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By Jonathan Crouch

The 4WD mild hybrid version of Suzuki's little Ignis Crossover shows just how far this Japanese brand has come. Jonathan Crouch tries it.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 45

Suzuki knows more about Crossovers than just about any other manufacturer. Here's its smallest one, the Ignis. It's a compact, affordable and very stylishly-formed way to make a statement in the city and cruise through the country. Let's try the top 4WD mild hybrid version.

Backgroundword count: 168

This Ignis features the same hi-tech 'TECT' platform that Suzuki uses in its Swift and Baleno supermini models and slots into the brand's line-up just below them and just above the company's Celerio citycar. There's sophistication promised beneath the bonnet too. Forget diesel power: Suzuki says you don't need it here because the provided 1.2-litre Dualjet petrol unit delivers comfortably over 60mpg in regular use, with carbon dioxide emissions around about the 100g/km mark, figures you can improve upon if you get the version of this powerplant that's bolstered by a clever mild hybrid system. At the top of the range, there's also the option of Suzuki's ALLGRIP 4WD set-up, creating a small car with all-round winter traction that'll cost you thousands less than almost any other 4x4 alternative you might want to consider. And it's all packaged up with funky looks that if you like, you'll really love. So, should you be tempted by what's on offer here? Let's try the SHVS ALLGRIP model and find out.

Driving Experienceword count: 262

Light weight and compact exterior dimensions combine to make the Ignis ideally suited to town driving, its intended habitat. Right from the get-go, you feel confident at the wheel, thanks to the commanding driving position and excellent forward visibility that makes this little Suzuki easy to thread through tiny gaps in the traffic. Move beyond the city limits out on to the open road and the Ignis feels much less in its comfort zone, but if you can deal with the rather vague steering and the bodyroll you get at speed through tight bends, there's enough turn-in grip to make this car actually quite fun to punt about if you're in the mood to enjoy it. Some of the credit for this lies with this model's stiff, sophisticated 'TECT' platform that facilitates a feather-light kerb weight. This in term means that a small, relatively low-powered engine is all that's necessary to punt this Ignis along at a decent lick, the unit in question in all models being a four cylinder 1.2-litre Dualjet petrol unit developing 90PS. At the top of the range, you can get a version of this powerplant featuring Suzuki's 'SHVS' mild hybrid technology. Here, an 'Integrated Starter Generator' works with a tiny lithium-ion battery to harvest kinetic energy when you brake and convert it into electrical energy that can power the engine stop-start system and give you a small energy boost as you accelerate. You have to have the 'SHVS' set-up if you want an Ignis fitted with Suzuki's on-demand 'ALLGRIP' 4WD system - which is what we tried.

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