Seat Ibiza
Ahead of the 2017 Geneva motor show world debut, SEAT has unveiled the All New SEAT Ibiza in Barcelona. The fifth-generation of the Spanish brand's high-selling supermini comes loaded with the latest technology features, outstanding dynamics, and impressive improvements in interior space and comfort.
Destined for UK showrooms in July 2017, the latest Ibiza ushers in all-new styling while preserving the same youthful, functional, sporty and comfortable spirit as always. And it does so with a fresh design that reflects the latest SEAT distinctive character by continuing the brand's DNA, but, with an edgier, sportier design, featuring more sculpted, accentuated and streamlined surfaces.
The All New SEAT Ibiza is a completely fresh model that was created with several very ambitious goals in mind: to move major steps forward in safety, design, performance and comfort. This huge advance in quality was achieved thanks to the new MQB A0 modular platform. The new SEAT Ibiza is the first Volkswagen Group model to use it, highlighting SEAT's importance within the Group and offering countless advantages.
Launched in 1984 for the first time, the Ibiza has become a SEAT icon. This car has been around the longest in the history of the brand and is its top-selling model, with over 5.4 million units sold. The Ibiza is one of the brand's three pillars, together with the Leon and Ateca, upon which SEAT will continue building its future success.
More compact, roomier, more efficient
The All New SEAT Ibiza has much improved interior roominess, plus, it is even safer and more robust. It is much wider by a notable 87mm, as well as two millimetres shorter and one lower than the previous model, but more than anything, the change in its dimensions conveys a powerful image of a car that hugs the ground.
The track is 60mm longer at the front axle and 48mm at the rear axle, while the distance between the axles is 2,564 millimetres, a 95mm increase. The result is a much more comfortable car, with the All New SEAT Ibiza being both roomier on the inside and larger on the outside. For example, leg room in the back seats has increased by 35mm, while head room has gone up by 24 mm in the front seats and 17mm in the rear. The seats are 42mm wider too, making the new SEAT Ibiza one of the best in its class in this area. The boot has also been enlarged by an impressive 63 litres, bringing its total capacity to 355 litres, making it best in class. The loading height has also been lowered, proof that SEAT knows how to combine design and functionality.
All of the engines available on the All New SEAT Ibiza comply with the Euro6 emissions standards and lead the way in performance, with outstanding features, durability and low emissions. There are three aluminium block and cylinder petrol engines to choose from. The first option is the three-cylinder 1.0 TSI with 95 or 115PS, along with a turbo-compressor, intercooler and direct injection. A new EVO 1.5 TSI unit will also be available in late 2017 with four cylinders and 150PS. Efficient 1.6 TDI diesel engines will come in 80 and 95PS guises in the UK. The gearboxes available are a manual five-speed transmission for the 95PS and lower engines and a six-speed transmission for the more powerful engines. A seven-speed dual-clutch DSG-auto gearbox will also be available.
The car's dynamic behaviour, ride quality and driving comfort are exceptional, thanks to the new MQB A0 platform and 30% greater torsional stiffness. The All New SEAT Ibiza will be solely offered with five doors, with a new design offering the sportier look of a three-door model. There have also been substantial leaps forward in terms of noise control, vibrations and ride harshness, allowing the All New SEAT Ibiza to offer the quality of much larger and luxurious cars. It's also agile in the city, efficient on B-roads roads and offers excellent comfort on longer journeys.
Four trim levels and the most advanced technology
The All New SEAT Ibiza will be offered in four trim levels at UK launch: S, SE, FR, plus, a new XCELLENCE version.
The FR trim comes with the most dynamic and technology focused equipment. Exclusive dynamic design elements have been specifically created for it such as a rear diffuser, exclusive front bumper and exterior black pack, plus, sport suspension. The FR trim includes a stiffer suspension and offers four mode settings, Comfort, Eco, Sport and Individual, to adapt to the driver's preferences or to the conditions on the road. The XCELLENCE trim will also offer this possibility later on, with a softer setting.
The new XCELLENCE trim meanwhile has been designed to appeal to customers looking for comfort, elegance and intelligent technology.
The interior ambient LED lighting for the FR and XCELLENCE versions comes in two colours, red and white. The use of LED technology for the interior and exterior lights is not an aesthetic whim either, as the LEDs offer much higher quality lighting while saving energy, thus yielding improved fuel economy. The full LED lights on the All New Ibiza (headlights, dashboard, indicators and rear fog lights) are new in its class.
The driving assistance systems built into the All New Ibiza include elements that, while already present in Leon and Ateca, are quite unusual in this class. Among its highlights are Front Assist, Adaptive Cruise Control, Keyless Entry System with heartbeat engine start button, a new generation of front and rear parking sensors and a rear view camera with a higher quality and precision reflected in a premium eight-inch touchscreen.
