SEAT Ibiza 1.6 TDI Car Review

Facts At A Glance
Car: SEAT Ibiza 1.6 TDI
Prices: £11,000 - £12,500 - on the road [est] INSURANCE GROUPS: 2-7 [est]
Emissions: 109g/km
Performance: 0-60mph 10.5s/ Max Speed 117mph
Fuel Consumption: (combined) 67.2mpg
Safety: Twin front airbags and side, seatbelt pre-tensioners, ABS
Dimensions: Lengthmm 4052/1693/1445

UNCOMMON ECONOMY

Our Rating: 7.6 / 10

SEAT has moved its Ibiza supermini up in the world with a common-rail diesel engine. Steve Walker reports

Modern diesel superminis are well capable of delivering a tempting blend of performance and economy and the SEAT Ibiza 1.6 TDI does this better than most. The cost may deter some customers attracted by the potential running cost savings but this Ibiza looks a particularly well-rounded package that will give solid value for money.

Progress is sometimes a difficult thing to discern, especially in cars. SEAT, the maker of the popular Ibiza supermini, has produced diesel-engined versions of the car for a long time. The previous generation model had 1.4 and 1.9-litre oil-burning units but when the current model was launched, a 1.6-litre 104bhp engine was eventually announced to replace the 104bhp 1.9-litre unit. To the casual observer, the swapping of an existing powerplant for a smaller one with identical power looked like a sideways move at best. The reality is very different, for the 1.6 TDI diesel represents the Ibiza’s passing into the age of common-rail injection.

Common-rail injection in diesel engines is nothing new. Even in comparatively affordable superminis, the technology has been around for years. One exception was the Volkswagen Group, of which SEAT is a part. That combination of manufacturers stuck with direct injection diesels while the rest of the market went common-rail. The German conglomerate’s reasoning was that that they could already through their hi-tech TDI technology obtain similar efficiency and performance to that of rival common-rail units which squirt fuel into their cylinders from a single ultra high pressure tube dubbed the common-rail. This argument wasn’t without merit but as common-rail injection systems evolved, further eclipsing the refinement and smoothness that was possible with the older technology, even Volkswagen was forced aboard the bandwagon. The 1.6-litre TDI engine is the Ibiza’s first common-rail injection diesel and SEAT will tell anyone looking for evidence of progress that this is it.

The 1.6-litre TDI diesel engine generates 104bhp and torque of 250Nm which is broadly equivalent to the 1.9-litre direct injection diesel used by older Ibizas. The differences are a 10Nm increase in torque and the fact that the 1.6 TDI produces this slightly superior pulling power a little lower in the rev range - at 1,500rpm instead of 1,900rpm in the old engine. Despite only a modest increase in low down grunt, the 1.6-litre TDI Ibiza is significantly faster than its forbear with a 10.5s 0-60mph time representing a 1.3s advantage. There’s also a 117mph top speed, making this diesel almost exactly as quick on the official measures as the Ibiza’s 1.6-litre petrol engine.

From the outset, the key advantages of common-rail injection diesel engines have been their superior refinement and smoothness. The disconcerting diesel clatter that would once have rumbled though a car like this on start-up is greatly reduced with a modern common-rail unit installed. The power delivery tends to be smoother too, with the engine responding more quickly to throttle inputs, even at low revs. This is because the best engines adapt their fuel injection patterns according to the driving situation, so more power can be generated when required and greater economy can be achieved when it isn’t.

The Ibiza runs on the Volkswagen Group’s advanced small car platform dubbed the ‘agile chassis’. It comes in the basic five-door bodystyle and as a three-door ‘Sports Coupe’ which looks lower leaner and meaner with design cues more obviously lifted from the Bocanegra concept car. The five-door is 80mm longer than the old Ibiza’s 3,970m and much bigger inside, while the 292-litres of boot space is very impressive for a supermini. The car also features a wider front and rear tracks to give it a foursquare, planted stance on the road while the body structure is extremely rigid to enhance the driving dynamics.

The interior of the Ibiza is an upmarket affair with some nice trim finishes and good amount