From the ‘get-go’, Seat’s best seller, the aptly named Ibiza – has been spreading motoring sunshine and entrancing owners with its neat packaging, stimulating performance and general all-round good value and durability for years.
The neat looking design of the latest model, with a youthful image, gives the five door Ibiza a purposeful stance so that it lives up to the promise that Seat is a sporting member of the VW Group. But in this eco-conscious era where it’s ‘all for one and one for all’ the new Ibiza FR Sport, with the brilliant 115 PS 1.0 litre TSi three cylinder petrol engine, couldn’t have come at a better time. The ‘Three Musketeers’ of little cylinders combine to produce cardinal performance in the carbon sensitive arena (126 g/kg) while reassuring the driver that he has more than sufficient horsepower to gallop into the sunshine with a dash of style and a splash of sophistication. Black trim, twin exhausts (Brmm brmm!) and privacy glass, tell you that this Catalonian carbon buster has more ‘Goya’ in the tank than you’d give it credit for.
It’s probably the best of the new breed of three cylinder units. You’re hard pushed to know that it is ‘just a triple’ – with a smoothness and perkiness to put offerings from other makers in the shade. Rivals like the Renault Clio, Mazda 2 and Peugeot 208 can not, in my opinion, hold a candle to this Catalonian cracker. You may be forgiven for wondering at the outstanding appeal, but readers must remember that the car encourages enthusiastic use: and you won’t want to rein yourself in. I have to tell you that my enthusiasm knew no bounds. Thankfully such liveliness is not at the expense of economy. Claimed figures of between 48.7 mpg to 50.4 mpg. as an average, make it a model for the dictum that you don’t have to be dull to be thrifty.
Built to the established high standards of Seat, it feels solid and robust, with not a squeak or rattle as you drive over our crumbling roads, even though the suspension is set for ‘sport’. In the comfortable interior there’s plenty of room front and rear. You are well supported on the bolstered sports seats covered in black microsuede and the ambience is one of sporting intent. The interior conveys a simple message of excellent ergonomics and attractive design. There’s a deep boot and if you fold down the seats there is more than enough room for most needs.
This Ibiza proves beyond doubt that a sporty heart and a sensible head do go together. There’s a sense of security and comfort as you enjoy the car’s swiftness and nimbleness. And that’s without mentioning the style of the well integrated package that, in the jargon of youth, is `as cool as a brace of Barcelona organic cucumbers`.
As for the driving – at low revs the engine pulls reassuringly. It’s not too much of a stretch of the imagination to compare the liveliness with classic performance cars of the not so distant past. A 1980s 3.0 litre Ford Capri, for instance, would struggle to keep up – whilst guzzling swimming pools of petrol in the process. The Ibiza FR though, will genuinely reach near 125 mph and its robust engine also imparts something similar to the high gear/low rev. torque of yesteryears big capacity engines.
Leaving the restricted confines of narrow streets I welcomed the open road. Putting the ‘pedal to the metal’ and letting the wonderful seven speed automatic DSG gearbox – with its imperceptible changes – do its work, I was able to enjoy bursts of exaltation…and dare I say it?….fun. Most welcome too, with a nod to nostalgia, was a manual handbrake and a key that went into an ignition lock. (No lost keys here!)
On a dappled, twisty country lane, the surefooted nimbleness and peppery endeavour of the Ibiza makes one reflect on the very real progress made by automotive engineers. Those long of tooth tend to take as a yardstick, the cars they enthused about in their youth. Had a car such as this existed at that time, there would have been such a run on superlatives as to empty every dictionary in the land.
To technically minded readers who want facts and figures and not purple prose, I say to you ‘go read a workshop manual’ – for when discussing the actual driving experience, it is ‘sensation’, not ‘slide rule’ that rules. OK.
Goldilocks herself would find little to complain about. More than anything though, it’s the combined package that delivers the goods. This is a car compact enough to be nimble, large enough to be comfortable, light on its feet, solid in its protection, sensible in its ergonomics, appealing both to driver and passenger and economical enough for the most parsimonious parson.
Seat, drive it, like it, buy it. At £25,245 it’s not overly expensive either.
