SEAT Ibiza Review

In the world of superminis, the SEAT Ibiza is pretty buff, because its chiselled looks work from almost every angle.

However, like meeting that oh-so-gorgeous model and finding they’re an airhead, the inside of the Ibiza is actually pretty dull. Shame.

It comes with a few body-coloured strips but swathes of hard black plastics dominate the dashboard, centre console and doors and there’s no soft-touch dashboard like you get in the Fiesta. The front seats come with a decent range of adjustment as standard but no models are offered with the option of lumbar support to ease backache on long drives, and you only get a front centre armrest in top-spec models.

The 6.5-inch colour infotainment screen fitted to entry-level SE cars looks sharp, is easy to use and features DAB radio, plus Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and MirrorLink systems so you can use your phone’s sat-nav and music apps on the Ibiza’s screen.

You won’t hear too many complaints from those in the back. The SEAT Ibiza is surprisingly spacious for a small car – there’s a fair amount of legroom and even six-footers will have headroom to spare.

The SEAT Ibiza is not perfect but it’s a really good small car with a neat, tidy interior and loads of space for passengers

Also the SEAT Ibiza’s boot is an impressive size for a small car. It has 355 litres compared to the Fiesta’s 292 litres and has a large square opening so it’s fairly easy to load large items. Fold the seats down and the boot floor is nearly completely flat. There’s room for some valuables under the false floor, too, and a few handy hooks will stop your shopping bags rolling around.

You can get the SEAT Ibiza with three 1.0-litre petrol engines. The pick of the range is the 95hp petrol that’ll return around 50mpg. It’s reasonably quiet at speed but makes a rumbling sound a bit like a diesel if you accelerate hard.

The 80hp and 95hp Ibizas come with a five-speed manual gearbox, while the 100hp car has a six-speed manual, with a seven-speed twin-clutch automatic as an £1,100 option. This auto will make lengthy traffic jams and long journeys a little more bearable.

You don’t have to worry about spending extra money making the SEAT Ibiza safe. Euro NCAP awarded the Ibiza an impressive five-star safety rating thanks to its all-new chassis design and standard automatic emergency city braking.

It’s another feather in the SEAT Ibiza’s cap. It’s a smart-looking, capable small family car that’s definitely worth considering if you’re looking for something that’s both practical and a little sporty.