SEAT Ibiza Review
Published: 12th March 2007
SEAT Ibiza
The Ibiza is available in both 3 and 5-door versions - the latter adds £630 to the cost of the former with prices starting from £8,175 for the 5-door Reference with a 1.2-litre engine which was our test car.
Standard features on the SEAT Ibiza 1.2 Reference model include: speed sensitive power steering, front electric windows, height and reach adjustable steering wheel, CD player, ABS, rev counter, driver's and front passenger's airbags (with passenger airbag deactivation switch), remote central locking and split folding rear seat - That's quite a list.
I liked the positive, well-weighted steering and there is always plenty of feedback through the steering wheel. It inspires confidence because you know that the car is going to go where you point it. The 5-speed gearbox is light and easy to use making the Ibiza a very easy car to drive and manouvre.
The 1.2 litre, 3 cylinder petrol engine develops 64 PS @ 5,400 rpm enabling the Ibiza to sprint from 0 to 62 mph in just 14.2 seconds and continue to a top speed of 106 mph. Once up to speed the Ibiza cruised well but it did take a bit of effort to get it there. Having said that the combined fuel consumption of 47.1 mpg is good and the engine is surprisingly flexible.
The new SEAT Ibiza gained a 4-star rating in the Euro NCAP safety tests and all Ibiza's benefit from a collapsible steering column, driver and front passenger airbags and a frangible brake pedal designed to snap out of the way in the event of a collision and there is the highly rigid chassis that provides high levels of protection for everyone in the car.
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