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SEAT Ibiza arrives just in time

Expert Rating: 3 out of 5

Introduction

SEAT has come up with a sharp-edged new look for its supermini, replacing the rounded softness of the old model with something much more modern. It's a handsome small car that puts the Spanish maker slap-bang in the middle of a very competitive class. SEAT is braced for this and the Ibiza offers a decent drive to back up the high quality of the cabin, decent equipment list, space and affordable running costs.

What are its rivals?

Talk superminis and there are two cars you cannot ignore: the Ford Fiesta and Vauxhall Corsa. This pair dominates the sales charts, and rightly so thanks to their blend of space, practicality, running costs and fun-to-drive natures. The Fiesta has the upper hand over the Corsa and the Blue Oval sets an impressively high benchmark for others to aim for. That said, the Corsa is also a hugely well rounded car. Other challenges for the SEAT come from the zesty Fiat Grande Punto, which offers one of the largest cabins in the class, and the Skoda Fabia that makes a strong case for itself due to its value for money. There's also the new Hyundai i20 to contend with, as well as more established players such as the Honda Jazz, Mazda2, Toyota Yaris and Volkswagen Polo. One thing's for certain, the SEAT Ibiza is not short of rivals.

How does it drive?

SEAT has a reputation for making cars that handle with a touch more aplomb than their VW Group cousins. So it is with the Ibiza, which has a more able feel to it than the Skoda Fabia or VW Polo. On every type of road, the Ibiza de-creases the surface to progress with an unruffled smoothness found in only a handful of its supermini rivals. There is a hint of firmness at town speeds, but it doesn't jar in the way a Honda Jazz does and the Ibiza's light steering makes it ideal for dodging through the urban sprawl. On freer flowing roads, the Ibiza's steering is perhaps a shade too light for keener drivers, but it enjoys good stability on the motorway for a small car. It also provides a sense of assured handling in corners as body lean is kept within reasonable limits and the front tyres bite into the road with surprising tenacity. The 1.4-litre petrol engine of our test car produces 84bhp. That's enough for the Ibiza to keep pace with the competition, notching up 0-62mph in 12.2 seconds. While it's no hot hatch, the engine is just strong enough to help the Ibiza live up to SEAT's sporting pretensions. The five-speed manual gearbox has a light change, albeit with quite a long throw, and works in harmony with the weight balance of the foot pedals.

What's impressive?

SEAT has clearly put a lot of thought into the Ibiza's cabin and it shows in several areas. First off, the style of the dash is simple, modern and clear-cut. It's a model of clarity, placing all of the centre console controls high on the middle of the dash so there's no stretching or searching for the stereo or heating buttons. We also found the driving position to be one of the best in this class thanks to a driver's seat that adjusts for distance, angle and height. Coupled to the two-way adjustable steering wheel, finding the right position for drivers of different sizes was no problem. The driver also enjoys good all-round visibility thanks to small quarter windows set into the front and rear pillars, which is a welcome change from some of the Ibiza's thick-pillared rivals. Rounding off this impressive performance is plenty of space for back seat passengers, a generous boot for this class of car - that's easily extended by the 60:40 split and fold rear seat - and a high level of standard equipment in SE trim.

What's not?

This is an admittedly small gripe in an otherwise well rounded package, but we noticed a little too much road noise at higher speeds inside the Ibiza's cabin. If it were not for the high standards of refinement set by the Ford Fiesta and Vauxhall Corsa, it most likely wouldn't be an issue, but this pair has raised the bar and the SEAT doesn't quite reach it.

Should I buy one?

The SEAT Ibiza is a very likeable supermini. It provides lots of space, equipment and quality at a competitive price. It's also well made and benefits from running costs that are comparably low with most rivals'. We would like to see lower CO2 emissions from the 1.4-litre petrol engine, though. The Ibiza is not quite as sharp to drive as the Ford Fiesta and a Vauxhall Corsa is one rung further up the ladder of refinement, but the SEAT acquits itself well and holds plenty of appeal for those who value space and comfort above driving dynamics.

Alisdair Suttie