ibiza

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These days everyone wants more for less- yet as many things have consumer products have become cheaper, the humble car- an essential for many- is becoming more and more costly to run.

Yet on the bright side, actual retail prices for new cars have decreased- in 2001 you could have Seat’s ‘sporty diesel’ model, the 1.9TDi packing a 110bhp punch for a smidge over £12,000 which is around £15,000 in today’s

money. Walk into a Seat dealer today and the far more powerful and advanced Ibiza FR 2.0 TDi could be yours (admittedly with a little haggling) for around £15.5k. Even based on its £17,020 list price you�re paying £120 for each one of the 141 ponies compared to the inflation adjusted £135 of its ancestor- so more dash for less cash, a good start.

Moving away from my possibly shaky maths the Seat Ibiza FR TDi appeals to the demographic who do

not wish to sacrifice performance for the sake of reasonable running costs- the aforementioned 141bhp is coupled with a hefty 236lb/ft haymaker giving you access to a 0-62 sprint of 8.2 seconds and a top speed of 130mph. So that’s a torque figure that matches a Focus ST in a car marginally smaller than the current Fiesta and in which the top spec Zetec-S configuration musters only 94bhp and 156lb/ft whilst matching the Ibiza on price. The Seat’s

Stats Entertainment

SEAT IBIZA FR TDI 2.0Words: Aaron WeddellPhotos: Stephen Hall


combined official mpg of 62.7 is the cherry on the cake and a typical retained value of 54% (38% for the Fiesta) only strengthens the small Spaniard’s case.

But I’m all statted-out, enough of the number crunching and onto the driving. You can’t have failed to notice that my test car is a striking orange hue and even in a more sober colour it’s not hiding its performance aspirations thanks to the macho bodykit , silver mirrors, 17” alloys and twin exhaust pipes. Cosmetic addenda aside it’s pretty standard hatchback fare but there’s a healthy visual balance meaning it looks distinctive enough without attracting the potentially wrong kind of attention.

In the cabin the standard model makeover continues apace. There’s a chunky flat rimmed steering wheel reminding me of my time spent with its considerably more expensive VAG bedfellow the Lamborghini Gallardo but beyond that it’s business as usual with a few FR logos liberally scattered around including on the six-speed gearshift, instruments and sports seats. The piano-black instrument cowl is a nice touch but unfortunately only serves to highlight quite how much uninspiring grey-black plastic there is elsewhere. Solid enough but there’s nothing here to really get the pulse racing and the utilitarian layout lacks any surprise and delight features. What is impressive is the amount

of standard kit on offer- obviously one expects the usual fare but you get climate control rather than basic aircon, cruise control and hill-start assist.

As this is a diesel we should also look at the practicality points. The five-door version is obviously the default choice for those regularly carrying more than one passenger as the rear access is clearly more limited. Boot space is on a par with its peers at 292 litres and a split fold rear-seat allowing this to almost double. As you would expect safety features are legion and the Ibiza has a 5-star Euro NCAP rating.

Although the exterior is chunkily handsome it’s not going to snap necks at

50 paces. However, firing up the engine may turn heads- the well-balanced exterior visual menace suggests that there’s a possibly potent petrol lump lurking under the bonnet but the inevitable diesel clatter makes short work of those expectations. Petrol fans can opt for the TSI version but for the sake of half a second off the 0-60 the 20mpg penalty and the fact that it is slower in the real world it doesn’t really stack up unless you are truly opposed to the marriage of ‘diesel’ and ‘performance’. Plus the petrol is only available with a DSG box which further narrows the market- if you’re the kind of guy/gal who scoffs at the proven advantages of a diesel powerplant then you’re most likely to be a diehard manual cog-swapper.

Once on the move the needle works round the dial in a linear fashion allowing great in-gear flexibility for you to take advantage of gaps in traffic whilst making for smooth progress when just pootling along. But perhaps in the pursuit of that linearity it has lost some of the old school charm that a powerful turbo diesel engine previously offered, that nothing nothing come on ya bastard initial lack of oomph followed by the woooshhhh hang on to your hats burst as the turbo spooled up and slingshoted you down the road. Obviously tractable exploitable urge from low down the rev range is highly desirable and represents progress but the delivery masks just how much get up and go there is from low speeds.

Perhaps it’s just that with the Ibiza’s visual warm/hot hatch leaning and the weighty headline torque figure one expects a little more whizz-bang and a little less refinement but that isn’t really a criticism, as far as modern diesels go it’s one of the more willing to rev.

With a heavy right foot from a standstill you can overpower the 215 section front tyres but once on the pace the XDS electronic system acts as a virtual slip differential is quick to respond and shuffle the power via the ESP and brakes in order to make the most of the available traction. The best thing I can say about the system is that on a back road test the Ibiza simply feels like a hatch with a well-sorted chassis and any misgivings about adding a layer of


electronic assist to the proceedings fades away as you only notice the road holding rather than any trickery taking place. In fact, until I poured over the spec sheet I was commenting to friends as to how refreshing it was to punt around in a car without excessive gizmos interfering with driver feedback!

On the topic of feedback the steering is decently weighted and although doesn’t challenge the likes of the Clio RenaultSport for feel it allows you to place the car accurately and the wider track over the less toasty models coupled with the lower and stiffer suspension makes for a sporty-enough ride without straying into crashy and

uncomfortable over our pockmarked highways. The brakes on the test car had decent enough initial bite but lacked assurance when scrubbing off bigger speeds although perhaps that was more due to suffering the vagaries of fellow car journos over its time as a press car rather than inherent poor performance. They ultimately did as your right foot asked but weren’t as confidence inspiring as you’d hope.

All in all it seems like a little bit of a lukewarm review but taking the Ibiza in comparison to its immediate rivals such as the Fiesta it is head and shoulders above them in terms of performance and running costs. Rather than

making every drive a thrill the satisfaction comes not from booting around like a hooligan but rather from making swift and assured progress safe in the knowledge that you won’t need to see a fuel station forecourt every couple of hundred miles.

Those looking for a car that replicates the fizz of excitement from the likes of the Clio Cup but without having to pay for it at the pumps need look elsewhere- and perhaps keep looking as that car hasn’t yet come to market but as a warm hatch with great economy, practicality and a touch of what makes the hot hatch greats so much fun should take a closer look at the Seat Ibizia FR TDi.


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