1.0 TSI 115ps FR 5dr Hatchback

VW Polo for people who think they're smarter than Polo owners

The Seat Ibiza is the biggest sign of proof that Seat aren't just going to be the punching bag when it comes to the VW group part bin, grimacing while churning out Toledo's for the taxi drivers of small towns up and down the country. This is a good car in its own right, not just as an extension of being on the MBQ platform.

My car is the FR trim with a whole 115 ps'es (or 113 brake in old, non-German money). What spoke to me about the trim is not anything on the spec sheet, but that it had little badges in the grille and on the back to give the impersonation of being a hot hatch, but without the car park cruise vibes and insurance. That doesn't mean that the car can't shift. The driver select modes to give you more sensation in the response of the engine and steering when it's in sport, and normal is subdue enough for when you're driving home from work, thinking about what you'll have for tea. Eco is horrible though, and my average economy dropped because I had to work the engine harder. What it mainly offers, especially if you're coming from [insert generic small petrol hatchback here] is the in-gear pull from having the torque low down thanks to the turbo.

Handling is assured and flat, but without giving the feeling of manic and contorting pulling like other hatchbacks in this class. The gearbox and pedals are slick and light, in a very engineered way and the windows are quite big compared to some letterbox views you get out the of rear window of other cars. The FR rides on "sports" "suspension", so this does aid in the experience of driving the car, but also means you'll feel road imperfections more (and if that will bother you, just get some kind of crossover and never feel anything).

The inside is dominated by a huge touchscreen that works like your phone, i.e. really well. Now I understand that car manufactures would blow up an orphanage to save 30p per vehicle, but this infotainment screen is what you should expect from a modern car: glass panel, touch sensitive shortcuts and enough resolution and speed so you're not driving one handed at all times. The car also feels quite large inside, helped by having a defined central tunnel between the driver and passenger, unlike in a lot of small cars where all the driver's cubby spaces are bolted to the floor and the gear stick protrudes out of the carpet like a old Transit transmission.

The back has enough room for a couple of people with appendages, but you are given keep fit windows in the back. And this brings me onto some of the stuff that isn't standard on a "fairly high spec but not top top spec" car. You don't get parking sensors or a camera, or climate control. Only the X-gon give it to ya-ellence trim gets those as standard. It even withholds an armrest from you. The reason for these omissions I think is because a Polo R-Line with the same engine has these as standard, and you've got to pay three grand more for the privilege of putting all the windows down from the driver's seat.

The optional extras that my car has are the sports seats, which are fake suede with fake leather, and I highly recommend them over the standard seats, which look like they came straight of out an MG 3. Sadly you need to go to FR Sport if you want them on a new car now. They have the right amount of bolstering and hold to live with everyday. It also has the Beats sound system, with a wheel-shaped subwoofer in the boot. You'll need to adjust the mixer but you can easily get the back window to shake and to develop tinnitus if you're ASBO enough to do so (which I am).

Is the Seat Ibiza good value? Yes, such is the tagline of this review. The latest troupe of VW group superminis have grown so much in terms of equipment, refinement and occupant space, it now threatens the class above. The Ibiza is a mature car with quantitative measure of excellence, but still has some character to make you feel like you're not driving the same car as almost two dozen others sold across various brands. Quirky can be fun, but you have to live with it quirky for the length of your PCP. Skoda's are for people who wear fleeces and go to garden centres, and Kia's are for people who genuinely loathe driving. The Ibiza is the in to the best platform at a lower price, and with superminis coming in at £20k all in now, getting the best value for your money is imperative. It looks good, it drives well enough and there's enough infotainment to shake an iPhone at.

But you'll probably overlook it, because it's a weird Spanish Polo.

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