Category: Hot Hatchbacks 
Price Range: No data available
Sharp looks, low running costs, torquey 1.4 twincharger, DSG 'box standard.
Vague steering, no manual gearbox option, gruff sounding engine, not that quick.
Technologically advanced Ibiza FR boasts complex twin charger and DSG but misses out on its rivals' excitement and driver involvement.
We British love fast Seats. The UK is the Spanish firm's number one market for anything badged 'FR' or 'Cupra', so you can't blame us salivating at the thought of not one, but two hot Ibizas.
We've already reviewed the faster Ibiza Cupra, but now it's time to see if the less hardcore Ibiza FR can still dish up the driving delights.
The good news is the FR, like the Cupra, remains a technological tour de force. It comes standard with the super- and turbocharged 1.4 TSI, as well as the seven-speed DSG gearbox.
Power is wound back 30bhp to 148bhp, but the sporty Seat can still nail 62mph in just 7.6s and top out at 132mph.
Better still, Seat isn't messing around when it comes to the FR's pricing. At £14,995 the Ibiza FR is good value when you consider that it's loaded to the hilt with kit and that it comes with that trick double clutch 'box.
But all of this is irrelevant if the hot new FR doesn't deliver where it counts: on the road. So can the Ibiza compete against some of the best hot hatches in its class? Read on and find out.
