Seat Ibiza – Back to Basics

Seat Ibiza Reference, €23,250

Seat says it wants to sell cars with combustion engines and hybrid powertrains until at least 2030, but we wouldn’t be surprised if the current Seat Ibiza – which came on the market in 2017 – doesn’t get a successor. Six years after its introduction, the current generation of the Ibiza can still be ordered, but given its age, it is expected that the car will cease to exist sometime next year. It wouldn’t be the first B-segmenter to meet that fate.

After all, developing a replacement is an expensive affair and as such may not be sufficiently lucrative in contemporary times. There are rumors that the Volkswagen Polo will not get a conventionally powered successor either, so sharing a technical basis – and therefore development costs – is probably not possible for the Ibiza. Or does that mean that the compact Seat in its (adapted) current appearance can last much longer? Who knows. But if you want a modern Ibiza and want to be on the safe side, it is better to place an order in the short term, which currently costs at least €23,250. Whether you get a good offer for that money?

Poor motorization

Well, on a motor level it starts off scanty. The Reference-called entry-level model has an 80 hp 1-liter three-cylinder without turbo coupled to a manual five-speed gearbox. The 1,111 kg Ibiza should therefore be able to sprint to 100 km / h in 15.3 seconds – not exactly fast by today’s standards.

Also the appearance of a basic Seat Ibiza leaves something to be desired. Although the car has painted door handles and mirror caps, it rolls on 15-inch steel wheels with hubcaps and has conventional-looking light units at the front and rear, with the ones in front equipped with LED technology. The red unilak is the only free color, while metallic shades – all shades of gray – require an additional €760. A white uni lacquer is also possible and has an additional cost of €365.

On the inside, light-colored and orange elements provide some frivolity, while the seats are covered with a simple black fabric. Although the steering wheel is equipped with a leather covering and a span of buttons, the slip-on can be recognized on the inside by a fabric (instead of leather) shift shoe, plastic handbrake handle and the lack of a center armrest.

Basic steering wheel, handbrake handle and gear knob in the most basic Ibiza.

A step up

You will find controls for the air conditioning and cruise control in the interior, because those facilities are both on it. The infotainment system with touch screen also offers access to Apple Carplay and Android Auto and houses an 8-inch digital instrument panel behind the wheel (10-inch is an option). The entry-level Ibiza does not have any form of parking assistance, and a light and rain sensor are also missing. In addition, the entry-level model is the only one that only has four speakers, with a higher equipment level there are at least six.

That level is called ‘Style’ and adds 15-inch alloy wheels, center armrest, rear parking sensors and two speakers to the entry-level model for an additional cost of €400. The ‘Style Business Connect’, which costs exactly €25,000, the third trim level, adds a turbo (for 95 hp and more torque), front parking sensors and automatic air conditioning, as well as a larger digital instrument panel, heated front seats, sportier shaped steering wheel, wireless phone charger and privacy glass.

The latter, the Style Business Connect, is therefore the version that seems to offer the most value for money. The basics are also included with the entry-level model, but for a modest additional cost of €1,750 it is a lot more – not least due to the more usable and greater torque of the turbo engine. For €25,000 you have quite a complete Ibiza.

What do you think; is the Ibiza still a welcome addition to the compact class, or can it no longer convince you with its equipment?