Seat Ibiza facelift – new 3-cylinder and ACT engines

The Seat Ibiza supermini, which goes up against the Ford Fiesta, Opel/Vauxhall Corsa, Renault Clio, Peugeot 208 and platform-mate Volkswagen Polo Mk5 in Europe, has received a facelift that’s mild in terms of visual changes, but runs deep under the skin.

Looks wise, mods are limited to new headlamps with LED daytime running lights, new wheel designs in 16 and 17 inches and two new exterior colours – Moonstone Grey and Chilli Red. The Ibiza continues to be available in three-door SC (Sport Coupe), five-door hatchback and ST (Sport Tourer) estate variants.

A new range of petrol and TDI engines power the Ibiza. The entry-level petrol is a 1.0 litre three-cylinder with 75 PS in naturally aspirated form and 95 PS/160 Nm or 110 PS/200 Nm as a TSI turbo unit.

There’s also a four-cylinder 1.4 TSI ACT with active cylinder management. 150 PS and 250 Nm means it’s no slouch, but cylinder deactivation under partial load limits fuel consumption to just 4.8 litres per 100 km. But the petrol economy champ is the 1.0 TSI Ecomotive that’s good for 4.1 litres per 100 km and C02 emissions of just 94 g/km.

Among the new three-cylinder diesels, the 1.4 TDI with 75 PS achieves fuel consumption of 3.4 litres per 100 km. None of the other TDI units, with 90 PS or 105 PS, consume more than 3.8 litres per 100 km. All are Euro 6 compliant and have auto start-stop. The 110 PS TSI and 90 PS TDI can be had with Volkswagen Group’s seven-speed DSG dual-clutch gearbox.

Engines aside, the drive has been refined with speed-sensitive electric steering (replacing hydraulic power assistance) and retuned springs, dampers and anti-roll bars for better comfort. There’s also the optional Seat Drive Profile adaptive damping with Comfort/Sport selector switch, which also influences power steering assistance.

The all-new dashboard features Seat’s second-gen Easy Connect infotainment system. The new MediaSystem plus and the Navi System can be enhanced with MirrorLink, which lets one use mobile phone functions and apps safely inside the vehicle via Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Seat has also announced a partnership with Samsung to develop tech solutions for total connectivity across Seat’s range.

On the options list is Seat Sound System, which throws in six speakers, a ten-litre bass box in the boot, an additional amplifier and individual setting options in the sound menu.

For an individualised Ibiza, Colour Packs lets one choose from Bismuth (a shade of brown), Velvet (a rich purple), red, grey, white, black and blue for interior and exterior parts. Colour-changeable items include the radiator grille border, door mirror caps, air vent bezels, detailing on the steering wheel and gear lever and coloured stripes set into the seat backrests.

Looking to sell your car? Sell it with Carro.