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A Guide to Green Cars

In these times of carbon footprints, greenhouse gases and global warming, saving the environment has become everyone’s responsibility, and the automotive industry seems to have taken on at least it’s fair share of this burden. MPG and CO2 are suddenly alongside BHP and NCAP ratings in the list of a cars selling points. The Ibiza Ecomotive is SEAT’s latest offering, and what an offering it is. The problem with eco-friendly cars, is that they can be more than a little bit boring. The good people at SEAT have realised this, and produced a car that seems to cater to the tree-huggers and the petrol-heads alike. Once you get used to the adjusted gear ratio’s and the slimmer tyres, this car has a fair bit of go about it. It seems to far out-perform it’s 1.4 TDi spec, pulling especially well in 2nd and 3rd. As well as its’ ability to nip in and out of the rush hour traffic, it really comes into its own on the motorway. It provides more than enough power to get round the lorries and the transits in the set in the middle-lane, and yet at the same time uses almost no fuel whatsoever. Whilst I would in no way describe this as a powerful car, the performance was certainly surprising, and not in a bad way!

Remembering that this car is not targeted at young families, the older generation, or in fact anyone who would normally be to fussed about saving diesel, it needed to retain some of its’ fun-factor. It’s done that by accompanying it’s surprising acceleration with handling so light you feel like you are a 12 year-old again, sat in a dodgem, chasing after your kid brother. I decided to push this car a little, to see how it gripped the road, and even in wet conditions I couldn’t hold back the smile from my face as it flew round ever tighter corners with ease and precision. The ride is solid, though not what you would describe as smooth.

This car seemed of reasonable quality, and the exterior certainly looks very solid. Inside everything is where you would expect it to be, even if it is a little light on features, but then if you’re looking for a car that is heavy and luxurious, then you should be looking elsewhere. In spite of its’ light feel and looks, it does seem to be well put-together, and certainly didn’t have any of the judders that you might expect with a car in this class.

This car comes with all the safety features you’d expect in any modern car: airbags, ABS and remote central locking. It does also come with a 4-star Euro NCAP safety rating, which makes it one of the best in its class. However, the light nature of this car does make you feel a little concerned of the overall safety of the car.

The SEAT Ibiza Ecomotive is a small car, and you need no reminding of that fact when you get in it. You’d imagine that the teenage to twenties market that this car is targeted at wouldn’t be to concerned with this, and there’s certainly enough space in the boot to fit a 12” sub and a bass-box, making it as spacious and as practical as it’s ever likely to need to be.

Imagine a world where fuel seems to last forever, and your car tax reminder falling through your letter-box fills you with joy… Welcome to the world of Ecomotive. 735 miles to a tank seems reasonably do-able, which really is the stuff that dreams are made of. Being free of car tax is just brilliant. This car presents you with a rare opportunity to legally dodge the taxman. However, this car is a little more pricey up-front than it’s green competitors, so whilst it is the best performer, you’d have to have a good think about how long it would take you to recoup your initial investment.

The SEAT Ibiza Ecomotive is obviously geared around fuel efficiency but this does not leave it feeling underpowered. A responsive 1.4 TDi engine provides plenty poke. In fact, speeding in this actually a bit of a hazard because it is feels so effortless. Having said that the engine is a little noisy, though it is somehow reassuring to hear it running (since it uses next to no fuel, its nice to know the engine is actually there). It still provides the sporty performance you would expect from SEAT, and sitting behind a bus in it is an insult, don’t do it, you won’t able to live with the guilt. A top speed of 109 mph and 0-62 in 12.8 seconds is respectable, and there is no notable loss of performance to achieve the impressive ecology. Instead of providing an underpowered lawnmover, SEAT were much smarter and refined the aerodynamics, lengthened the gear ratios, reduced the weight, and installed new software in the ECU to provide a green car without compromise. Nice.

An extremely comfortable ride for a sporty car, sensible steering and a descent set of brakes compensate for the reduced grip the low-roll resistance tyres offer. Extremely easy on the motorway. It handles well enough on rougher terrain and flexible suspension mean bumps in the road won’t bother you at all.

Incredibly comfortable sports seats make Ibiza Ecomotive feel luxurious and immediately make you question the market it is aimed at. Sporty enough to appeal to the young at heart, spacious and comfortable enough for sales reps with long-distance motorway journeys to make. Although internally some modifications are made to keeps the weight down means sacrificing some of the luxuries such as air con and renders the interior a little bit cheap looking, this is no fatality as the reliability of the build quality of the Volkswagen engine is reassuring.

Safety features are fairly standard, 4 star Euro NCAP crash test is very respectable for its class. ABS is standard, childlocks, twin airbags, collapsible steering column and brake pedal, ISOFIX anchorage points for a child seat in the rear and pyrotechnic pre-tensioners are fitted to front seatbelts. Security wise, there are remote central locks, immobilser and locking fuel cap as standard.

Reasonably spacious in the rear considering that this car is not really aimed at the family market. A decent boot makes it practical for trips away. Generously proportioned in the front for driver and front passenger comfort. Of course, the cars eco-credentials make it very practical for the fuel-conscious.

More fun to drive and more stylish than its rival, the Polo Bluemotion, makes it a worthy adversary. Although the Fabia Greenline may seem like another good alternative, the CO2 emissions are slightly more than the Ecomotive, meaning that it just misses the vital Tax Band A. Since the UK government insist on playing with the VED rates, I would opt for the lower emission, road-tax free Ecomotive every time. The SEAT Ibiza Ecomotive, at 99g/km of CO2 and 74.3 mpg offers good ownership value because it will save you a fortune in fuel and tax. The reliability of the build only adds to the ownership value. Just driving past the forecourt again and again in the Ecomotive will make you feel you made the right choice.

