No, it’s not going to set your socks on fire but, for this money, what did you expect? For the money a 0-62mph time of 14.9sec is passable and few of the people tempted into buying such a car are likely to be dissuaded by its top speed being only 103mph. Indeed they’re more likely to be swayed by the three cylinder motor’s pleasant and even characterful fizz.
Fuel consumption isn’t as exceptional as you’d think – its combined performance suggests 47.1mpg, and this points to the fact that the engine needs to be worked hard just to keep up with normal traffic. But with a 45 litre tank it does at least put in a reasonable period of time between fills.
And, like its Polo sister, the Ibiza is notably refined for such a small and affordable car. Engine noise only becomes irksome if you thrash it, while road and wind roar are well suppressed.
Unlike the Polo, the Ibiza also has a little to offer those who enjoy punting a car through corners. All the outposts of the VW empire are forced to base their cars on proprietary platforms but, within these limitations, there is good scope for individual tuning and we like the job that Seat’s engineers have done with the Ibiza. At the expense of just a touch of ride compliance, they have controlled the Ibiza’s body movements and given the driver just a flash of pleasure on a decent road.
And the ride’s not suffered unduly either. Yes, its underlying firmness (and shortness of wheelbase) does mean it picks up the odd urban pockmark, but you still need to remind yourself that this is little more than seven and a half grand’s worth of hatch you’re driving.