SEAT Ibiza FR
It’s our first ever Fast Fleet Ibiza. Will this fifth-generation, 148bhp FR version deliver where it counts?
I’LL DECLARE FROM THE OFF THAT I’ve never been a huge fan of SEAT’S styling. It’s always seemed, to my eyes, a bit too conservative – clean and minimalist, yes, but somehow struggling to find its own identity amongst a sea of other VW Group products. Even the sportier variants have looked like they were a little embarrassed to be in the same company as some other manufacturers’ wilder offerings. Surely a car with loftier ambitions, even just a warm one, should be as stirring to look at as it is to drive.
So, seeing the latest Ibiza in the evo car park came as a pleasant surprise. OK, there’s no flared wheelarches or giant rear wing à la Civic Type R, and it resembles a scaled-down Leon (so much so I walked up to one last week thinking it was our Ibiza), but that’s no bad thing. Its sharper lines are a welcome
evolutionary jump from its slightly more ‘rounded’ predecessor, especially at the rear. Those three creases (carried over from the fourth generation version) above the door sills, beneath the wing mirrors and cutting through the rear light clusters also give it a distinctive appearance from the side, and particularly suit this, the sportier FR model – the hottest available until the Cupra Ibiza arrives in 2019.
Our FR – remarkably evo’s first Fast Fleet Ibiza – comes with the standard 17-inch Dynamic alloys, which are a good match, but optional 18-inch Performance bi-colour items (£325) are available for added visual presence and would be my choice set against the Desire Red paintwork (£650). That colour really pops in direct sunlight, by the way. Twin exhaust pipes, as well as fairly discreet badges on the front grille and tailgate, complete the FR look.
So, box ticked on the aesthetics front. It’s safe to say the sporting pretensions continue inside, too. These include the pulsating ‘Start Engine’ button in front of the gearlever, which fires up the new 1.5-litre TSI Evo unit. It puts out 148bhp and 184lb ft of torque, which SEAT
‘ There’s no flared arches or rear wing, and it resembles a scaled- down Leon, but that’s no bad thing’
claims will get the FR from 0 to 62mph in 7.9 seconds, and on to 134mph.
It also features cylinder deactivation technology, using just two of its four cylinders when circumstances allow. That should aid fuel economy, with SEAT claiming 57.6mpg on the combined cycle. Will that be achievable in real-world driving? Only time will tell.
Options fitted include full LED headlights (£480), keyless entry (£245), dual-zone climate control (£320) and the Connectivity Hub (£160) for wireless phone charging, all of which bumps up the £17,680 basic price to just shy of a not inconsiderable £20,000.
It’s early days, but I’m already warming to this compact SEAT. Let’s see how we get on in the coming months, especially on the regular trips back up to my native Yorkshire.