The Maruti Suzuki Ignis totally slays it!

How do you make a car for an audience that begs to be different? How do you create a product for the masses, yet manage to make it highly individualistic in nature? What can you do to make a car an extension of your personality? These are the questions that Maruti Suzuki set out to address when they decided to peg the Ignis as the car for millennials.

Maruti Suzuki has come a long way since they first set out to put India on wheels with the M800 over three decades ago and with the changing market dynamics they have constantly managed to keep with the times and offer products that best fit the Indian sentiment. As the market leader, their ability to refresh their product line at the right time, every time has helped maintain their massive market share and now with the Ignis MSIL is once again setting out to bring about a change. Having said that, this time around the challenge is a lot tougher. The audience is younger, more global in their outlook, very well informed of the latest trends and they don’t like being conventional. From their dress sense to their haircuts, from their choice of mobile apps to their sources of information – everything has to be individually tailored to suit their style and thus lies the challenge in offering them a product. Either you get it right, or you miss the boat. There is no middle ground for this demographic is very opinionated and are quick to state what’s on their mind. Most importantly, they aren’t a passing fad, but the future. Market gurus, product designers and the more savvy digital media publications have already realized this and the need to cater to them is where success undoubtedly lies.

At the very core, millennial culture is defined by individualism, convenience and a ‘right here, right now’ attitude. It’s not that they don’t understand the struggles that the older generation went through or are lazy; it is just that they have the tools and means to lead a better life and therefore achieve more in a shorter duration. They are an ambitious lot and are incredibly self-motivated to chase their dreams and score big on achievements. Just because they don’t watch the 9:00pm news or read the paper in the morning doesn’t mean that they aren’t informed. They have better and faster means to access information – apps, favourite websites and a plethora of social media options do the trick! In many ways they access so much more information in a day than what the previous generation did at their age! With that level of data just a click away on their smartphones, decision making is also a faster process and for those who set out to cater to the millennials the need to make an impression at the right place and time is how it’s done.

Maruti Suzuki has kicked off that journey by launching the Ignis at an EDM concert with Axwell headlining the act that also featured Dannic and Nikhil Chinnappa. Of course the product needs to live up to the hype and that is exactly what we set out to figure out when we headed down to Chennai for an extensive test drive of the Ignis.

#Perf on style

As part of the marketing mantra, the Ignis carries a rather bold tag line – none of a kind and while that might seem like marketing mumbo, the truth is that it is very difficult to classify this car. It’s small and fits in the premium hatchback segment, but it doesn’t look like one. In conventional terms I would have to say that the design flow is similar to that of a soft-roader – especially when you take in to consideration the squared lines, flat bonnet and large LED projector headlamps and DRLs (which kind of reminded me of scaled down versions of what you find on the mighty Range Rover). Add to that, the Ignis runs on large 15 inch black alloy rims and those flared wheel arches give it that sporty touch that no other car in its segment can compare to. It is a fresh design that is young at heart and you can just see the potential it offers in further customizing it with the plethora of accessories that Maruti Suzuki is planning on offering at their Nexa showrooms from where the Ignis retails. All this allows the Ignis to be customized to a level that mirrors the owners’ individual tastes and that is definitely a plus point for an audience that believes in being different.

A un-Suzuki Interior layout for the Ignis

The interiors are also a fresh treat from Maruti Suzuki for we haven’t seen anything similar on any of their other cars. The floating layered dashboard has been finished in a dual tone of ivory and black and you can tell that the plastics used are of a fine quality. The top of the line Ignis gets a large iPad looking touchscreen infotainment system that takes centrestage on the dash and the switches for the AC controls are these nice toggle buttons that are reminiscent of what you’d find on a Mini Cooper. The exterior body colours carry over to the interior as well as you can see touches of it on certain panels.

Maruti Suzuki has done a commendable job in terms of space allocation on board the Ignis and despite its small dimensions, the cabin is nice and airy and very comfortable for four adults. The front seats have more than ample leg room and shoulder space; however it is the rear seat that was a genuine surprise for I was easily able to get my 6ft 2inch frame in there and not have to worry about the front seats knocking my knees out. You can’t complain about the 265 litres of boot space either, for you have enough room there to pack away your luggage for a nice weekend getaway. If you need more, just remember that the rear bench also comes with a 60:40 split so you can expand the cargo space according to your needs. This flexibility is all about convenience and that is a big point to score for a car that caters to an audience that believes in the need of having things their way.

