The new Seat Ibiza five-door has gone on sale here, boasting a new chassis, longer wheelbase, more headroom, and a bigger boot. The sporty new “Arrow design” concept was created by ex-Lamborghini designer Luc Donckerwolke.
The first cars to arrive will be powered by a 1.2 litre 70bhp petrol engine, with a range of petrol and diesel options to follow.
New Seat Ibiza five-door prices are 1.2 70bhp ‘R’ at €14,850 and 1.2 70bhp ‘S’ with a price-tag of €16,920. These prices exclude dealer delivery and related charges.
The economical 1.2 litre engine has CO2 emissions of 139 g/km putting it into Band B for annual road tax of €150.
Every new Ibiza five-door comes with an impressive list of comfort, style, and safety features included. The entry-level ‘R’ model includes the likes of height and reach-adjustable steering wheel; speed-sensitive electrohydraulic power steering; driver, front passenger and head-thorax front side airbags; ABS; rolling code immobiliser, and six-speaker audio with MP3-compatible CD player and AUX input.
The ‘S’ model adds goodies such as body-coloured door mirrors and handles; electrically-adjustable and heated door mirrors; electric rear windows; cruise control; front fog lights with cornering function and an alarm.
Seat will be expanding its recently-launched Ibiza line-up at the forthcoming Paris Motor Show, with the unveiling of the fire-breathing Cupra.
Set to make their show debuts next week, the Cupra and Ecomotive are highly significant additions to the sharp-looking new Ibiza range – at a stroke, they become respectively the meanest and greenest versions of Seat’s supermini.
The Cupra is brimming with sophisticated technology. It uses a 180bhp 1.4-litre petrol engine, featuring not only a turbocharger but also a supercharger, an approach beneficial to both power delivery and fuel efficiency. Furthermore, this compact yet potent powerplant is mated to a seven-speed direct shift gearbox transmission, complete with F1-style steering wheel shift-paddles.
As expected from the Spanish brand whose ethos is ‘auto emoción’, the new Ibiza Cupra has style to match its spirit. Based on the sport coupé three-door body shape, the Cupra boasts a bespoke look, with a new front bumper and air intakes surrounding the grille. Eye-catching 17” alloy wheels, a rear diffuser incorporating a centrally-placed trapezoid exhaust pipe, Cupra sports seats and track-inspired aluminium pedals are other visual highlights penned by Luc Donckerwolke, Seat’s design director whose curriculum vitae includes the Lamborghini Gallardo and Murcielago.
Price and specification for the new Ibiza Cupra will be announced closer to the expected arrival here, in the middle of next year.
