with my decision.

The clock is around 112K km now and the tyres are due for a change. They have lasted 70K km and I am truly surprised. Maybe due to the fact that a major part of my commute is on highways. Currently, the car is on Bridgestone Ecopia rubber and I am looking at Yokohama Earth1 as my next set. Any suggestions are welcome.

Thank you for reading till the end.

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I am really very happy with the purchase. Ignis is one car which is very underrated. It does many things well over others and provides you best value for money for sure.

BHPian aniketi recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Ignis is one of the best car available in the today's costly car market. I was in same boat last year and after considering many cars, I finally got Ignis Zeta AGS in same color (Glistering grey). I am really very happy with the purchase. Ignis is one car which is very underrated. It does many things well over others and provides you best value for money for sure. Ignis is very easy for city drive and feels very planted. Highway manners are surprisingly very good for a car of its size, handling is just perfect and tight.

My purchasing price was only 7.92 Lakhs OTR in Pune for Zeta Automatic including exchange bonus. This price includes extended warranty as well for 5 years. Plus I got 10 K accessories free from dealer. I think in current scenario this is the best deal one can get. Points I like about Ignis -

1. 1.2 Liter 4 cylinder K series engine is a gem. It's easily the best in the market.
2. It gives very good average, superior engine compared to other manufacturer's. Proper 4 cylinder engine with great NVH.
3. Good ground clearance - 180 mm is more than sufficient in most of the cases.
4. Good features for the price you pay. Zeta variant has true Keyless entry (2 remote keys), Black sporty alloy wheels, Spoiler, functional Roof rails, Infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple Car play with 6 speakers, Steering mounted controls, Electrically operated adjustable and foldable mirrors, fog lamps, rear wiper with washer too & few more. Nobody is offering all these features within 8 lakhs OTR (Currently good discounts are going on)
5. Funky SUV type styling, I quite like it. This has unique design and easily standout.
6. Not very common on roads, you get uniqueness. It doesn't carry budget car badge for sure like Alto, Wagon R, Celerio, Tiago, etc.
7. Suspension is little stiff but not bad at all.
8. Good space inside. One will get surprised seeing space it offers inside. Boot space is also very good at 260 Liters.
9. AMT is nice, less jerky. It's slow to start but gain pick up soon.
10. On highways, AMT is surprisingly fast. 

Overall I am very happy and satisfied with what I got for the price. I can say this is a pocket rocket for people having tight budget. Also Maruti gives you best A.S.S. and peace of mind which is very important.

At the time of delivery:

Somewhere in Lonavala:

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