The Ignis is all about staying connected while on the move

Maruti Suzuki has taken in car connectivity very seriously when it comes to the Ignis. Considering the fact that it is a car designed for the millennial, the need to offer such features is paramount and to leave no stone unturned, MSIL has given the Ignis the ability to run both Apple CarPlay (what is Apple CarPlay) and Android Auto (what is Android Auto). Depending on the phone you have, these systems allow you to seamlessly access the apps and data on your phone including voice commands and playing back your music.

What powers the Ignis

Maruti Suzuki has kept with the VVT 1.2 litre petrol and 1.3 litre DDiS for the Ignis as well. These engines are offered on a plethora of cars from the company and their reliability is already well known. The petrol motor makes 83 PS of power @ 6000 rpm and offers 113 Nm of torque @ 4200 rpm, while the diesel mill delivers 75 PS of power @ 4000 rpm and 190 Nm of torque @ 2000 rpm. Both engines are offered with a five speed manual transmission as well as Maruti Suzuki’s AGS (auto gear shift) technology in case you needed that added bit of convenience. Both engines are extremely fuel efficient – the petrol offers an ARAI certified 20.89 kmpl and the diesel delivers a staggering 26.80 kmpl.

We got to sample both the engines as well at the manual and AGS offerings. No matter which type of transmission or engine you go in for, you are guaranteed a nice peppy drive. A special mention has to be given to the petrol AGS version which proved to be a surprise package in how refined it feels.

As far as ride and handling is concerned, the Ignis stays nice and planted on the road even at high speeds. MSIL has done a lot of work in order to get it to do so despite the 180mm ground clearance. The engineering team has spent a lot of time in fine tuning the Ignis for India and like we’ve always said that nobody understands Indian driving conditions better than Maruti and all that research has been put to good use in delivering a vehicle that drives just right.

Keeping it safe

The Ignis comes with dual airbags, seatbelts with pre-tensioners, ABS and EBD as standard fitment. That is a great move by Maruti Suzuki, especially when you take into account how much the company is doing in terms of driving the need for safety through their various outreach programs. With a very clued in audience that is aware of international trends, safety is a growing focus area and it sure is good to see that MSIL has lived up to deliver on that front. Apart from the features mentioned, the Ignis is also compliant for pedestrian safety, side impact and offset crash regulations much ahead of the stipulated timeline given by the governing bodies.

Owning the Ignis

You really can’t go wrong when you put your money down for a Maruti Suzuki. For a lot of the younger generation, Maruti Suzuki is a brand that holds a lot of value for their parents and might have been the first car in their house too. There is a brand connect and now to have a young fresh product designed exclusively for their tastes, it allows them to take the brand connect forward.

Maruti might be relying on this aspect as well, however they aren’t just stopping there for they have put in place a solid list of accessories in order to really kit the Ignis out. Customers have a choice of roof wraps, spoilers, wheel claddings, door visors, roof rails, skid plates and interior styling options to choose from in order to truly #ownit !

#TBH

Maruti Suzuki has done a fantastic job with the Ignis and has delivered a car that is young, fresh and has its own distinct aura. There really isn’t much to complain about with this car and if you have your eyes on owning one, go ahead it isn’t going to disappoint you.

Having said that, I do have a few suggestions. To start with, the Ignis could benefit from having a HUD (heads up display). There isn’t a car in its class that offers that technology and when you are targeting a young audience, you need to have some of the right gadgets in place. A HUD does the job of keeping the driver’s eyes on the road and not having to look down to see the instrument cluster or follow directions, plus it adds a very ‘Iron Man’ appeal that is bound be a hit with the millennials.

The next thing that MSIL needs to do is offer a really cool Ignis app. The app should enable the experience to begin prior to the purchase of the vehicle itself. Let a prospective customer play around with different features on the app including customizing their prospective car to their needs. Once the car is bought, the app can serve as a digital butler to make the ownership experience convenient and smart through timely notifications, vehicle diagnostic updates and if you really want to go all out, talk to a company like Trak N Tell and get them to deliver a ‘Ignis’ vehicle security package which can be integrated into the app. I’m sure that other features can be thought up as well, however the point is that by seamlessly making the ownership program a digital experience as well, there is a lot to gain.

On a parting note, MSIL has done an outstanding job with the Ignis. So far they have managed to deliver a great product and launch it in total style. The hard part actually begins now in keeping the communication flowing through the right channels and reaching out to their audience constantly in new innovative ways. Think like the millennials do and create a bespoke sustainable communication campaign in order to truly give the Ignis the stamp of being India’s first car for millennials.

Also Read: Maruti Suzuki Ignis Pricing

Millennial Glossary

Slay it: To do something really well, To deliver on all accounts

#Perf: Perfect

#Ownit: To make it yours, To not just buy but customize it so that it is an extension of your personality

#TBH: To be honest, To give your honest opinion

Legit: Real, True to what it stands for