Seat Ibiza
Following the sad demise of the once evergreen Ford Fiesta, it would’ve been safe to assume that the supermini’s days were numbered and other manufacturers would soon be signalling the end of their own takes on the sector. So far, at least, that’s not happened, though. Yes, it sometimes seems like a new size/shape/powertrain of SUV is launched every other day but the supermini lives on.
This is Seat’s latest take on the Ibiza – the longest running nameplate in the Spanish wing of the VAG empire. It shares the same platform as the Polo, Fabia and A1 which probably won’t come as a surprise, but what does ‘youth‘ brand, Seat bring to the party that the others don’t?
Who is the Ibiza aimed at?
If VW’s Polo is grown-up & determined, Skoda’s Fabia is sensible and Audi’s A1 is upmarket, the Ibiza has traditionally been the one that doesn’t take itself quite as seriously. Some say Seat spin-off – Cupra has eaten into this share of the market but, A) they don’t currently offer anything to directly compete with the Ibiza, the nearest model being the Born but that starts at £35k, you can have an Ibiza for a shade over £20k, and, B) Cupra as a brand are far more focussed and pointy than Seat; the Doberman Pinscher to Seat’s Golden Retriever if you like.
What’s the Ibiza’s competition?
That just over £20k price-point makes the Ibiza the cheapest of the four VAG stablemates, admittedly only by about £500 when compared to the Fabia but a win’s a win. The Fiesta’s dead so that annoyingly good competition’s been thwarted but the rather impressive Clio trumps the Ibiza by over £1k so that’s a bit of a gallic fly in the ointment. A like-for-like comparison would be needed to decide if it’s a fair win.
So, you’re greeted with a friendly ‘Hola‘ on the dashboard as you sit in the Ibiza but there’s not the matching puddle lights that come on pricier Seats. On that note, if you use the Seat Connect system to talk to the car, and Seat envisage their useful target market will, you say ‘Hola, hola‘ to get its attention…….erm, ok!
What engines does the Ibiza come with?
Powering the Ibiza is a single TSI unit with either 94bhp or 114bhp output (there are some discontinued NOS 79 & 109bhp versions available too). The lower powered engine comes with a 5-speed manual ‘box but the more powerful one is available with either a 6-speed manual or one of the VAG’s excellent 7-speed DSGs. Our FR Sport car we have here is the 114bhp engine with the DSG transmission. That’ll set you back £25,245, over £1,500 more than the same trim level with the 94bhp engine & 5-speed manual. We’d say the happy medium is the more powerful unit with a 6-speed gearbox; it’s that bit more responsive, pretty-much as clean as the lower powered version and will only cost £400 more at £24,140.
No hybrid assistance = added lightness
With a 1,144 kg kerb weight (including driver), the Ibiza is the lightest of its VAG stablemates, and without any hybrid tech at all it’ll be lighter than any other competition that has adopted electrical assistance. That’s possible where the Ibiza plays its trump card as excess mass is the achilles heel of superminis these days. Being a little more nimble than the rest, the Ibiza, with its 3-cylinder engine fizzing away retains some cheeky, chuck-able charm around bends.
Inside the Ibiza is pleasant and roomy enough, and it’s refined even at motorway speeds. The base, SE model gets an 8.25″ floating touchscreen, every other spec is upgraded to 9.2″ with all versions thankfully still getting a decent amount of physical buttons and dials for heating etc. FR spec and above gets ambient lighting to suit your mood which is a nice touch but I can’t help but feel the Ibiza needs a few more similar highlights to keep things lighthearted and make it stand out.
Should I buy a Seat Ibiza?
The Ibiza doesn’t do much wrong, thanks largely to the excellent MQB A0 platform it sits on and its perky 3-cylinder engines under the bonnet. It could just do with a bit more of the wow-factor to appeal to its youthful intended target market.
By Ben Harrington
2025 Seat Ibiza FR Sport Specifications:
Engine – 1.0l, 3-cylinder petrol, Transmission – 7-speed DSG, Layout – Front engine, FWD, Power – 114bhp,Torque – 200Nm, Emissions – 126g/km CO2, Economy – 51.1mpg, Maximum Speed – 123mph, Acceleration – 9.9s – 0-62mph, Price – £25,245 OTR
The 2025 Seat Ibiza is available now, priced from £20,015. For full details go to:www.seat.co.uk
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