Seat Ibiza review (2008 onwards model)

What – Seat Ibiza
Where – Ibiza, Spain
Price – From c. £9,000
Available – July
Key rivals – VW Polo, Skoda Fabia, Mazda 2, Ford Fiesta, Vauxhall Corsa

Summary
Sharply styled Ibiza debuts aggressive new look and promises more space, refinement and quality.

Likes: Stylish and distinctive looks, perky handling, interior style, keen petrol enginesDislikes: Cheap interior materials, rear headroom, unrefined diesel engine

GALLERY: Seat Ibiza

First impressions

From supercars to superminis, the new Seat Ibiza is proof that hiring ex-Lamborghini designer Luc Donckerwolke was a smart move by the Spanish brand. The man behind both the Murcielago and Gallardo has brought real dynamism to the Seat supermini too, and the new Ibiza marks a huge leap forward from the lumpy current car.Seat calls it 'arrow design' and it's certainly distinctive, the brand's trademark falling front styling line intersecting with another sweeping up and over the rear arches. The edges are sharper and more distinct than on the Leon too, underlining Seat's position as the youthful, sporty brand within the VW family.

Like the Mazda 2, Vauxhall Corsa and forthcoming newFiesta, the new Ibiza is a new school supermini and based on VW's PQ25 platform that will underpin the next generations of Polo and Fabia too. Predictably it's bigger than before but, taking a leaf out of Mazda's book, it's actually lighter as well.It's also much more stylish and better built inside than the existing car too, which despite accounting for 45% of Seat sales is now looking very tired. The weather on the launch may have been dreary but with cars like this in the range there are few dark clouds over Seat's ambitions to double output by 2018.

Performance

An even sharper looking three-door version, not to mention hot FR and Cupra variants, will come but for now the Ibiza will launch with a line up of three familiar petrol engines, with a 1.9 TDI diesel coming next year. We drove the 16-valve 1.6, an engine it shares with the Skoda Fabia.103bhp and 113lb ft of torque mean a 0-62mph time of 10.5 seconds - four tenths slower than the Fabia 1.6 16V - and a top speed of 116mph. It's a revvy unit too, and eager to respond even if ultimately it feels a little breathless when you start really pushing on.

This model will also be available with a seven-speed DSG gearbox, likely to improve both acceleration and fuel economy given past experience. Technology like this on a supermini goes to show how fast things are progressing, but as it stands the standard fit five-speed manual has the usual VW group light action and positive gate. Meanwhile the familiar 1.2-litre three-cylinder entry level model is slow but characterful, with a rousing exhaust note entirely at odds with the forward motion it delivers. The 1.9 TDI due in 2009 is another engine seen across the VW family. It's plenty powerful but gravelly and unrefined compared with more modern common-rail units.

Ride and handling

With broader track (30mm front and 33mm rear) and a 9mm wheelbase stretch, the Ibiza's new platform promises greater stability than before. And it delivers too, there being a choice of two chassis set ups. Our sport version came with 25% stiffer springs, reconfigured bushings and various other tweaks.This sounds like a recipe for a bone crunching ride but the reality is simply extra composure and poise through the twisty Ibizan mountain roads, without sacrificing comfort. The set up is crisp and confidence inspiring, and an over enthusiastic corner entry can be easily mitigated with a lift to tuck the nose back in.

Paired with well weighted steering and controls the Ibiza is a fun car to drive, befitting Seat's sporty, youthful image. It's just a pity the ESP is a bit dim-witted, aggressively jumping in long after you have corrected any instability and causing an unpleasant lurch as it tries to bring you back into line. It's certainly a big improvement over the rather rough edged existing model too, VW's new supermini platform obviously more lively in set up than what has gone before. And it should provide an excellent basis for the all important hot hatch variants that will follow, hopefully before too long.

Interior

Cabin quality is one area Seat's have traditionally lagged behind in, typically boasting lots of brittle black plastic and little of the flair you might expect. And in design terms the new Ibiza is a big step up, with a great driving position and clear, deeply recessed dials flanking a central readout for trip info.A large contrasting panel of soft-touch plastic across the dash also lifts things, the pale grey of our sport model accentuating the design and creating a light, airy feel into the process. Base models are less exciting to look at, also losing the interesting 'floating' climate control display in favour of cheap looking conventional dials.

There's also a nifty quick release dock in the centre of the dash for Tom Tom navigation units and the possibility of all the Bluetooth/MP3/iPod connectivity Seat's youthful buyers demand. The 22mm lower seating position helps create a sporty feel, while the longer wheelbase also frees up more room. At 292 litres the boot is also 25 litres bigger, beaten only by the 300-litre Fabia for load carrying. There are problems though. Six-footers struggle for headroom in the back and there are still some cheap plastics, base models in particular lacking the precision and quality you'd get in a Polo or even a Fabia.

Economy and safety

The faster 1.6's 42.8mpg combined figure matches outgoing 1.4 and the 157g/km CO2 is only marginally worse. There are no figures yet but expect the seven-speed DSG to improve on these further. Meanwhile the diesel dips under 120g/km and there will be an Ecomotive diesel too, promising sub 100g/km.When it comes to safety you get driver and passenger front and side/thorax airbags as standard, with curtain bags on the options list together with xenon lights with a cornering function for improved low-speed illumination. Meanwhile the ESP system includes a tyre pressure warning system and hill start assist.

The MSN Cars verdict: 4/5

Sharp to look at and, starting at around £9,000 likely to be keenly priced, the new Ibiza is a real boost to Seat's range. And paired up with a sprightly, fun to drive set up on VW's new supermini platform it's also at an advantage compared with the in-house rivals like the Polo and Fabia. The lack of a diesel engine in the launch line up might be an issue to some and, given what we saw on the launch, isn't really much to get excited about anyway. It's also a shame the generally stylish interior is let down by some cheap fixtures and fittings.

Ratings out of five: Seat IbizaPerformance***Ride & handling****Interior***Safety****Price****Practicality****Fuel economy***MSN Cars verdict****

Need to knowPetrol engines1.2 three-cylinder, 1.4 and 1.6 four-cylinderDiesel engines1.9 four-cylinderturbo (from 2009)Power (bhp)68-103Torque (lb/ft)83-1770-62 (secs)15-10.5Top speed (mph)101-116Combined mpg42.8-62.7CO2/tax157/19-119/13

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