PoPular Mechanics: What are the char-
acteristics of an urban car?
Suzuki: Small, easy to drive, easy to
park, good visibility and safe.
Have those characteristics changed over
time?
In general no, but safety has improved much
over the past few years.
Given that two out of three humans will be
living in cities by 2050, how will this affect
car designs and the industry as a whole?
There will be less focus on making long dis-
tance grand tourers, given that most people
in Europe and even now in SA are more likely
to fly rather than drive long distance. Even 15
years ago there was no BMW 1 series, Audi
A1 and Merc A class. These have been
brought in over time.
What are the big differences between
urban and, well, non-urban cars?
Performance: handling, acceleration, overtak-
ing ability, and creature comforts – like venti-
lated seats and cameras that try to keep you
awake.
What makes the Ignis so well suited to the
role of urban car?
See above. The high ground clearance
makes it easy to hop pavements and com-
fortably climb the evil speed bump.
Suzuki had two finalists in the Urban Car
of the Year; what makes the company sowell suited to this role? Or is it just coinci-
dence that it had two new urban-compatible
models out at the same time?
Suzuki is known as the compact car expert
company, and it’s what the main focus has
been for many a year. The coincidence is
simply that both cars were built in the same
year.
How does the Ignis fit into the crossover
role at the same time?
The 180 mm ground clearance, just 10 mm
less than the 190 mm ground clearance of
the Jimny, is the biggest contributor to its
crossover status. Then, also, the chunky
tyres play a role.
Does an urban car necessarily have to be
small?
Yes.
Does an urban car necessarily have to be
cheap?
No.
Who would typically buy an urban car in
general or an Ignis in particular?
People of all ages and lifestyles live in cities
and they all have different needs. The Ignis
is going to satisfy the needs of those who
want entry level, possibly first car, from
around 25 – 35, either single or married and
not likely to have kids yet (although maybe,
the car does have Isofix points, so they
can.)QAURBAN CAR: the checklist
When it comes to small cars, Suzuki can claim to have more expertise than most,
given such long-running success stories as the Swift. Not surprisingly, the Japanese
company had two finalists in this year’s World Urban Car competition. We asked
Suzuki what makes a good urban car.Around town, the little Suzuki’s boxy
lines, snappy gearshift and willing 1,2-
litre engine add up to the ability to sneak
in and out of tight spots – including
parking – with confidence.
On trips out of town, the Ignis’s drive-
train provides relaxed freeway cruising.
The 61 kW 1,2’s torque peaks at a mod-
est 113 N.m, but is geared to provide
enough pull that you don’t have to keep
changing down to tackle uphills and has
a surprising ability to maintain speed
(admittedly, if that speed is around
100 km/h in Top). A minus point is the
curiously numb steering that feels a
little sticky around the centre point.
For really long trips, the 260-litre boot
will struggle, though the rear seats do
fold down. Of course, that’s when you
catch a plane instead.
The urban car accolades, presented for
the first time this year, form part of the
World Car Awards, initiated and con-
ducted by automotive journalists from
all over the world and administered by a
non-profit. It is intended to complement,
not compete with existing national and
regional car of the year awards.
This year’s winner was chosen from
an initial entry list of seven cars, even-
tually whittled down to three finalists:
the BMW i3 (94 Ah), the Citroën C3
and the Suzuki Ignis.
BMW Americas head Ludwig Willisch
said the i3’s win highlighted his organi-
sation’s commitment to sustainableAUGUST 2017 _ http://www.popularmechanics.co.za 75MOBILITY + LAUNCHES: HYUNDAI TUCSON, ELANTRA SPORT + BLUETOOTH