Car Statistics: Seat - Ibiza Series 08 (3 stars)

Styling (4 stars)

Even in a class where a sense of style is becoming ever more obvious, the Ibiza has what it takes to stand out from the crowd. The five-door hatch is a very smart little thing in its own right, but buyers who value style above all else also have the option of the sharper still three-door Sport Coupe.

Handling (3 stars)

There's nothing fundamentally wrong with the way the Ibiza drives or goes round corners: it's grippy, stable and very safe. Trouble is, that's probably not quite what people want from a company that has been billed as the VW Group's equivalent of Alfa Romeo. You can't help feeling that there's a bit too much VW in this Seat, which doesn't feel terribly sporty or provide much in the way of feedback to the driver.

Comfort (3 stars)

You can sense that Seat has tried to give the Ibiza a sporty feel, but one of the side effects of that is to produce an uncomfortable ride. Even the base version seems to fidget nervously on the motorway, and down a typical British B-road it can verge on being genuinely uncomfortable.

Quality (4 stars)

In this respect, there is some obvious benefit from the VW Group's influence. The Ibiza is a really well built car that uses good-quality materials. All that stops it from gaining full marks here is that some of the early cars at least suffered from a few creaks and rattles.

Performance (4 stars)

At the top and bottom of the initial range, there are no complaints: the 1.2 does a perfectly good job for an entry-level car, and the 1.6 makes a decent stab at being a warm hatch. The one disappointment is the 1.4, which in our experience felt rather lacklustre, and not worth the extra money over the 1.2.

Roominess (4 stars)

The Ibiza goes straight to the top of the supermini charts for accommodation. It has plenty of space in the front for a couple of six-footers in the front, and while you might struggle to get another two in the back, you could certainly get four adults in this car. The boot, too, is an excellent size, and every version has folding rear seats (split on all but the basic S model).

Costs (4 stars)

The first three petrol models are reasonably fuel-efficient. All return more than 40mpg, with the 1.2 seeing 47.8mpg on the combined cycle. The entry model is also the cheapest to insure, in an impressive Group 2, but even the dearest 1.6 Sport model is only in Group 5.

Value (4 stars)

The Ibiza range starts off at a competitive price - just under £9,000 - but you will need to spend a bit more to get air-conditioning. However, across the range, the Ibiza rates well against its opposition, and even the most expensive model is not much more than £11,000. Options, too, are mostly well priced, with ESP (including a Hill Hold system and tyre-pressure monitoring) less than £300.

Stereo (4 stars)

Every model has a six-speaker radio/CD player that gives a decent sound, and you can specify a combined optional USB/iPod connection for less than £100. One of the neatest bits of design in the Ibiza is the optional cradle that you can specify to hold a Tom Tom sat-nav unit. This allows the portable unit to be mounted directly into the dash without leaving wires trailing all over the cabin.