General Comments:
Starting with the negatives, the ride on this car is, as expected, hash - it's a sport model, and you really do feel the bumps in the road.
The supplied CD player skips because of the firm ride, although it's worth noting that MP3 disks don't appear to suffer from the same problem.
The driver's seat doesn't appear to slide forward to allow easier access for passengers in the back, but the passenger seat does - this isn't really a problem for me, but it's worth mentioning. Then again, how many people will buy one of these when they'll be carrying passengers in the back regularly?
That's the entire bad points out of the way for this vehicle. Seriously.
She's quick off the mark, and acceleration is fantastic.
The handling is absolutely spot-on - no trace of the instability that the standard model had when cornering at any speed. This is probably because this vehicle is slightly lower, with bigger, wider (asymmetrical racing) tyres and alloys as standard.
The air conditioning is a major plus.
The cabin is roomy, and the recaro seats are comfy and supportive, although there's no lumbar support. You don't really miss it, though, as the seats themselves hug you and keep you in place quit happily without it. They also still have the tilt control on the bottom part of the seat to help adjust the driving position if necessary.
There's tons of storage space, just like with the normal ignis model, although the tray under the passenger seat is now absent.
Fuel economy is excellent - I'm getting about 45 mpg at the moment driving to and from work.
This car is fun to drive - she responds very well to driver input, is sure-footed enough that you feel confident and happy behind the wheel, and will accelerate even when doing 70 plus in fifth gear.
If you can live with the sports-style suspension and the lack of back seats for passengers, give this car a trial run. At the very least, you'll have a big wide grin on your face when you finally hand the car back.
All in all, I'd recommend this car highly, over and above the 1.3 5dr model that I used to own before it was written off.
18th Nov 2004, 04:15
Just picked up my new Ingis Sport two weeks ago - still haven't stopped smiling. What a buzz!
Our regular drive is a Falcon XR6 which is a great car... but the Ingis is a lot more fun particularly in hilly country with a few corners thrown in.
I had never considered a small car before, but I'm stoked with my first venture into "pocket rockets"
Pete Keen
Australia.