Ibiza’s more than just a pretty face
REVAMP IMPROVES AN ALREADY GREAT HATCH
Car companies don’t just facelift models to keep them freshlooking and different – it’s also an excuse to blow the trumpet and drum up interest in a car people might have forgotten about.
Sometimes the facelift is so minor it’s almost pointless to talk about it, but others can dramatically improve a car or right a few wrongs.
Seat’s facelift of its Ibiza falls into this latter category.
Not a lot has changed on the exterior of the car; the headlamps have a different design, the grille has been tweaked and on the tailgate the name is now written in script – a nice touch found on most Skodas and now new Seats.
The bigger changes are made inside. The Ibiza has always been one of my favourite small hatchbacks but the interior did lack sparkle – the dashboard in particular was a bit angular and unimaginative with rather hard plastics.
All that’s gone, and in its place is a dash with a more rounded design and covered in soft-touch materials. The air vents, previously rectangular, are now round and – in our SE Technology spec test car – sport Honey Mustard trim rings.
In the FR and Excellence models they’re a different colour and are illuminated with LEDs.
The infotainment system’s touchscreen – 8.25in in the entry-level SE but 9.2 inches in this SE Technology – is now above the centre air vents where it is more in the driver’s eyeline and easier to reach.
Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are included and are wireless. Finally, there’s a new steering wheel that’s considerably smarter than the old one.
A few things have changed under the bonnet.
Not surprisingly Seat has given the diesel-option the elbow and the 1.5-litre petrol engine has also gone because customers weren’t interested in it.
That leaves only 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol engines. The least powerful is a naturally-aspirated version that produces 80PS. I doubt it’ll be a big seller and Seat doesn’t even bother mentioning it in the Ibiza press release.
The other two engines are turbocharged and produce 95PS or 110PS.
Our test car has the 95PS motor and that is more than adequate, not least because the slightly more powerful engine doesn’t actually improve the car’s performance.
A DSG automatic is available but our car has a five-speed manual gearbox.
It’s funny that we’ve got so used to six-speeders that a five-speed seems like a novelty. It’s perfectly matched to the engine and makes you wonder if more cogs are really necessary.
As you know, I do like simple cars and the revised Ibiza is wonderfully simple.
The steering turns out to be a bit light but it’s still easy to drive this modestly powered hatchback quite briskly.
Just having your bum nearer to the ground than it is in a crossover or SUV gives you a much better feel for the road.
The ride is comfortable, too, thanks to the SE Technology’s 16-inch wheels. Higher trim levels get 17in and also 18in wheels, on which I’d wager the Ibiza feels less comfortable.
Top speed in this car is 116mph and 0-62mph takes 10.9sec. The WLTP fuel consumption figures range from 47.9-54.3mpg. You should be able to average 50mpg without much trouble.
We will soon be testing the recently facelifted Skoda Fabia, a car that shares the same platform as the Ibiza (and the VW Polo).
That should be interesting. Both are favourites of mine but the Ibiza has always been more fun to drive.
With its new interior, it might better the Fabia in other areas, too. It’s a facelift well done.