Category: Superminis 
Price Range: £10,995 to £11,625
Stylish looks, willing 1.2 petrol engine, high levels of equipment, good to drive, large boot.
Poor interior quality, noisy diesel.
Ibiza comes closer than ever before in its bid to lead the supermini class.
Ever wondered what would happen if a supercar manufacturer like Lamborghini turned its hand to something more real-world?
Wonder no more because it would look just like the new Seat Ibiza.
Designed by Luc Donckerwolke, the former Lamborghini design chief who penned the Murcielago and Gallardo, the Ibiza began life as the Bocanegra concept that emerged as one of the stars of the 2008 Geneva Motor Show.
The Ibiza stays faithful to that car, although in this case, it handily sprouts a pair of extra doors.
All-new from the Tarmac up, the Ibiza also scores a valuable coup for the brand by using the next-generation Polo platform that boasts significant benefits in safety and rigidity. Predictably, the Ibiza grows in every direction on the exterior, but weight has been trimmed down, making it 47kg lighter than the previous model.
It will be available with a 69bhp 1.2, 84bhp 1.4 and 103bhp 1.6 petrol engines, but we will have to wait until 2009 before the UK gets a 1.9-litre diesel.
The sporty Sport Coupe arrives in 2009 with a lower-powered 1.4-litre turbo diesel, along with eagerly-awaited high performance FR and Cupra models.
Latest Readers' Drives About the Seat Ibiza
wrote on 18 10 2007
wrote on 13 09 2007
wrote on 13 09 2007