Seat Ibiza review

If you like a low-slung driving position, the Ibiza will suit you better than many small cars, including the Skoda Fabia and Ford Fiesta. There’s a good range of steering wheel adjustment and the seat is comfortable with good under-thigh support, although it doesn't hold you in place brilliantly through twists and turns. FR models come with figure-hugging sports seats that do a better job of this.

It's a shame that adjustable lumbar support is not available on the Ibiza (it is on the rival Fiesta), but lower back support is reasonably good regardless. Meanwhile, the controls for the air conditioning (standard on all trims) are positioned a bit lower on the dashboard than we’d like, although they are at least easy to fathom once you reached down to use them.

Fortunately, the Ibiza’s eye-catching looks haven’t come at the expense of visibility. Up front, the windscreen pillars don’t obstruct your view too much – even when pulling out of junctions – and the front side windows are suitably tall and easy to see out of.

If you're nervous about parking, front and rear parking sensors – and even a reversing camera – are optional on SE, SE Technology and FR trims. All of these aids come as standard if you upgrade to the range-topping Xcellence trim.

All trim levels come with a touchscreen infotainment system, which changes from black and white to colour when you upgrade from S to SE.

Go for SE Technology, FR or Xcellence and the touchscreen grows from 5.0in to 8.0in and gains a built-in sat-nav. These trims also come with a DAB radio and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone mirroring.

The larger 8.0in system is one of the best in the class. The screen is crisp and bright, and responds quickly when you prod it, plus the menu is easy to get your head around. The 5.0in version is much more basic and is neither as intuitive nor quick to respond.

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A powerful Beats sound system is a reasonably priced option on all trims apart from entry-level S (it's standard on SE Design), but we won’t be able to tell you if it’s worth paying the extra for until we’ve tried the Ibiza’s standard stereo. Meanwhile, a wireless phone charger is a reasonably priced option on SE Technology trim and above.

The Ibiza’s interior quality is definitely more in line with a Fabia's than the Volkswagen Polo's. That is to say, there’s precious little in the way of soft-touch plastic, no matter where you look for it.

Mind you, everything feels sturdily assembled, the leather on the steering wheel feels of reasonably high-quality and all the buttons, dials, switches and stalks feel reasurringly solid.

The part-leather, part-Alcantara seats on Xcellence models lift the interior considerably, as does the gloss black face on the dashboard.