DRIVING SEAT (some text hidden) --NONE--

BY JONATHAN CROUCH

Introductionword count: 215

SEAT's first generation Ibiza was designed in a great hurry when the company's owner, Volkswagen, decided its newly bought Spanish offshoot should have a car sized halfway between the Polo and Golf. VW's own engineers were unable to do the job quickly, so almost all the work was subcontracted to VW's traditional supply partners. The Ibiza received an Italian-designed body and what were called 'System-Porsche' engines. Built in Spain, it was a true European car. The Porsche-designed engines were used as a unique selling point, but as SEAT's early advertising concentrated on 'technology without frontiers', rather than telling us how to pronounce the company's name, buyers got confused. Still, the Ibiza deserved more success than it had. The cars were basically sound though the build quality of early examples was not the best. Later Ibizas are cheap now, though not deservedly so. The curvy second generation car was a very different proposition and put many of the early model's problems right thanks to a vast amount of extra VW influence. It's now a sound used buy. The third-generation car was announced towards the end of 1999. Essentially a major facelift of its predecessor, there were over 6,000 changes including new styling front and rear, a much-improved cabin with all-new dashboard and a revised engine line-up.

Modelsword count: 123

Models Covered: First generation Ibiza - 1985 to 1993: (900cc 3 & 5 door Hatchback [Designer, Disco, Special] / 1.2 3 & 5 door Hatchback [L, Junior, Special, CLX, CLXi, Friend, GL, Crono, XL, GLX, SLXi, Comfort] / 1.5 3 & 5 door Hatchback [GL, Crono, GLX, GLXi, SXi] / 1.7 diesel 3 & 5 door Hatchback [Special, SL, GLX, SLX]) Second generation Ibiza - 1993 to 1999: (1.0 3dr Hatchback [CL] / 1.3 3 & 5dr Hatchback [CLi, CLX, GLX] / 1.4 3 & 5dr Hatchback [CLS, CLX, Salsa, GLX] / 1.3 5dr Hatchback [GLX, S] / 1.8 3 & 5dr Hatchback [GLXi, GTi] / 2.0 3dr Hatchback [GTi, GT E] / 1.9 D 3 & 5dr Hatchback [CL, CLS, Salsa, CLX])

Historyword count: 321

The Ibiza re-launched the SEAT name here in October 1985. The first cars were three doors and featured a 1.2 or 1.5-litre engine. The base model was called LE; the mid-ranger GL and the top-spec was called GLX. Exactly one year later, the five-door cars were released. The range was rationalised, with the base model now known as Designer and the 1.2 GLX was discontinued. A 900cc Designer price-leader appeared with the three-door body in March 1987 and was dropped eighteen months later. Its replacement was renamed Disco and a five-door version appeared called Comfort. April 1989 brought yet more changes. The grille was now painted to match the body colour and the bumpers became black. The base car's name changed yet again, this time to Special. Three months later, a mildly sporting derivative appeared called SXi. It had a 1.5-litre engine and featured spoilers and front fog lamps. Yet another model, the XLS, joined the range in January 1990 as did a new 1.7-litre diesel Special four months later. July 1991 saw a freshening of the range, with a new grille and smoked tail lamps for all models along with a black-painted tailgate panel. The following January, a new 1.7-litre engine appeared in the new Sportline model. Fuel injection and catalysts were added to all System Porsche engines in July 1992 and the Ibiza's all-new new replacement arrived in January 1993. Second generation Ibiza The second generation Ibiza was a very different proposition from the first, thanks to the £152 million spent in getting it right. VW Polo and Golf parts were used liberally and build quality was almost as good. The line-up offered a choice of a 1.9-litre diesel and five petrol engines (1.05, 1.4, 1.6, 2.0 and 1.8-litre 16v with a 2.0 16v added in 1997). The three and five-door bodyshells were larger, too, their dimensions placing the Ibiza somewhere between a supermini Corsa and a family-sized Escort.

What You Getword count: 107

In first generation Ibiza terms, presuming you go for the bigger engined variants, you get a good little car that looks modern, offers a pleasant drive and offers the novelty of an engine with the word 'Porsche' stamped on it. Reliability is pretty good if you stick with the newer cars and equipment levels are not too bad either. The main attraction is the cheapness of these cars, without the nastiness. With a second generation Ibiza you could argue that it's a more spacious VW Polo without the price tag. The styling is certainly up to the minute and the cabin is virtually interchangeable with the VW.

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