Does it sound weird when we say the SEAT Ibiza is one of our favourite cars? Well, it shouldn't - a humble small hatch it may be, but the current Ibiza has consistently been one of the best cars in its talented class, and now SEAT reckons it's made the Ibiza even better.
New lights and alloys
Now, you are REALLY going to struggle to tell the new Ibiza apart from the old one on the road. The exterior changes are, shall we say, minimalist. Basically, there are new LED lights front and rear, new alloy wheel designs (15, 16, 17, and 18-inch rims are available), the Ibiza name in a new chromed 'handwriting' badge on the back, and two new exterior colour choices - Sapphire Blue and Asphalt Blue.
Inside, the changes are a little more profound. Quality has been improved, claims SEAT, and just like the closely-related Arona crossover, there's a new freestanding screen in the middle of the dash. This comes in 8.2-inch (on SE models) or 9.2-inch (on all other models) sizes, and Seat says that thanks to it being higher up and more in the driver's eyeline, it's safer to operate. There's also a swanky new digital instrument panel for FR Sport and Xcellence Lux models.
Also like the Arona, there are new mood-lighting highlights around the air vents, which come in different colours - Honey (SE trim), Daring Red (FR) and Burgundy (Xcellence).
The Ibiza's always been one of the more practical superminis in its class, and with the 355-litre boot carried over, that's not going to change much.
Digital voice assistant
The big screen also has some new connectivity options, including Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connections for your phone. There's also a digital voice assistant (which you wake up by shouting 'Hola, Hola' at the dash in your best holiday-spec pidgin Spanish) and SEAT's new CONNECT system, which links the car to your mobile phone. That comes with a few neat tricks, such as access to real-time traffic information which will re-route the navigation if there is an incident ahead, as well as informing the driver of the location, opening times and current prices of both car parks and fuel stations. For those who don't want to be limited to the radio they listen to, the new Ibiza brings online radio into the cabin, allowing the customer to listen to any online radio station they choose, even if it's from a different country.
High end safety options
From the SEAT CONNECT app on your phone, users can remotely access driving data of previous journeys and remaining range, parking position, lock and unlock the doors, set up speed alerts so they can be warned if someone using their vehicles is driving too fast, be alerted if their vehicle has been stolen, or activate the horn and turn signals to find the car more easily in a crowded car park.
There are also some high-end new safety options, including radar cruise control, lane-keeping steering, traffic sign recognition, blind spot monitoring, and high-beam assist.
The engine lineup is unchanged, and kicks off with a basic naturally aspirated three-cylinder petrol 1.0-litre engine, developing 80hp. There are also turbo versions of the same engine, with 95hp or 110hp. That top-spec engine also comes with the option of a seven-speed DSG automatic.