SEAT Ibiza Range
SEAT are intent on living up to their billing as the sporty one in the VW Groups three-piece band of volume selling marques. That leaves Volkswagen themselves, acting out the role of posh and Skoda as, err, ginger? Ok, so the Spice Girls analogy doesnt quite work but the sporty, spicy SEAT is an idea youd better get used to. The current crop of Ibiza models go further than any before them in emphasising the dynamism and exuberance the marketing men have destined to become SEATs trademark.
Prospective SEAT buyers catching sight of the Leon and Altea models down at their local showroom could be forgiven for thinking that the marque have mapped out a path to sportiness founded on the principal of retailing differently-sized versions of the same car. Initial shots of an all-new Ibiza that we may be able to expect sometime in late 2008 would appear to confirm this and todays Toledo is hardly ploughing a lone furrow on the styling front. Whatever your view on the emerging strong SEAT family resemblance, the look of the products definitely reflects the brands energetic direction and the current SEAT Ibiza, while not a clone to the extent of the others, carries many of the SEAT visual traits. The Ibiza of today, priced from £8,195, carries the effects of a facelift which edged the car closer to its newer SEAT stalemates on aesthetic grounds.
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"the Ibiza continues as one of the UKs very top superminis"
High-performance models have an important role to play in the range of any vehicle with sporty pretensions and SEAT have the Cupra derivatives doing the business for the Ibiza. These fire-breathing shopping rockets arent there to sell in large numbers but rather, to cast the light of prestige and publicity down on more ordinary Ibizas, raising their desirability levels by association. The Ibiza FR derivatives could be a chief beneficiary of the Cupras reflected glory. They sit one rung down the ladder from the range-toppers but offer similar road presence and performance.
The cars feature 17" alloys, a blacked-out area behind the front registration plate and a honeycomb grille behind the front air-intakes. The FR brand is an important one for SEAT offering warm hatches that are more affordable to buy, run and insure than a full-blown Cupra. The Ibiza Cupra gets the two most powerful engines in the range, a 160bhp 1.9-litre TDI diesel with a standout 243lb/ft torque hit and the 180bhp 1.
8-litre turbocharged petrol engine. Both turn-in sub 8-second 0-60mph sprints, which is serious stuff, with the 1.8T 0.3s quicker than the TDI at 7.
3s. FR customers can pick the same two engines but in less violent states of tune. The 1.9 TDI has a still punchy 130bhp and the 1.
8T is reined back to 150bhp. In spite of its pace and muscular mid-range, the diesel will still average 55.4mpg. This is only 3mpg better than the more powerful Cupra TDI but the £2,000 price differential between the two cars probably renders the 130bhp TDI FR the pick of the range.
Further down the roster, we get into the powerplants that most buyers will find themselves mulling over. The 1.9 TDI engine is available here in 100bhp form, or theres a 1.4-litre TDI thats capable of averaging over 61mpg.
The 1.9TDI is less refined than its smaller diesel counterpart but usefully quicker, hitting 60mph from standstill in 10.8s. The smaller petrol engines are 1.
4 and 1.2 litres in size. The larger unit has 75bhp on tap, a 43.5mpg average economy figure and a 13.
2s sprint. The 64bhp 1.2 will typically cost you £450 less: it can average 47mpg and do the 0-60mph in 14.9s. All the Ibizas powerplants have cropped up time and again, across the VW Group empire and tend to be solid, reliable performers. The same can be said for many of the Ibizas interior fixtures and fittings.
The window switches, the gear knob, the ventilation controls and so on are all sourced from that bottomless well thats disparagingly termed the VW parts bin, and are none the worse for it. The roofline is lower than weve become used to in Polo and Fabia variants and the rear legroom is less, but otherwise the cabin holds few surprises other than a rather novel textured plastic thats softly abrasive but not particularly great looking. The Ibizas driving experience has won praise from all quarters since its 2003 launch and was central to it collecting no fewer than three WhatCar? Supermini of the Year awards over the proceeding three years. The car remains impressively composed in corners and the sharp steering makes it easy to spirit around town.
The stiffened suspension on the FR and Cupra models injects more sportiness into the experience but the jittery ride is less comfortable for everyday work. Well built, attractively styled and with that SEAT sporty edge now common amongst models across the range, to a greater or lesser extent, the Ibiza continues as one of the UKs very top superminis. Some rivals may offer more innovation and style in the interior department or a more advanced engine line-up but the Ibiza just gets on with the job in hand being a thoroughly efficient and pleasantly sporty small car.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: SEAT Ibiza range
PRICES: £8,195 - £15,595 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUPS: 2-16
CO2 EMISSIONS: 124-190g/km
PERFORMANCE: [TDI 130] 0-60mph 9.4s/ Max Speed 129mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: [TDI 130] (urban) 42mpg / (extra urban) 67mpg / (combined) 55.4mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front airbags, seatbelt pre-tensioners
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Height, 3953/1698/1441mm
