SEAT Ibiza 1.4 SC

By Paul Bailey

October 2008

• Rating:

SEAT’s sporty new three-door Ibiza has arrived in the UK. Its mission is to win the hearts of young buyers with snappier styling and a racier feel than the five-door. How does it fare?

From the outside, the omens are good. The SportCoupe has strong lines down the flanks and its aggressive front end is bold and distinctive. The three-door is further distinguished by broad shoulders and a lower roofline. It certainly lives up to its sporty tag, especially on the optional 17-inch alloy wheels.

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The cabin is less dramatic, but full of quality. The centre console illuminates red, the three-spoke steering wheel is comfortable and sports seats improve the driving position. That low roofline, though, means rear accommodation is compromised; tall passengers will struggle for headroom. Still, the load bay offers 284 litres of space – that’s only eight litres less than the five-door.

We drove the Sport variant with the mid-range 1.4-litre petrol engine. Likely to be the most popular choice, it delivers 84bhp and 132Nm of torque – but revs with little enthusiasm and has to be worked hard to deliver modest pace.

However, fuel economy nears 46mpg which, combined with low group four insurance, will attract those younger target buyers. For Sport trim, the suspension has been stiffened, which reduces body roll and improves handling – at the expense of ride quality. On anything other than smooth surfaces the SC feels too firmly set up. And as you don’t get the performance to back it up, there seems little point in choosing the Sport over the more compliant SE.

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