Maruti Suzuki Ignis Zeta petrol AMT long term review: Introduction

As soon as I drove the car for the first time in Chennai, I was absolutely in love with it. And so, even before Maruti sent us a long-term car, I called dibs. Of course, since I'm not in charge of the OD Garage, it wasn't really up to me. But fortunately, I was humoured and given the car anyway. I was hoping for a petrol variant of the Ignis with a manual transmission, because that was my favourite. But instead, Maruti sent us a petrol with an AMT. I certainly wasn't complaining. I was just glad it was a petrol, because it suited the character of the car far more than the diesel engine. And from my first drive experience, the AMT was quite a nice unit to use. It was jump from one AMT vehicle to another, so I knew just how convenient it would be for my daily commute to the office. And boy, was I right! The AMT works very well and is very predictable, which makes it great to live with.

The Maruti Ignis' design is as funky as funky gets

But one of my favourite aspects of this car is the design - it's funky, quirky and certainly very different from anything else. I especially love the amount of customisation options Maruti offers. Of course, some aren't very nice, but some, like the roof wrap on my car, is a really nice touch! However, some people don't share the same views. This one time, when a valet at the hotel was driving my car up to the porch, I overheard this aunty tell her husband, "Oh the Ignis. Che, the look is not there." Quite put off, I gave a dirty look at the couple as I got in the car. 10 minutes later, as I parked outside my house, two guys, significantly younger than the aunty, told me that they loved the way the car looked. In fact, the car is getting quite a bit of attention simply because there's just nothing else like it on the road. It's a love or hate design, and I'm in love. To hell with what aunty thinks.

The roof wrap on our car is really nice. However, there are other options from Maruti that don't look quite as good

The glare from the panel is quite annoying and distracting while driving

So far, the car has been a great runabout vehicle in the city, and I even took it on the highway a couple of times where it was more than happy doing triple-digit speeds. But there are some things I wish Maruti had done differently with the Ignis. One glaring issue I have with the car, and I mean that literally, is the gloss finish around the gear lever. While driving with the sun right over you, the light reflects off the surface, creating an annoying glare that hits you right in the face. Just a little more attention to detail could have avoided this issue. Additionally, there are a lot of white in the interior which tends to get dirty quicker than a kid in a playground. A slightly darker colour like beige would have been a little easier to maintain.

Overall though, I'm absolutely thrilled about the car and my next one year with this baby.