New Addition to the Family
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I dont really post in this forum section (probably will do now) but out of the various options from Ford, Alfa, Vauxhall etc...we chose a Seat Ibiza to sister the Leon I have.
Picking up the misses mk5 Ibiza 1.6TDI CR, I am really pleased that the car has had no issues and was perfect when we picked it up. The dealer cleaned the car...I told them initially not to do this but changed my mind as thats part of the checks they do to avoid any potential issues. As I detail cars as a hobby I will be machining the car and making sure its even more gleamy for the summer. I noticed some light polishing marks that will easily come out under direct sun light but that shouldnt be much of a problem.
Extras we got are
- Bluetooth
- Folding Mirrors
- Metalic paint
- 17" alloys
- Cruise Control
- USB/Aux ipod connection
Mrs and I been driving it all day and boy are we pleased with it.
Handling
The mk5 chassis is superb. Its really responsive and turns in lovely so driving around town and on bendy a roads is a real joy. I think the inclusion of anti roll bars is a brilliant decision by Seat as the car corners pretty flat (ok not like the Leon but hey how much have I spent on modding it) and the sport suspension is pretty compliant. The car eats up nasty roads without to much fuss which gives you a refreshing feeling as you worry less hence relax more. Looking at the car for what it is and NOT trying to compare it to the Leon in terms of abilities (two different beast completely). I would give it a 4.5/5 at the moment.
EDIT: Come to think of it, the sports suspension is a little over-sprung but thats common in Seat range imo.
Build Quality
What can I say, the build quality is definitely a stage up from the last ibiza. Better plastics, better switch gear, better put together, better seats...Everything thuds nicely and doesn't feel flimsy. My only complaint would be a little to much plastic but hey its a small hatch. I noticed that the glovebox wasn't that great, the rear view mirror looks cheap and handles arn't good quality like Leon but again its a small hatch so these things are to be expected.
When driving everything feels solid and you get lovely thuds of reassurance. 4/5 Build quality
Performance
This is a little difficult for me because in my mind I am always going to compare it to the Leon, 240-245ish bhp and 360-380lb/ft vs 105bhp and 184lb/ft. I will try and be as honest and impartial as possible.
Common Rail engine is engine is much quieter than PD engine and you can hardly noticed it when driving. The power delivery is smooth and you get nice pace from 1.5-3k rpms. Being such as "small" car the torque gives the car lovely urgency in 2nd and 3rd so makes town driving and A-road driving quite pleasant. I noticed the Mrs (coming from a corsa 1.2) loving the grunt coming out of the bends and using the torque to accelerate the car on the straight bits. Ok we are not talking blistering speed and the power does die quickly after 3.5k but its a lighter car than the Leon so doesn't underwhelm you.
One concern I have is there really isn't much grunt in 4th and 5th unless you are in the 2k-2.5k range. This sometime can cause a problimo if you get slowed down in traffic so you have to change down. 1st gear hasn't got much guts although sometimes it did. Not sure if its because engine hasn't bedded in yet but I am sure there is more performance to come. Also we have been driving the car cautiously as again new engine so being sensible is a priority.
Motorway driving is really good. Car feels solid, comfortable and goes when you want to go. Going from 60-80mph on an overtake is very easy. When getting slow up in traffic down changing from 5th to 4th is smooth...in fact up changing and down changing is smooth full stop. This obviously helps the overall experience.
Economy is amazing. 50mpg town driving? WTF? All in all its perfect for the Mrs as she can go shopping, drive to her friends out in the sticks, go to Tesco and the occasional motorway drive.
4/5
Summary
I am even more pleased than the Mrs and it inst even my car! Not sure if its cause its newer car but I am not missing the Leon much at all. The car ticks all the boxes you could ever want from a small car and I really can see the attraction of getting a FR/Cupra model. In fact with the 1.6CR TDI being so good in handling/performance stakes, I would would say the 150BHP FR with a remap to 175-180ish would be a better buy than a petrol model.
Superb build quality, handling and performance. This isn't a hot hatch but its a small car thats very well behaved and very fun at the same time. As for the bad points, I have to drive it for longer...
