New Seat Ibiza Sport Tourer Unveiled Ahead of Geneva Motor Show

Meet the all-new Seat Ibiza Sport Tourer or ST for short that was unveiled today ahead of its world premiere at the Geneva Motor Show in the beginning of March. The third member of the Ibiza family after the five-door and three-door (SC) models, is a subcompact estate and it will go on sale in most parts of Europe by early summer.

As anticipated, the production version of last year's Frankfurt Show IBZ study has lost all those edgy styling elements such as the hidden rear door handles and the sharper tail lamps that made the concept look so special.

On the outside, up until the C-pillar, the Ibiza ST appears to be identical to the hatchback model while from there aft, the styling brings to mind the Audi A3 Sportback.

Read more »

SEAT Announces 62.7mpg UK Ibiza FR TDI Diesel Models

The Volkswagen Group's seemingly sporty Spanish car brand is starting 2010 in the UK with the launch of the Ibiza FR TDI that will be available in both three-door SC and five-door body styles with prices starting at £16,465 RRP.

Available to order now at SEAT dealerships across the UK with deliveries set to begin in March, the diesel-powered extension to the Ibiza FR range boasts a four-cylinder turbocharged diesel pumping out 143 horsepower.

Linked as standard to a six-speed manual gearbox, the TDI accelerates the SC three-door hatch from 0 to 62mph (100km/h) in 8.2 seconds and on to a top speed of 130mph or 209km/h. The 5-door model's equivalent values are 8.3 seconds and 129mph.

The Ibiza FR hatch, which by the way, is faster than let's say (...) the JDM Honda CR-Z by about 1.5 seconds in the 0-100km/h sprint, records a combined fuel economy in the EU cycle of 62.7mpg UK that translates to 4.5lt/100km and 52.2mpg US, with an official CO2 figure of 119 g/km.

Both bodystyles come equipped with climate control, ESP with SEAT's new XDS electronic 'virtual' limited slip differential and FR detailing inside and out.