Seat Ibiza 1.5 TSI DSG FR Plus (A) Review

The good-looking Seat Ibiza has been one of our favourite small-engine superminis - with the previous variant sporting a minute but punchy 1.0-litre three-cylinder powerplant. And it had a taut chassis, snappy gearbox, and a rather precise steering to match the go with its show.

Now, the compact hatchback comes in a 1.5-litre in-line four pot guise that will allow you to ramp up on the power without compromising much on the fuel economy or refinement. Can it match up to its competitors?

Standing out from the mainstream crowd

The car you see here goes head-to-head with popular favourites like the Ford Fiesta, Honda Jazz, Suzuki Swift, Skoda Scala as well as the Volkswagen Polo. And like the latter two, this fifth generation Ibiza is also based on the Volkswagen Group's MQB A0 platform.

That's to say the car is certainly well-pitched in terms of handling and driveability. Yes, the biggest change here is the larger engine capacity, where the 148bhp and 250Nm of torque can now see to the car's century sprint timing improve by over a second to 8.2 seconds (1.0-litre variant was 9.5 seconds).

But the highlight of the Ibiza remains to be the predominantly present taut setup and accurate steering, which allow you to carve every corner with little roll and a great deal of confidence and fun. As such, it's easy to overlook the fact that the steering lacks communication.

Around town, where pockmarked roads are more commonplace, the car still manages to deal with them in its stride, sending little to no vibrations to the cabin. Even at high-speed driving, the car remains unfazed by external noises.

Sitting in one of the best places

This has to do with the well-insulated and modern-looking cabin that's one of the nicest in its class. In here, our test car comes with a fully digital instrument cluster and a crisp 8.0-inch infotainment system that won't look out of place in a car one class above it.

Elsewhere, you get sufficient space for three Singaporean adults at the back while the reasonable 355-litre boot space should have no qualms accommodating to your weekly family needs and wants.

Staring at one of the most appealing superminis

In all, the Seat Ibiza is an all-rounder that's hard to fault. At $134,088 (as of 16 June 2022), this compact hatchback is hard to beat. While it's not the most affordable in its class, you're essentially getting a lot of car for the price you're paying.

From premium features like adaptive cruise control and modern tech like digital cockpit to well-rounded driving dynamics and handsome good looks, indeed the Seat Ibiza makes for an easy and logical choice.
 
 
Looking for a compact hatchback? Here are some other options you can consider:

The efficiency Suzuki Swift meets agility in a little package

Ford Fiesta is a small car with a big heart

The new Honda Jazz embraces hybrid choices

The Skoda Scala is a mighty fine hatch

The new Volkswagen Polo is a complete supermini

Want to catch more of this supermini? Catch us in our video review as well!