Premiering at the 1984 Paris motor show, the original is surely still the best looking SEAT Ibiza of all time. Plus what other car has ever boasted a cam cover declaring system PORSCHE SEAT? So much of that first car was outsourced, including the powertrain. The Giugiaro-designed body remains perfectly proportioned too.
Generation six should by rights be with us already. However, Wayne Griffiths stated six months ago that the current car would have a (second) facelift in 2025. Which likely means the successor is about four years away.
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The closely linked Arona, a small SUV, is to have the same life cycle cadence, the SEAT and Cupra CEO added. We even saw images of the second restyles at that March 2024 media event. So why the long production run for the present shape Ibiza?
Decade-long life cycle
The company has not said as much but the smart money is on a possibly cancelled or delayed seventh generation model. Remember that car should have landed in 2024 as today’s Ibiza has been around since 2017. Which surely means this is now quite a dated little car, sales of which have fallen away. No. And No again.
SEAT the brand is also in rude health and managed to almost hit the 300,000 sales mark in 2023. The majority of those were in Europe but there is also handy volume in certain mainly Spanish-speaking markets, Mexico being a good example. That country is also the brand’s only one in North America. ACEA data (EU27+UK+EFTA) show a 2.2 per cent market share, a year-on-year gain of 11 per cent and 174,000 deliveries for 1 January to 31 July (August data not available as at 2 September publication).
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By GlobalDataCupra outsells SEAT, right?
Those who believe Cupra is SEAT S.A.’s star performer need to keep a closer eye on monthly and YtD sales. Yes, it has attained a seventeen per cent year-on-year rise but the total is just 129,800 and market share is actually down, to 1.6 from 1.8 per cent a year ago. July was not a great month either, SEAT outselling Cupra by almost 6,000 cars. How can this be? After all, Cupra is the supposedly cooler brand, plus SEAT has no EVs.
You see this everywhere and in many countries: there are a lot of people who continue to reject tech-heavy (and generally heavy) vehicles, many of which are also electric. The experiment Stellantis is about to conduct with parity pricing for one new model in one big market – the Vauxhall Frontera – shows that EVs are rejected by many consumers for being too expensive.
Public chargers are increasingly everywhere, but so too are queues now that so many frustrated Tradies are stuck losing time and money waiting for their vans to be rejuiced. I see this often. You can almost sense them gazing wistfully at the diesel pumps they used to use. And where their luckier (likely self-employed) counterparts refill the inevitable Transit Connects before quickly zipping off to their next job, pausing only to grab a couple of Red Bulls and pay.
Great economy and an old-school interior
If SEAT lacks even a single electric model, Cupra by contrast has one of the best in the business. The little Born hatchback is in fact way better than its VW ID.3 brother. And as we know, sales of electric vehicles will bounce. They have to, as legislation has mandated this. But for now, the likes of the Ibiza with its easily attainable 60mpg average and 2010s-style interior – this is a very good thing by the way – are winning over a lot of car buyers. The ones who think about going electric but not just yet.
It had been a while since I tried out this model, and SEAT now offers an elegant looking (40th) Anniversary edition. This came in FR trim and featured a gorgeous set of alloy wheels, deeply-lustrous paint in Graphene Grey (see picture) with matching dashboard/neoprene seat coverings. Only one option, a ‘Safety and Driving Pack M’ featured for the press tester (GBP250). Including that the OTR price was GBP24,620. I call that good value.
Might SEAT be the new Škoda?
The Ibiza has a lot in common with the VW Polo and Audi A1 Sportback – a very good thing, that – but offers far better value. You get the high-quality and built-to-last feel from things such as weighty doors. Sensibly-coloured carpeting and fabrics which will cope with spills and pet dogs, along with simple controls, add to the appeal.
There is no Audi-style dashboard covered in two or three multi-screens, nothing nags you with unwanted chimes or bongs (mercifully, even the Speed Limit Exceeded warning is benign not infuriating) and there are delights such as a handbrake.
A pity the usual Volkswagen Group too-small cupholders feature, nor is there any kind of central cubby but the glovebox is a good size. Steering wheel buttons are real ones rather than haptic horrors and the volume dial offers grippy-rubbery surfacing. So much better than a slow press-press-press-press digital alternative. A first rate interior in almost every way then.
Powertrain choices
SEAT lent me a car powered by the low-emissions and high-economy 85 kW (115 PS) 1.0-litre petrol engine. This is a popular choice and there are a lot of model grades: SE, FR, Anniversary Limited Edition, FR Sport, Xcellence and Xcellence Lux. There used to be a 1.6-litre TDI – easily the best engine – but sadly that is gone.
The three-cylinder engine is also available with 70 kW (95 PS), paired to a five-speed manual gearbox. Others have an extra ratio – the test car did – or a seven-speed DSG. There is no mild hybrid system, which is unusual for the segment but this is clearly not affecting sales as the Ibiza is performing well. Helped by the absence of what had not only been the class champion but a massive seller in the UK.
All rivals still thanking Ford of Europe
What on earth Ford was thinking when it walked away from the segment it owned for decades is puzzling, if I was using kind language. Great news for the Volkswagen Group of course, as well as others. And the Ibiza has been finding much favour from many new-to-the-brand customers. Lots of those will inevitably trade up to a higher margin Cupra at some stage, so the model remains vital for present, and, future profits.
Dynamically the SEAT fares well against its competitors though the age of the platform and basic powertrains shows here and there. A state of the MHEV system would be handy and some might instead prefer an EV option to compete with Mini, Peugeot and others. It is still a joy-inducing car to drive, the Ibiza, mind. Lovely steering, not-too-soft springs and good traction even on streaming summer roads. Weight is also class competitive at well under 1.2 tonnes. Which helps with that realistic 50-60 mpg average.
Sales progress
At the time of publication, registrations data for August were yet to be announced by the SMMT. As at the end of July, SEAT was riding high with a 32 per cent gain over the same seven months of 2023. July itself was yet another great month (up twenty per cent), totals being respectively 3,196 and 24,542. July 2023 saw only 2,654 SEATs delivered with 18,630 for 1 January to 31 July 2023. Worthy of note are the brands beaten last month. These included Mini (3,007), Dacia (2,100), Honda (2,441) and, Cupra (2,798), even with the last of these up by 44 per cent.
Next from SEAT
Along with the Ibiza and Arona updates due in 2025, the Ateca should be facelifted too. And, following the recent end of Tarraco production, this leaves only the León as a further model. Both hatchback and estate just had some updates (new touchscreens, headlights and other changes were announced in May) so dealers should be happy with all these novelties. Not to mention all the new and next Cupras with their high prices and inevitably better margins.
Summary
Toyota, Renault, SAIC (new MG 3), the Volkswagen Group, Stellantis, Hyundai-Kia, BMW AG and others continue to battle it out for the big sales volume in the B-car size class. Just how competitive the updated Ibiza remains proves there is a lot of life left in this model. It has much appeal and SEAT richly deserves the major uptick it it presently enjoying, partly courtesy of the Ibiza.
