SEAT Ibiza Ecomotive Review

Posted: 08 May 2008 by Paul Clarke

It all sounds generally agreeable so far, so what are the downsides? Well, the economy comes at a price -- and that price is noise. As with the Polo, the soundproofing has been taken out in order to make the SEAT lighter and more economical. This makes the Ibiza sound like an old tractor when accelerating, albeit a slightly racy one.

Another thing that SEAT has done to squeeze out maximum miles per gallon is fiddle with the gear ratios. Third, fourth and fifth have all been lengthened. This means that in fifth gear at anything but motorway speeds, you run the risk of stalling the car, as you'll probably only be doing around 1,000 revs.

One more sacrifice in the interest of economy is the tyres, which are a low-rolling-resistance variety. So although the Ibiza handles really well, the tyres don't have much traction. It's a strange one to sacrifice in the name of economy, actually, since grippy tyres means better performance and fuel economy.

What would our suggestions be to improve the Ibiza Ecomotive? Besides fitting some grippy tyres, keep the soundproofing and to offset the resulting emissions increase, use stop/start technology. Oh, and also fit a miles per gallon readout on the dash -- it should be essential for all cars. While we're at it, throw in a nicer steering wheel, too.

But despite these potential improvements, this car's fun to drive, cheap to buy and cheap to run. The Ibiza definitely gets our thumbs up.