SEAT Ibiza FR

There are faster, more raucous hot hatches on the market, but the Ibiza FR makes a lot of sense. It’s cheaper to buy, insure and run than the Cupra and Bocanegra, yet still offers plenty of thrills. The turbo and supercharged 1.4-litre engine provides a seamless band of torque, while the handling is as sporty as we expect from a SEAT. Buyers wanting a practical but involving hatch should take a closer look.

Punchy thrills at a budget price. That’s what SEAT’s new Ibiza FR promises, as it features the VW Group’s 1.4-litre TSI engine.

We hit the road in the warm supermini to see if it delivers.

The FR retains the sharp lines of the standard Ibiza, but adds a chunkier front bumper and honeycomb grille. A subtle spoiler on the rear helps to complete the sporty edge.

The engine is boosted by a turbocharger and a supercharger, so there’s lots of power from low revs. With 148bhp on tap, the FR sprints from 0-60mph in 7.7 seconds.

Equally impressive is the soundtrack – a terrific bassy thrum from the exhaust that encourages you to hang on to the gears a little longer. Power is fed through the DSG dual-clutch transmission.

This works well by itself in Drive or Sport mode, but when you switch to control it through the steering wheel paddles, changes are jerky. A conventional box would suit the car better.

Inside, the cabin is durable and well put together. As with other Ibizas, soft-touch plastics and familiar switchgear from the Volkswagen parts bin feature, but the newcomer gets FR logos on the sports seats and adjacent to the dials.

Throw the car into a bend and it clings on with gusto. Yet there’s more body roll than you’d find in the faster Ibiza Cupra and Bocanegra.

Then again, the FR isn’t designed to be as focused as the higher-spec models. Not only does it have 30bhp less power, its suspension isn’t as firm, and so it rides more smoothly.

As a result, it sits in insurance group 11 – three below the Cupra and Bocanegra. And at £14,995, it costs £1,000 and £1,700 respectively less to buy. That’s great value, and will help this latest warm Ibiza appeal to young drivers in the market for a sporty hatch.