You would be forgiven for assuming that any vehicle which has an environmentally tuned 1.4 litre diesel engine at its heart would be a lacklustre affair to drive, with lots of economy but little in the way of driver involvement or excitement. This road test however took place over a four day period, tackling A and B roads along with a few miles of motorway cruising and the Ibiza Ecomotive proved to be a spirited performer with more guts than you would give it credit for on paper. If I had a choice between this derivative and a small petrol engine I would choose the Ecomotive hands down every time. I found the performance to be much better than was expected and the economy is a joy to behold! I did over 150 miles and used only a quarter of a tank of diesel and this was whilst testing the vehicle’s road handling abilities!

The ride is quite firm in the Ibiza, although not bone jarringly so and this may be down to the different tyres it wears for the purpose of economy. Handling is really quite sporty and agile, I felt confident throwing the car into bends and corners and the communication to the steering wheel from the road was enough to tell me well in advance if I was pushing it too far!

Historically, the equation between Seat and parent company Volkswagen is perceived as thus. Volkswagen = fantastic build quality but at a price; whereas Seat = slightly less quality, slightly cheaper to buy. The gap between the essentially similar product ranges of the two marques has been narrowing over recent years and the Ibiza Ecomotive definitely has the solid feel to the cabin and exterior which VW is so famous for.

Remote central locking and twin front airbags are both standard features and although the Ibiza is a small vehicle it feels solid enough to endure impacts with much larger vehicles. ABS is standard and the vehicle also comes with a collapsible steering column if involved in a severe impact. Overall, in the Euro NCAP crash test for Supermini’s the Ecomotive achieved a very good four star rating.

The Ibiza is a small car with the potential to appeal to young people who have yet to discover the joys of parenthood or parents whose children have now flown the nest. Don’t expect to be able to service a large families needs with this car but then again the Ibiza has never been targeted at this market and has never pretended to have huge amounts of space as one of its features. The driver and front passenger have plenty of room for all but the tallest people, with plenty of adjustable features on the steering wheel and seats to achieve a comfortable position.

Any car which offers the prospect of tax free driving is sure to appeal and the response I received from my friends and family after I told them of this was one of unbridled curiosity at the prospect of cheap motoring. Then I told them that it was doing 70 mpg whilst I was driving it and that it was actually fun to drive too and that curiosity amongst my friends became genuine interest. The Ibiza Ecomotive may look a little bland and basic from the outside, but once you get inside and behind the steering wheel it makes very good sense indeed!

The engine in the Ecomotive is a 1.4-litre, three-cylinder turbodiesel. The low bhp is bolstered by a considerably more useful 144lb ft of torque. Acceleration from standstill is woeful, and you need to dial in about 3,000rpm just to get moving. In a three-cylinder, this sounds like a fully laden Transit trying to get uphill, but what's weird and rather wonderful about this Ibiza is how it utterly transforms itself on the long haul. Thanks to some savvy gearing, that tiny engine is pulling around 2,500rpm at 80mph. Compare that to the effort it makes just to get going, and you start you realise where this car's natural environment lies. At motorway speeds, the engine is disarmingly quiet and pulls with real vim in fourth or fifth gear and all the while, the fuel needle isn't budging. Although you should never take a manufacturer's figures without a pinch of salt, 1,000 miles on a single tank should be quite doable.

As with all Ibizas, the Ecomotive delivers a surprisingly sporty driving experience. Its powerplant is characterful and in-gear pace is better than you might expect from a 79bhp unit. But while the ultra-low-drag tyres are great for economy, they offer significantly less grip than conventional rubber in the wet. Steer the Seat into a damp corner, and it’s easy to run out of traction at the front or rear. Otherwise, the baby Seat is starting to feel its age, lacking the composure or confidence of the newer Ibiza.

The Ibiza’s cabin is showing its age as much as the exterior. The low-rent interior has a dated feel, with shiny plastics and a cheap look in places. The supermini also feels a bit small nowadays, lacking the confident stance of its replacement. But while it is significantly cheaper than its sister car, the Polo Bluemotion, air con is fortunately standard, although the door mirrors remain manually operated. Needless to say, it is very economical, returning 52.1mpg during testing and officially averaging over 74mpg. It also produces just 99g/km of CO2.

Standard equipment may be down a little on the standard Ibizas after the weight saving cuts have been made but it still runs to electric windows, remote central locking and a CD stereo, with safety gear including stability control two airbags and ABS. The Ibiza scored well when tested for security, resisting both entry and drive-away. An alarm costs extra, however.

On the inside, the air-conditioning and electric wing mirrors have been ditched, as has the split folding rear seating which is replaced by a solid bench. The cabin feels spacious, although adults in the back may struggle for headroom where the cars curved roofline swoops in, and there’s plenty of boot bringing up the rear. And while swapping the spare wheel for a can of sealant and air compressor to shed some pounds might not be a welcome omission for some it has made way for a usefully sized hollow of Polystyrene-lined under floor storage space in the boot.

The all-new Ibiza is already on sale, and although the current version is on its last legs, it doesn’t mean Seat has lagged behind in the green race. The Ecomotive variant is one of only two cars eligible for the Group A tax band. Good news, then, that an Ecomotive version of the next model is also coming. This car uses a version of the familiar 1.4-litre three-cylinder TDI, with a revised ECU and diesel particulate filter, plus improved aerodynamics and longer gear ratios. Its chief rival is its sister car, the Volkswagen Polo Bluemotion.