-----
I dont really post in this forum section (probably will do now) but out of the various options from Ford, Alfa, Vauxhall etc...we chose a Seat Ibiza to sister the Leon I have.
Picking up the misses mk5 Ibiza 1.6TDI CR, I am really pleased that the car has had no issues and was perfect when we picked it up. The dealer cleaned the car...I told them initially not to do this but changed my mind as thats part of the checks they do to avoid any potential issues. As I detail cars as a hobby I will be machining the car and making sure its even more gleamy for the summer. I noticed some light polishing marks that will easily come out under direct sun light but that shouldnt be much of a problem.
Extras we got are
- Bluetooth
- Folding Mirrors
- Metalic paint
- 17" alloys
- Cruise Control
- USB/Aux ipod connection
Mrs and I been driving it all day and boy are we pleased with it.
Handling
The mk5 chassis is superb. Its really responsive and turns in lovely so driving around town and on bendy a roads is a real joy. I think the inclusion of anti roll bars is a brilliant decision by Seat as the car corners pretty flat (ok not like the Leon but hey how much have I spent on modding it) and the sport suspension is pretty compliant. The car eats up nasty roads without to much fuss which gives you a refreshing feeling as you worry less hence relax more. Looking at the car for what it is and NOT trying to compare it to the Leon in terms of abilities (two different beast completely). I would give it a 4.5/5 at the moment.
EDIT: Come to think of it, the sports suspension is a little over-sprung but thats common in Seat range imo.
Build Quality
What can I say, the build quality is definitely a stage up from the last ibiza. Better plastics, better switch gear, better put together, better seats...Everything thuds nicely and doesn't feel flimsy. My only complaint would be a little to much plastic but hey its a small hatch. I noticed that the glovebox wasn't that great, the rear view mirror looks cheap and handles arn't good quality like Leon but again its a small hatch so these things are to be expected.
When driving everything feels solid and you get lovely thuds of reassurance. 4/5 Build quality
Performance
This is a little difficult for me because in my mind I am always going to compare it to the Leon, 240-245ish bhp and 360-380lb/ft vs 105bhp and 184lb/ft. I will try and be as honest and impartial as possible.
Common Rail engine is engine is much quieter than PD engine and you can hardly noticed it when driving. The power delivery is smooth and you get nice pace from 1.5-3k rpms. Being such as "small" car the torque gives the car lovely urgency in 2nd and 3rd so makes town driving and A-road driving quite pleasant. I noticed the Mrs (coming from a corsa 1.2) loving the grunt coming out of the bends and using the torque to accelerate the car on the straight bits. Ok we are not talking blistering speed and the power does die quickly after 3.5k but its a lighter car than the Leon so doesn't underwhelm you.
One concern I have is there really isn't much grunt in 4th and 5th unless you are in the 2k-2.5k range. This sometime can cause a problimo if you get slowed down in traffic so you have to change down. 1st gear hasn't got much guts although sometimes it did. Not sure if its because engine hasn't bedded in yet but I am sure there is more performance to come. Also we have been driving the car cautiously as again new engine so being sensible is a priority.
Motorway driving is really good. Car feels solid, comfortable and goes when you want to go. Going from 60-80mph on an overtake is very easy. When getting slow up in traffic down changing from 5th to 4th is smooth...in fact up changing and down changing is smooth full stop. This obviously helps the overall experience.
Economy is amazing. 50mpg town driving? WTF? All in all its perfect for the Mrs as she can go shopping, drive to her friends out in the sticks, go to Tesco and the occasional motorway drive.
4/5
Summary
I am even more pleased than the Mrs and it inst even my car! Not sure if its cause its newer car but I am not missing the Leon much at all. The car ticks all the boxes you could ever want from a small car and I really can see the attraction of getting a FR/Cupra model. In fact with the 1.6CR TDI being so good in handling/performance stakes, I would would say the 150BHP FR with a remap to 175-180ish would be a better buy than a petrol model.
Superb build quality, handling and performance. This isn't a hot hatch but its a small car thats very well behaved and very fun at the same time. As for the bad points, I have to drive it for longer...
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