Rival for affection

Report 5 Seat Ibiza FR £16,630 OTR/£18,995 as tested

I’ve been in and out of all sorts of cars these past few weeks. Including the new Volkswagen Polo and Ford Fiesta – key Ibiza rivals. A perfect chance for a comparison, eh?

Let’s deal with the cars in the order I drove them. First: the Volkswagen Polo. A colleague had told me I’d be astonished at how huge it is. However, as it was parked between a Discovery and a Range Rover, I have to admit my initial thought was not that it was big at all. My next thought was how comfortable it was – those are seats you could do a long journey on and not be crippled. And on those 16s, the ride was bliss. Another big point in its favour. Arriving home, I parked up next to a neighbour’s MkV Golf. And then I understood my colleague’s astonishment. It was the same size.

Next, the Ford Fiesta. Which the same colleague told me was much better than the Polo. Well, I guess it’s just personal preference, but I preferred the Polo. For me, the Fiesta was just not as supple or enjoyable to drive as the Polo. It did look great, but I always fnd that Ford interiors feel a bit clunky – each to their own, of course.

But how did they compare with the Ibiza FR? Well, if you forced me to choose between the three, I’m sorry to say my frst choice would be the Polo. But the Ibiza would be a close second. And the Fiesta? It’s just not for me; I think I’ll gift that particular supermini to the colleague of mine who loved it so much.