BUMP AND GRIND

How well suited is the average small car to the rigours of everyday family life, as well as some more adventurous journeys? Matt Saunders finds out by spending a busy week in the brilliant Suzuki Ignis

- Matt Saunders

How many of us are looking at downsizing our cars right now? Among my default recommendations to anyone who wants a small, affordable, versatile car with room inside it and some character without remains the one that has just been delivered to my driveway: the Suzuki Ignis.

MONDAY, 10.23 AM

I'm regularly telling people how much more useful these clever little cars are than you might imagine. Now it's time to prove it. For the next seven days, this 3.7-metre-long, 1.2-litre city car will be the Saunders family's only means of transport. Anywhere we need to go, we will go in this, and anything we need to carry will go in the boot - or it won't be going. The office commute, the school run, the supermarket shop and the weekend football match will all be done in it, and I will also make some special trips to test the outer limits of this car's capabilities.

Thankfully, we have the right version: the range-topping Allgrip SZ5, with 82bhp, a manual gearbox and viscous-coupling-based four-wheel drive. A quick poke around and I remember all the features that impressed me the first time around: sliding rear seats, enough leg and headroom for adults in both rows, plenty of cabin storage, a simple control layout and a touchscreen infotainment system that mirrors your phone on a wired connection. How much more do you really need?

TUESDAY, 5.05 PM

A busy working day on the road started early today, with a quick 30-mile dash to Silverstone for a track day, then home in time to collect the kids from after-school club.