FIRST DRIVEAfter the hype of the concept, does Seat's Ibiza live up to the high expectations? Shane O'Donoghuetravelled to the island to find out
WHEN A CAR company boldly points out that its design director was previously head of design at Lamborghini, it had better be sure that its new model lives up to the hype. Seat has done just that, and the new Ibiza is the first model to come under Luc Donckerwolke's watchful eye.
Given that the Ibiza accounts for a massive 45 per cent of Seat's sales, it could be seen as a risky strategy to give the new model a design that divides opinion, but the company's new goals include being among the class leaders in design and quality. Thankfully, the distinctive style of the Bocanegra concept car shown in Geneva earlier this year has made it through to the production-ready Ibiza.
We experienced uncharacteristically rainy weather on the so-called party island, but even the grey clouds didn't detract from the inherent sharpness of the new Ibiza's design. Even without the black nose of the concept, it manages to be more distinctive than any other car in its segment, and though it may not be as conventionally good-looking as the new Fiesta, it certainly is as striking, with more taut design details than is usually found in the supermini market.
On the inside, Seat's designers have been a little more reserved, but it's still an attractive cabin, with a few neat touches to differentiate it from its rivals. It's also of higher quality than the outgoing models, with most materials having a soft touch.
There is a wealth of interior trim and colour options too, and the boot is significantly bigger. Passenger space has improved marginally, though rear head- and legroom is best described as acceptable for adults rather than impressive.
No new car is complete without its gadgets, and given the younger target market of the Ibiza, there are loads of new technology options. Parking sensors and adaptive lights are available, along with Bluetooth connectivity and a USB port for MP3 players. New to Seat though, is a clever little SatNav docking feature, into which buyers can clip their portable mapping device.
Across Europe, the Ibiza will initially be available with a choice of three petrol engines and two diesels. The most popular versions here are likely to be either the 1.2-litre or 1.4-litre petrol units, or the 1.4-litre and 1.9-litre TDI versions. With the new taxation rules in July, the 1.4-litre petrol option will be nearly twice as expensive to tax as the 1.2-litre and either of the diesels.
The 1.2-litre three-cylinder engine isn't a lot slower than the 1.4-litre, though the four-cylinder unit is more refined which is particularly noticeable on motorways.
All models take a step forward in terms of refinement, with engine, wind and road noise well contained - for the market segment. Because of that, the 1.9-litre TDI unit feels at odds with the car, as it is raucous and uncouth from idle and throughout the rev range. Its gearbox is also less satisfactory to use than the smooth five-speed transmission mated to the petrol engines.
The advantage of opting for either of the diesel engines is improved fuel economy and, coarse as it is, the 1.9-litre TDI unit provides the Ibiza with performance on a par with the 1.6-litre petrol option.
The new car boasts reduced fuel consumption and emissions across the range, which is partly due to a significant 50kg reduction in weight. Despite the weight loss, Seat claims that big gains have been made in terms of the body's structural and torsional rigidity, to the benefit of quality, refinement and driving dynamics.
All the models we tried rode well, even the 1.6-litre Sport version with its stiffer chassis. High-speed directional stability is good too and the Ibiza is quite pleasant to drive. Arrive at a corner a little too quickly and the excess speed is scrubbed off by predictable understeer, though we found that ESP intervention was a little slow when tackling a tight and twisty mountain road.
Irish pricing has not yet been released for the new Ibiza, but several models fall into the lower tax bands and hence we would expect only a modest increase over the cost of the current car. Seat will launch an Ecomotive version later this year, which achieves an incredible 99g/km of CO2 despite featuring air conditioning as standard. That makes it the only five-door car, so-equipped, to duck under 100g/km.
Before that, Seat will unveil the three-door version of the new Ibiza and word is that it stays even truer to the Bocanegra show car. To mark it out as a different model, Seat will badge it the sport coupé, which may sound a little optimistic for a small supermini, but after all, it was designed by the ex-boss of Lamborghini design.
FACTFILE Seat Ibiza
Seat Ibiza 1.2:12-valve, three-cylinder petrol; 68bhp @ 5,400rpm; 112Nm @ 3,000rpm; five-speed manual, front-wheel-drive; performance 0-100km/h: 15 secs; top speed: 163km/h; emissions: 139g/km CO2; combined cycle fuel economy: 5.9l/100km
Seat Ibiza 1.4:16-valve, four-cylinder petrol; 84bhp @ 5,000rpm; 132Nm @ 3,800rpm; five-speed manual, front-wheel drive; performance: 0-100km/h: 12.2 secs; top speed: 175km/h; missions: 149g/km CO2; combined cycle fuel economy: 6.2l/100km
Seat Ibiza 1.6:16-valve, four-cylinder petrol; 103bhp @ 5,600rpm; 153Nm @ 3,800rpm; five-speed manual, front-wheel drive; performance: 0-100km/h: 10.5 secs; top speed: 187km/h; emissions: 157g/km CO2; combined cycle fuel economy: 6.6l/100km
Seat Ibiza 1.9 TDI:four-cylinder turbodiesel; 103bhp @ 4,000rpm; 240Nm @ 1,900rpm; five-speed manual, front-wheel drive; performance 0-100km/h: 10.6 secs; top speed: 186km/h; emissions: 119g/km CO2; combined cycle fuel economy: 4.5l/100km
Prices:all to be confirmed