2004 Suzuki Ignis Sport from UK and Ireland - Comments

You did a Clio sport?

Had he broke down or was it some kid in a 1.2 done up like a sport

I have owned both cars and the Ignis Sport is nothing compared with the clio sport

I will say the Ignis Sport is a lot more reliable though as I wouldn't touch a french car again.

I've owned a 2004 Ignis Sport for a month now. It is an absolute bargain in the Australian second hand market, I picked up one for $11,000 in excellent condition with on 47,XXX klms on the clock from a dealer. That's nearly half price in only 4 and a bit years old.

It can be a remarkably sedate daily driver, but once it gets over 4000rpm lookout, it really gets up and goes all the way to the redline. Handling is amazing, I haven't pushed it to the edge, but the car feels like it will roll before the tyres start to slip on a corner and that's intentionally throwing it right in. I've surprised more than the odd driver (especially larger 4WDs) who assume it's a Holden Cruze or similar ilk and go to cut in only to realise I'm a length in front.

Minor niggles are the rattling seat belts, headrests (why did they put that garish and disfunctional mesh in?), rough ride on some roads and cheap speaker system (it's OK, but soon to be replaced!).

Economy is excellent for a car in this class I'm averaging 6 L per 100kms freeway and 7.5 L per 100kms everything else.

After market parts are difficult since this car did not sell well (marketing just never got off the ground), however it is possible to turbo and improve the engine to incredible lengths. Just look at the Australian Ignis rally team!

It's actually proving an excellent daily driver and loves a windy road on the weekends.

Hi. I've owned my Sport since it was a 2 day old demonstrator when they first came on sale here in 03 (UK) and have done about 53000 now.

Had to replace the front discs and pads, and the rears will need doing too soon.

Replaced gearchange cable twice (anyone else had this problem?).

Overall a great little car, which is more nippy than fast, but pound for pound it can't be beaten.

Got a K&N fitted, and lowered springs to fit, and hope to do a few more things over time.

I've had faster cars, but never one with as much affordable practical fun.

I also feel very content when my daughters borrow it, as it can be driven any way you like and still be safe. With a few more bhp (or a busa engine!) I think this would almost be the perfect car!

Updating my previous comment since I have had my Ignis Sport for 4 months now. The ride is still pretty harsh, which is kinda disappointing since I thought the car would be more of a rally car than it is. On a bumpy road, the car can be quite dangerous and uncomfortable at speed. There is the option of custom suspension setup, but that is very expensive and I'm not sure if I will commit to that kind of spending.

Changed the rims to 15in x 6in over the stock 5in width. The car looks a lot better and it has improved the handling and road holding. The rears can tend to come unstuck (and airborne) at extreme bumps or corners, and although it quickly rights itself, it is a little freaky. Over inflating the tyres makes this problem dangerous, I recommend no more than 35psi in any tyre (manufacturer recommends 32-33psi).

After a 60,000km service the rear shocks are bleeding and need to be replaced. The Suzuki dealer didn't want to know, but in their defense is is out of the 3 year warranty period, even if the kms are very low. I believe that it could have been the previous owner as one mag had heavy gutter rash on the side where the shock damage is the worst.

There is also a dash rattle which I have been told is a standard problem. Very expensive to fix too, luckily my short term solution is to turn up the stereo. Passenger seat rattles as it is a poorly designed fit. Best solution I have found is to move the seat 2 notches forward when there is no passenger, or stick a heavy item on the seat.

Parts aren't cheap, but the lengthy service period and decent part life seems to compensate (at least I'm not spending much more on servicing than my previous car, a 98 Swift.)

I recently had the engine grounded since it's not done at the factory? This seems to give the car a little more pickup and responsiveness.

OK it's not a perfect car, but for the price? I love it. I would rather have Suzuki's rattles and imperfections than the unreliability of a Holden or Ford, which seem to always have a major manufacturing defect of one description or another.

How can you say the Ignis beats a Clio 182 to 90 LOL? I've got a Civic Type R 200 bhp, an even match for the Clio 182, so by saying you beat a 182, you're saying you beat a CTR. The ctr is 250kgs heavier, but has twice the power. I passed a Clio V6 the other day. When I got beside it, I noticed that it had drums on the back. Think this was the car you raced LOL.