Seat Ibiza

Competent little city car that’s not quite as exciting to drive as it is to look at. Don’t be fooled by this ‘SportCoupe’ nonsense, either – that’s just Seat-speak for ‘three-door’

• Comfort

  Standard ‘Comfort’ suspension gives a nicely-judged ride for every-day schlepping – soft enough to absorb those bumps but stiff enough to prevent any critical body roll. Optional sports suspension sharpens things up considerably, if that’s your bag. 

  

• Performance

  Not a whole heap of. 1.6-litre petrol isn’t as lively as you’d expect, making the 1.4-litre turbo petrol the best bet. Soon-to-arrive 178bhp super- and turbocharged Cupra should wake things up a bit, though. 

  

• Cool

  Foraying out of stock mid-table Seat territory into the Actually-Quite-Cool zone. Three-door SportCoupe looks genuinely excellent. Cupra and FR should be nudging Sub-Zero. Really. It’s better than a Polo, surely? 

  

• Quality

  Cabin materials are a step up from Seats of old, while overall build quality remains in safe-as-houses VAG territory. Engines should prove bullet-proof. Nothing to worry about here, then. 

  

• Handling

  It’s the stock VW Group party line here: tidy, nicely controlled but nothing to write home about. Feels light and lively enough, but not as tactile as a Fiesta or Mazda2. Newer platform than Polo and Fabia, remember. 

  

• Practicality

  Five-door has plenty of head- and leg-room even the back, while SportCoupe sacrifices a bit of space for added mojo-type-stuff. We’d go for the SportCoupe, but then we don’t have massive children with giant heads. Your call. 

  

• Running costs

  Three-pot 1.2-litre petrol is economical and cheap to insure, but you can do better. If you’re looking for a diesel, bear in mind that a bunch of new common-rail units are arriving in early 2009. Probably won’t hold its value quite as well as the Polo. Tsk