Maruti Suzuki Ignis

Maruti Suzuki Ignis will finally go on sale in India today. We've first seen the car at the 2016 Auto Expo and the company had promised that the car would be launched by October 2016, but those plans were pushed forward to 2017. The car has been spoken about a lot and it's because the way it looks. We've already told you about the genesis of its unique design and its styling has been a talking point.

Another talking point has been its engines and we know that it will come with both a manual and an automatic (AMT) gearbox right from the word go. It will be retailed in India via the Nexa dealerships and while we have already told you everything about the Ignis, the one thing that remains unanswered is the price. While the prices mentioned below are just tentative, we are quite sure that the is likely to be launched in the price range of ₹ 4.5 lakh to ₹ 6 lakh.

Maruti Suzuki Ignis Expected Launch : Jan 2017 Maruti Suzuki Ignis Expected Prices

Trim Prices Petrol With Manual gearbox ₹ 4.5 lakh - ₹ 6.0 lakh Diesel With Manual gearbox ₹ 5.0 lakh - ₹ 6.5 lakh Petrol with AMT gearbox ₹ 5.5 lakh - ₹ 6.0 lakh Diesel with AMT gearbox ₹ 6.0 lakh - ₹ 6.5 lakh

Now, the Ignis will go up against the likes of a variety of cars. To begin with the urban crossover bodystyle will but it up against the likes of the Mahindra KUV100 (Rs 4.58 – 7.16 lakh). The Ignis will also go up against stronger competition from the likes of the Hyundai Grand i10 (Rs 4.91 – 6.99 lakh) which is also due for a mid-life facelift very soon. The Ignis will also go up against two cars from Maruti’s own range, the Celerio (Rs 4.03 – 5.90 lakh) and the Swift (Rs 4.76 – 7.44 lakh). Of course, the Swift will be updated later this year too but the Ignis certainly has a headstart for that.

To be competitive enough to take on the likes of the Grand i10 and yet now cannibalise into the sales of the Celerio or the Swift, we think that the Ignis starting price will be about Rs 4.50 lakh with the top of the line version coming in at Rs 7 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi.) But, since a spread of Rs 2.5 lakh is wide, lets split up what we think certain engine and gearbox combinations will be priced between.

maruti suzuki ignis badge If you are wondering why the most expensive AMT and Manual with their respective engines is priced exactly the same, it is because the AMT versions will not be available in the most expensive ‘Alpha’ variant trim and will only be available in the mid level Delta and Zeta variants. Now although these are just estimates that we have calculated based on what AMT cars from Maruti have been priced at in the past as compared to their manual versions, if you look at the price gap between the Celerio and the Swift (which was originally filled by the Ritz), these prices fit perfectly. That said, we do expect customers to opt for the iCreate packages and customise their Ignis vehicles according to their personal tastes like we have seen so prominently on the Vitara Brezza.

As for the exterior the Ignis will come with a host of features and equipment like the LED daytime running lights, projector headlamps and black 15-inch alloy wheels. In fact the rear also comes with some key design elements, which include – black inserts on the bumper, a tailgate mounted spoiler, and a rear windscreen wiper.

We have seen the Ignis and experienced it firsthand, albeit rather briefly, and know that the car is quite spacious on the inside, especially when it comes to the rear seat and has a very cool, new-look interior that is packed with features. The Ignis will get first in class features like a touchscreen infotainment setup with Apple CarPlay, Andorid Auto and of course, an inbuilt navigation screen. We also know that the boot on the Ignis is quite large considering how small the actual car is and that the new Baleno based platform has been cleverly packaged.