Seat comes to party with hatch
The Ibiza Style is based on the VW Polo, but it’s playing a different game.
We’re all familiar with the way things work in the Volkswagen Group, so it’s fairly obvious that the new Seat Ibiza shares its platform and powertrain (and many other things besides) with the latest VW Polo.
What’s the difference then? It might help to think about the names. The Polo has been around so long (since 1975 actually) that we don’t really think about the implications of the badge. But polo has its origins in the nobility/ military and given it involves immaculately dressed people riding around on horseback, it’s safe to say it’s all a bit posh.
That’s the VW Polo’s thing: it’s a supermini that aspires to be a cut above. That’s especially true of the latest model, which has many visual cues from the larger Golf. Disclaimer: I’ve not actually had a go in the new Polo, so I’m really just looking at the new one from the outside (like I would a game of polo). But basically, Polo is either surprisingly aspirational for a city car or a tad pretentious, depending on your point of view.
Ibiza? It’s an island in the Mediterranean that has some World Heritage Site stuff going on (just to show I’m not a complete oaf), but is perhaps better known as a tourist and especially party destination. A lot of ‘‘doof doof’’ music is created and played there.
Point is, the Ibiza is unapologetically a cheap and cheerful supermini. It’s supposed to turn your frown (the kind you have when you can’t afford a VW Golf) upside down.
Seat’s a new brand for New Zealand, so it’s worth pointing out that this fifth-generation Ibiza is actually brand-new to Seat.
It’s a hoot to drive, not least because the VW connection means there’s no skimping on the hardware in this $26k car. It rides on a baby version of the Group’s MQB platform and it’s powered by a thrummy 1.0-litre, three-cylinder 85kW/200Nm turbo engine matched to a seven-speed dualclutch (DSG) gearbox.
Same as Polo, right? Well, sort of. Believe it or not, the 85kW/200Nm incarnation of this engine is the premium specification. The latest Polo is powered by a 70kW/175Nm version of same; to get the higher outputs you have to step up to the Polo R-Line, which is a lot more expensive at $32,990 (although it does have some cool kit in it).
Indeed, the Ibiza is less expensive than the Polo all-round, which is what you’d expect from a maker where platform-sharing and a multiplicity of quite similar models means you have to establish a pecking order. The Ibiza Style is $2000 cheaper than the Polo TSI automatic, despite having the greater kW/Nm count. You can however get a Polo manual, which is a point in its favour.
Polo also regains some ground with extra equipment, such a blind-spot monitor, keyless entry/ start ($660 on the the Ibiza) and a cruise control/rest assist combo (a $350 option for the Seat). But you could option-up the necessaries to match Polo and still be ahead in Ibiza.
Big, big fans of three-cylinder engines around here. Love the pup-pup idle and gruff engine note at speed. Drive gently if you must, but the Ibiza’s engine is appropriately European in character, meaning that you can apply the throttle to the firewall whenever you like and the little triple laps it up.
DSG is the default choice for any small-medium VW Group model. It’s theoretically a good one for Ibiza, because an automated manual doesn’t sap your precious power and torque (let’s face it, there’s not a lot to spare) like a conventional automatic-withtorque-converter would.
Drive with flair and the Ibiza is up for it. But DSG does have its foibles. The automated-clutch system can slur in low-speed situations and there’s not a lot of off-idle muscle in the tiny engine to see it through.
The stop-start system has its issues too. It’s a must-have technology for a city car these days, of course. It’s also a bit dodgy in the Ibiza: if you want to pull away from the traffic lights briskly, but without actually doing a foot-to-the-floor kinda thing, the combination of a sluggish stopstart, the DSG and that pup-pup engine can lead to nail-biting delays in getting off the line. Hate to say it, but there is a case for actually switching the system off.
Once you’re moving, the Ibiza is a delight.
The steering is too light but it’s
accurate enough to do justice to the rigid chassis. The Ibiza doesn’t shy away from open-road work, although perhaps our car’s upsized 17-inch wheels helped with its high-speed stance. The standard rims are 16-inchers (still bigger than a Polo TSI) and the step up to our car’s 17s will cost you $1650. But you do get to choose coloured centre-caps to suit your paint finish (red, blue, magenta or silver).
Seat’s new-generation cabin architecture seems to work even better in a car of the Ibiza’s size than the likes of of the Ateca SUV (where it can appear a bit dull). There are angles everywhere and a big shiny touch-screen, with Apple and Android phone projection.
It looks premium, although it doesn’t necessary feel it. As you’d expect in a car at this price point, the plastics are mainly of the fingernail-tapping hard variety, but the visual effect is spot-on thanks to the strategic use of subtle tones and matt-finish. Cabin and cargo space is impressive; this is a substantially larger car than the Suzuki Swift, for example (220mm longer, 160 litres more bootspace).
The Ibiza won’t be for everybody. It’s a new brand and all that, plus there’s only one Seat Store in NZ at the moment, in Auckland (service points in Wellington and Christchurch too, although the basics can be done by a VW dealer). But on a smiles-persupermini-dollar it’s hard to ignore.