Revised Seat Ibiza is the fun option, with no fuss, minimal frills but modest pricing
Rationalisation is the name of the game for Seat’s well-proportioned, recently updated but popular compact hatchback, which Iain Robertson believes to be one of the most judicious choices in the class that is too frequently overlooked.
Battered by electrification, hounded by increasingly high price tags and flattered by technology that can be all too bamboozling most of the time, the British new car buyer sits in a largely overwhelming arena, surrounded by carmaker overload that has forgotten all about the real joy of motoring. Forced into squandering much more money for ever more complex packaging and financial options that bruise and confuse, with limited care and empathy, the rush to automotive hell and damnation is proven to be totally undesirable, ignorant of pandemic and ultimately self-destructive.
However, occasional, rare and enchanting newcomers are available and, from the burgeoning Volkswagen stable and its notionally Spanish arm, Seat, emerges the surprisingly refined and charming Ibiza model. Effectively the Spanish firm’s version of the Czech Skoda Fabia (itself recently relaunched in a significantly revised form), or Wolfsburg’s ever-popular and up-market aspiring Polo, the no-nonsense Ibiza is an ocean of calm, comfort and clutter-free human-centricity. Even though it might be alone in its cause, Ibiza is the rewardingly uncomplicated car of my choice for a much easier business, or private motoring life.
Pitted against base models from other volume players, it is stylish, spacious and built to exacting VW standards, which I am afraid does make it stand out as the best in class. While it used to offer a wide range of engine and transmission choices, peppered with performance and insurance melting options, it is now restricted to a naturally-aspirated 1.0-litre ‘triple’ in 77bhp form, with a pair of blown alternatives in 92, or 107bhp forms, the latter with either 6-speed manual, or the preferable 7-speed DSG transmissions.
Following typical Seat trim levels, starting with SE, then SE Technology, Xcellence and Xcellence Lux top off a line-up that includes FR and FR Sport in the mid-range. My advice is to opt for either of these versions, as the sportier detailing is not only subtle but also eye-catchingly attractive. To be brutally honest, I find the pricing at around £20k to be steep but, as most of its rivals are whacked up into similar territory, my advice would be to ‘do a deal’ to obtain the best packed version for as low a price as the dealer might be prepared to negotiate. Trust me, with a motor trade desperate to move metal, the right price is in the mix and available, without too much hassle.
One of Ibiza’s most bonny traits is clarity. Avoiding fuss, a digital instrument panel is standard in FR Sport trim, supported by a central 9.2-inch touchscreen that provides easy access to 90% of the control functions. The use of ‘soft-touch’ mouldings aids refinement levels. However, less overall fuss equates to a more engaging driving experience, once all of the personalisation elements are set-up and the Ibiza lacks nothing on the connectability front, nor the EU-enforced raft of ADAS that proliferates on all things automotive these days and from which finding an escape is all but impossible.
Just as FR Sport would be my trim level of choice, as you may have already gathered, I am a fan of both the punchiest turbo-triple, notably when mated to the automated-manual gearbox. It emits 133g/km CO2, which retains manageability on the road tax front but can still return upwards of 47.0mpg for overall running cost affordability, allied to a Group 13 insurance rating. The 18.0-inch diameter thin-spoke, bi-colour alloy wheels are crisply styled and the car misses nothing from Seat’s comprehensive overall equipment package.
Mild hybrid technology exists but it is unobtrusive and mostly controls the stop:start technology, of which I approve in reducing noise levels in built-up areas, not that the delightful three-pot engine is overly raucous in the first place. Given its diminutive engine size, a top speed nudging 120mph is more than adequate these days, as more motorists reduce their overall speeds, and the ability to crack the 0-60mph dash in around 9.7s is also zesty enough and more than capable of keeping the Ibiza ahead of the herd. The small capacity VW TSi engine is renowned for its willing nature and its audible rising and falling revs are part of the driving charm.
Tipping the scales at 1.18 tonnes means that the power-to-weight ratio is optimised and the last reskin ensures that Ibiza’s aerodynamics are sound, the interior being pleasantly refined and free of annoying wind disruption and its audible effects. Being just over 4.0m in length ensures that the car’s agility is uncompromised and, while there is space in the back seats, with a 355-litre boot area behind, the front seats are accommodating for a pair of two-metre-tall occupants and privacy glazing to the rear adds to the sporty appeal.
Although conventionally suspended, which is both easy and cost-efficient, there is enough beefing-up of the dampers to allow the low-profile tyres to work efficiently, which ensures that the Ibiza’s dynamic balance is spot-on and without surprises. Crisp steering, progressive braking and the ease of paddle-shifting (or simply leaving the ’box to its own adaptive devices) provide a relaxed approach, with an edge, should the driver desire it. Make no bones about it, the Ibiza’s driving experience is all about engagement with the environment but not in some veggie-eating, Nancy-boy way; it can be as visceral as wanted, as line-perfect as chosen but, ultimately, driver-centric and fun, all of which aspects are pretty much ignored in EVs and masked by bucketloads of power in pricier models.
‘Right-sizing’ is something that one too many consumers has forgotten about. The latest Seat Ibiza not merely ‘fits’ with a modern lifestyle but provides that ‘zero-fuss’ essential, while remaining utterly and unerringly conventional in a period of extreme automotive change. Does any of us truly need more? No. Not really.