On the inside, one of Ibiza's most outstanding features is a wireless charger with GSM amplifier. In terms of connectivity, the All New Ibiza is also always on due to its seamless link up to Apple Car Play, Android Auto and Mirror Link. SEAT is committed to becoming a front runner in connected cars and developing new mobility solutions where the connected car enhances user experience, making it easier and more flexible. In an environment of disruptive changes, SEAT is eager to deal with the challenges posed by urban infrastructures, traffic systems and vehicles in cities, offering these technologies in most of its vehicles.
The New SEAT Ibiza presents a partnership with Beats audio sound system, a brand bringing energy, emotion and excitement that has changed the way people listen to music. It uses a digital signal processor (DSP), seven premium speakers and an eight-channel with 300W amplifier.
MQB A0 Platform
The latest technology from the Volkswagen Group, the MQB platform (Modular Quer Baukasten), allows higher manufacturing flexibility and robust implementation, as it supports different models. It also permits different body types within the same segment and different wheelbase configurations to be achieved from the same base platform. SEAT's investments and R&D expenditure in recent years were partially allocated to adapt Line One at its Martorell factory to the new MQB A0 platform, allowing it to be the first Volkswagen Group brand to use this technology.
The number of parts using Hot-Forming technology has been increased, and that contributes to reduced weight and increased rigidity, therefore improving performance and fuel economy. All New Ibiza will be built using 900 robots and more than 4000 welding points to guarantee its robustness. Spot welding combined with laser technology bring components together with a great result: a lightweight body with extreme structural stiffness.
Design: the next step in SEAT's DNA
After more than three decades on sale and its importance as SEAT's key pillar, the fifth generation of the Ibiza has been a significant challenge in terms of design. It had to be fresh and young, and yet, mature and balanced too. And this is how the new SEAT Ibiza stands out straight away; its perfect proportions, strong character and agile look. Its characteristic SEAT brushstrokes have not just been maintained, but taken to the next level, pushing the evolution of SEAT's design DNA. It just takes a glance to interpret what the designer sketched when creating it and see that this is the best design SEAT has ever come up with in the supermini segment.
At the front of the car, the triangular full LED headlights and daylight graphics make the new SEAT instantly recognisable. The badge is not only displayed proudly on the grille, but is also enhanced by two characterful lines on the bonnet. The x-shaped design gives great dynamism and visual stability.
The front and rear overhangs are very short, with the four wheels pushed out into the four corners All New Ibiza to make it stable, dynamic and sporty. The longer wheelbase and window outline accentuate the size of the new Ibiza, while the double blisters down the length of the car are typically SEAT, giving the car a more expressive, three-dimensional look. The bodywork has been carefully sculpted, combining sharp lines and smooth surfaces. Its new wheels, up to 18 inches in size and with two tones to choose from, give an elegant touch.
The rear of the car is also typical of the Ibiza. Its rear lights wrap around the car, interacting with the blisters at the rear, properly proportioned within a unique design and offering fantastic aerodynamic performance. The boot's strong lines and bumpers make the car appear wide and give the car an almost monolithic look, while the rear reflectors appear to bring the car closer to the ground. The FR trim comes with details that bring out its sporty character, such as the exhaust tips either side of the rear bumper. The XCELLENCE versions receive chrome details that emphasise their sophistication and refinement.
In terms of the interior, the same design steps have been adopted as those in the SEAT Leon and Ateca, but this time with a new vision for its design language. More tension, more technical and precise lines and lighter proportions have all been added in order to achieve a more elegant look and a greater level of perceived quality, while new materials have managed to safeguard its youthful and dynamic character. Structurally, a special emphasis has been put on its horizontal proportions in the assembly of its different functional areas, including the elevated console to improve ergonomic performance and safety. The aim was to achieve perfect proportions and a greater sense of space and comfort.
All of the controls and instruments are focused around the driver in the highest position possible to avoid the driver having to take his or her eyes off the road. Just as with the New Leon and Ateca, the start button is in the same place, to the left of the gearbox. Looking at the high level of quality in each and every detail of the All New SEAT Ibiza, one cannot help but think of models in higher categories, from the innumerable personalisation possibilities to the choice interior LED lighting colour, without forgetting of course the onboard technology, such as the eight-inch touchscreen and Full Link connectivity system. The interior is protected by an Air Care filter that isolates the occupants from any type of allergens, creating a completely contaminant-free space.
Its exciting design, dynamic behaviour and driving quality, the feeling of stability and reliability on the road, vastly improved interior quality, incredibly safe and easy-to-use technology, roomier interior, all combine to make the All New SEAT Ibiza a really attractive option and of course, at the best price.
