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The new Ibiza SC offers a choice of three, 4cyl petrol engines: a 69bhp 1.2, an 83bhp 1.4 or a 103bhp 1.6-litre unit. I drove the 1.4 which has a claimed 0-62 time of 12.2secs with a top speed of 110mph. It’s no hot hatch – the slick 5-speed gearbox requires a good stoking to maintain high-speed momentum – but with sufficient revs on the clock then it hustles along pretty well. Fortunately the engine is refined, civilised and happy to be revved, and if you’re in no real hurry then it’s all you’ll need. But bear in mind that the SC looks a bit quicker than it is.

I drove the SE and Sport versions. For an extra £300 the Sport gives you, (among other items), Sports suspension and one-inch larger, 16” alloy wheels. Both models have excellent, speed-sensitive electrohydraulic power assisted steering, and both are responsive and nimble with impressive grip. The Sport’s stiffer suspension allows less body roll in corners, and on a racetrack its lower profile tyres would probably also prove beneficial. But in normal, everyday use I’d opt for the more comfortable and less fidgety ride of the SE version.

There’s no denying that SEATs used to be rust buckets, but that was way back in the 1980s. In more recent times, and especially since the Spanish maker became part of the giant VW group, fit, finish and quality control has been at least as good, and, as I was once reliably informed, sometimes even better than the parent company VW achieves in Germany. I certainly found nothing suspicious or amiss on the two Ibizas I drove, and for peace of mind there’s SEAT’s 3-year/60,000 mile warranty with 2-year European roadside assistance.

The new Ibiza’s EuroNCAP results, including 5-stars for occupant protection, are among the best in the supermini class. Key features include the standard fitment of pioneering new side/head/thorax airbags, plus optional side curtain airbags. ABS is standard, as are front seatbelt pre-tensioners and rear Isofix child seat points. It’s also possible to install (at no extra cost) a third anchoring point called Top Tether, which prevents the child seat from rotating in a crash. Optional safety items include TCS, ESP and EBA with tyre pressure warning, while standard security features include remote central locking with deadlocks and an immobiliser with something called ‘cryptocode’!

Although technically still a ‘supermini’, the new Ibiza is a bigger car, and has the feel of a bigger car, than Ibizas of old. It isn’t unique in this respect; Clios, Polos and Fiestas et al have all grown too, but parked alongside a 1980s Golf Mk1 for example, the new Ibiza dwarfs the VW, and that was never classed as a supermini. Unsurprisingly this growth has resulted in improved headroom and interior space. The Sport version’s Sports seats seem to offer no more lateral support than the SE’s front seats, but there’s ample space and comfort in both. The 3-door SE being a quasi coupe means that rear passengers may feel a little hemmed in over a distance. Boot capacity is now 284 litres (17 more than before) with rear seats upright.

As mentioned, the 1.4 Ibiza SC is no hot hatch, but the upside is that it won’t cost you anything like as much to run as a boy-racer machine. The SE and Sports versions have identical engines which, in 1.4-litre guise means 45.6mpg combined, CO2 emissions of 149g/km plus group 3 insurance and band C (£120) road tax. So, if you’re looking for something smallish, stylish, well equipped and affordable that also ticks almost every other box bar blistering speed, then this could well be it.

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