Appeared four years ago, the fifth Seat Ibiza of the name is entitled to its mid-career update. This mainly concerns the interior design with a new dashboard. A good pretext to take back in hand the very homogeneous version TSI 110 with manual gearbox.
Test car: Seat Ibiza 1.0 110 hp Xcellence
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From€ 21,415
no bonus |
It’s hard to say that the fifth generation of Seat Ibiza is getting old! Although it was launched just four years ago, its dynamic and particularly successful design still makes it one of the most desirable offerings in the city car segment. Undoubtedly aware of this success, the Spanish brand did not risk touching the design of its model during the mid-career restyling. The aesthetic novelties on the exterior are thus limited to 100% LED lights, new alloy rims, while on the rear hatch, the name Ibiza now appears in handwritten letters.
Inside, however, the evolution is much more visible, with the adoption of a completely new dashboard thinner and horizontal, while the central screen is raised and placed at the same level as the instrumentation of the dashboard. This new layout, inspired by what is already found on the recent compact Leon, is accompanied by an increase in the size of the central screen, which measures up to 9.2 inches diagonally (8 inches maximum previously). Mechanical side, no upheaval, the Ibiza having already abandoned diesel for almost a year, it still offers the choice between four petrol engines, with a power range ranging between 80 and 150 hp.
Seat Ibiza price
Prices for the restyled Ibiza start at € 16,215 in the 1.0 MPI version of 80 hp with the Reference finish and go up to € 28,615 in the TSI 150 DSG7 and FR Xclusive finish. The Spanish city car therefore appears on this point perfectly average compared to general competition. Our test model with 1.0 TSI of 110 hp in a manual gearbox and the Xcellence finish, claims for its part 21,415 € and is not subject to any penalty. The equipment of this intermediate level is very complete, including in particular dual-zone automatic air conditioning, 16-inch alloy wheels, the navigation system with 9.2-inch screen, automatic windshield wipers and headlights, rear parking, or keyless entry and start. Our vehicle benefited from more than a few options, such as the Digital cockpit (305 €), the reversing camera (Vision plus pack at 350 €), the 17-inch alloy wheels (450 €), as well as the driving modes (120 €).
Driving
Under the hood of our test model, we happily find the 1.0 TSI unit in its 110 hp version, which is undoubtedly one of the best three cylinders available on the market today. Relatively silent and not very vibrating, this engine is for example much more pleasant to drive than the 1.2 Puretech and 1.0 TCe of its rivals Peugeot 208 and Renault Clio. It offers both length and flexibility, although the too long staging of the box (an evil that currently affects the majority of transmissions) requires to stay above 1,500 rpm. Beyond this aspect, the manual transmission remains very pleasant to use, thanks in particular to a smooth and precise control, and perfectly supports the mechanics.
On the performance side, the 110 hp are present and the acceleration level (0 to 100 km / h in 10.2 s) quite sufficient to be able to have fun on the small winding roads of our test route. We could almost say that this version TSI 110 with manual gearbox remains today the most recommendable Ibiza for driving enthusiasts. Because, if the TSI 150 and its “big” four-cylinder 1.5 has even more trunk and punch, it is necessarily equipped with the DSG seven-speed gearbox, the management of which is very suitable for flexible and urban driving. , but proves annoying or even frustrating as soon as you increase the pace.
To avoid spoiling anything, the damping is perfectly calibrated and provides both a very acceptable comfort, in addition to a great rigor and a certain dynamism on the chassis side. Even if we would like it a little more informative, the steering still offers a good consistency, which can be further strengthened if we select the Sport driving mode (Drive Profile option at 120 € or standard on FR). Finally, the winding and hilly course on which we took this Ibiza, reminded us that the 1.0 TSI is not the most sober in its category and that it does not have micro-hybridization like some competition engines. We thus obtained an average consumption of 7.3 l / 100 km, while having adopted a rather enthusiastic drive.
On board
Competetion
There is no shortage of competitors in the versatile city car segment. In France, it is obviously the Renault Clio and Peugeot 208 which appear to be the fiercest rivals of the Ibiza, both offering a wider range of engines. The two three-color city cars each have a diesel unit, while the Clio can be chosen in a hybrid version and the 208 in electric. The Toyota Yaris for its part mainly relies on its 116 hp hybrid and the prices of this version (from € 21,450) are also quite close to those of the Ibiza TSI 110 with DSG7 gearbox. Efficiency is on the other hand clearly to the advantage of the Japanese … As for the Ford Fiesta, it is the recent Ecoboost micro-hybrid version of 125 hp which is very well placed compared to our Ibiza TSI 110 , with prices starting at € 19,250.
Internally, the Volkswagen Polo cousin is of course one of the rivals the most obvious and it would also do well to be wary of the Ibiza, because the latter ultimately has little to envy, except for rare state-of-the-art equipment such as Matrix LED lights. Except that the Spanish is less greedy of about 1,500 € with equivalent finish and engine. Finally, the new Skoda Fabia, which also shares many technical elements with the Ibiza, charges for its novelty by being a little more expensive for an equivalent version.
Discover the results of the test, the technical sheet and the options of the Seat Ibiza 2021 on the following page.
