Suzuki Ignis means bigness

Suzuki has long specialised in the cute and cuddly end of the market. Even its butch off-roaders have a toystore character, while its Wagon R range is positively weird.

Admittedly, these particular traits have not endeared the marque to the majority of motorists who want to portray a rebellious hard streak. But things are changing for the Japanese firm, which has seen rapid sales growth this year.

In today's uncertain world with 24-hour news station hyperbole driving the masses into a tizzy of angst and worry, even cute and cuddly cars need to pull on their fatigues. At Suzuki, out goes the Swift and in comes the strangely named Ignis, looking like a small car conscripted into the military.

A tall stance, chunky bumpers, a ribbed roof with rails and flared fenders with black-lined wheel arches all give it the image of an off-roader. These combine with a high-roofed mini-people carrier look to create a seemingly solid, "urban toughie" air.

Yet, for all its "tough" effort, the Ignis still comes across as more a Bundoran FCA transporter than Baghdad SUV. It just can't rid itself of the cute image. Those ultra-tough (though seemingly pointless) roof rails could as easily be handles.

Despite this, it's not a thing of ridicule. The Ignis needs all its military-style muscle to fight its ground in a small car segment that seems to be imploding in Ireland - sales are down 14.5 per cent for the first two months of the year and good bargains to be had as worried dealers try to off-load stock before the slack summer period. In the midst of this market turmoil, the Ignis is also up against strong competitors such as the Fiat Panda, currently European Car of the Year.

In a segment where every cent counts, the Ignis pricing policy puts it up against the high-spec versions from competitors.

Powered by a twin cam 1.3-litre engine, its Japanese heritage means it will probably take a daily thrashing for years and still come back for more. It settles into its stride on motorways, even touching 70mph, but is unsteady in crosswinds and suffers from excessive wind noise.

The power steering system makes easy work of weaving through heavy traffic and parking, but is weak on feedback on the open road. The absence of anti-roll bars front or rear also makes itself felt, with considerable understeer and body roll.

But most missions will be in the urban environment and the Ignis is both competent and competitive here. For those who have driven the Swift - an unfortunate group which includes myself - the Ignis is a vast improvement.

The higher roof gives the cabin a really spacious air. You'd seemingly need to be over 8-foot to graze your head of the roof, though leg room is still at a premium, especially in the back which is really a child-only zone.

In terms of safety the Ignis is well kitted out for its class, with ABS and front and side airbags as standard. However, our test car only came with two rear seatbelts, thereby limiting it to a four-seater.

Another improvement on the Swift is the vastly better cabin trim. Gone are the low rent plastics and fittings, and in their place are proper soft-touch plastics. The developments are partly due to Suzuki's close ties to General Motors, the benefits of which can be seen in the various switch gear that Opel drivers will recognise.

Seating is basic L-shaped, firm, relatively high set, lacking side supports and bearing striking similarities to bus seats.

On all-important luggage space, the Ignis is equal to all with 236 litres - and it offers the largest area when the rear seats are folded down (1,002 litres).

On the cubbyhole front, we continue to be amazed at the increasing number of holders and pockets in cars these days - the Ignis is no exception, inviting us to clutter and hoard with abandon.

Overall, it's a good, honest package, but it will have its work cut out to match the likes of the stronger all-round ability of the Panda in a market where every cent counts.