SEAT Ibiza FR Car Review

Facts At A Glance
Car: SEAT Ibiza FR
Prices: £14,995 – on the road
Insurance Group: 14 [est]
Emissions: 146g/km
Performance: 0-60mph 7.7s / top speed 130mph
Fuel Consumption: (combined) 44mpg
Safety: Twin front and side airbags, seatbelt pre-tensioners, ABS, ESP
Dimensions: Length/width/heightmm 4034/1693/1428

FR FROM THE CRAZY CROWD

Our Rating: 7.6 / 10

SEAT’s hot hatch range is looking particularly high tech these days. Steve Walker reports on the Ibiza FR.

Sometimes the car at the very pinnacle of a model range isn’t the best. In fact, it’s very often the case that as the engines get more powerful, high-tech gadgets are thrown in and luxurious add-ons are applied, the actual value proposition takes a turn for the worse. There will always be those who will settle for nothing less than the ultimate model in any given range but they’ll never get a sniff of unsung heroes like the SEAT Ibiza FR.

In the SEAT trim designation system, the FR models play second fiddle to the Cupra range-toppers. The Cupra is the hot hatch and the FR is merely warm by comparison but next to your common or garden supermini, an FR Ibiza will still seem extremely lively. SEAT is a brand that really pushes its sporty side. That’s the line it’s been instructed to tow by its Volkswagen Group paymasters, so the high performance Cupra models are vital for the attention and publicity they generate. At a more accessible price but still with much of the Cupra flavor, the FR tends to account for a larger proportion of actual sales.

Today’s Ibiza FR is a car that cosies up very close to the cutting edge of production vehicle design. Not only is it a SEAT Ibiza, one of the first cars to buck the trend for increasingly large and heavy superminis, it also packs one of the most advanced and intriguing engine and gearbox combinations you’ll find anywhere. A 1.4-litre engine in a supermini sounds dull but the supercharged and turbocharged engine in the Ibiza FR is anything but. It’s a de-tuned version of the 178bhp unit that powers the Cupra, with 148bhp at its disposal. It’s enough to get the FR through the 0-60mph trial in 7.7s, just 0.5s down on the Cupra, and on to a 130mph top speed. It’s also mated to the seven-speed Volkswagen DSG twin-clutch gearbox. This is the same transmission found on various Audi models and it features wheel-mounted paddle shifters so you can prompt its super-fast shifting like a Formula 1 hero.

The twin-charger engine in the FR uses a supercharger to increase power and sharpen response at low engine speeds before the turbo kicks in higher up in the rev range. The result is a smooth flow of power and an ultra-flat torque curve that shows the car generating its 220Nm maximum shove from 2,000rpm all the way up to 4,500rpm. The DSG gearbox is equally clever. It uses computer technology to predict the next gear the driver is likely to select and pre-engage it with the second of its two clutches so that an almost instantaneous gear shift occurs when the driver gives the nod. Of course, you can also slot it into automatic mode and let the software figure things out for itself. Either way, it comes across as a seriously slick piece of technology.

The FR is based around the Ibiza’s three-door bodystyle that’s dubbed Sports Coupe in recognition of its rakish lines and sporty stance. To this framework, the FR adds sports bumpers at the front and rear ends, 17" alloy wheels and an upgraded interior that includes sports seats along with various trim enhancements. The Ibiza runs on the Volkswagen Group’s latest small car platform dubbed the ‘agile chassis’. The car 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 upgrades to the interior of the FR are welcome as in the standard models, the Ibiza’s cabin doesn’t really have the wow-factor of the exterior lines, despite being very well put together. This isn’t one of the roomier superminis around at the moment but the Ibiza three-door does leave the practical stuff to the five-door car, so it’s free to focus on looking good. In practice, there’s space for a couple of rear seat occupants on short journeys and the boot is reasonable but not spectacular in size.

SEAT is rightly proud of the twin-charger engine and DSG gearbox in the Ibiza FR but that is by no means the extent of the car’s technologic