General Comments:

When I first saw a photo of the new Seat Ibiza and read the specifications, I knew that I had to have one! This car had everything I wanted. It is small enough for easy handling and parking, very economical, very nippy, eye-catching styling and even had a reasonable price ticket! The mechanics are made by Volkswagen which also means reliability.

Since I had the Ibiza TDi Sport delivered, I had absolutely no problems. It never ceases to put a smile on my face every time I am behind the wheel.

The suspension may a bit firm for many tastes, but I have grown used to it now. In fact, I find many other cars a bit soggy now with not enough feedback.

The vast amount of black plastic in the cabin is a bit dreary, but functional. The controls are well laid out with a feel of quality.

I have no doubt that SEAT will shortly be one of the major players in the motoring world with the range of exciting cars available and planned. Watch out for the new Seat Altea!

Faults:

The half leather seats are a little creased after limited use, probably down to previous owner (SEAT UK).

General Comments:

The 180BHP is outstanding, with excellent uptake of power in all gears.

The cornering capabilities are very good, with little body roll.

Very comfortable interior with all of the controls within easy view and reach.

The center console displays easy to read information for the trip computer, radio and climate control.

Although white, the dials are actually very subtle and the red back-light sets them off at night.

Mine is Ovni yellow, which I think is the best colour to show the true sports looks and it sets off the Seat branded OZ alloy wheels.

Excellent specification all round, and guests leave with a grin, complimenting its performance and good looks.

Faults:

The clutch disk got broken, I had to replace the whole clutch after 15000 kilometers. but that was my fault since I kept my leg on the clutch while driving in the previous few days.

General Comments:

Amazing. best driving experience I have ever had. the car speeds like a devil, and amazingly stable on tight turns.

Its absolutly fun to drive.

Faults:

Glove box handle broke at 1000 miles.

General Comments:

The car, in its basic form is pleasantly surprising. The performance of the TDi130 engine is well suited to a car of this type.

The fuel economy is excellent, I average 55mpg or more on most journeys.

The suspension, although a little to high for the car, is firm and reassuring.

The most disappointing thing I can say about this car is that the dash is made of a textured plastic which doesn't look very nice, although it seems very solid.

The overall ride and handling of the car is excellent and I am very pleased with this purchase.

The seats aren't as enveloping as you might expect from a sport model, but are fairly comfortable.

Boot space is limited, but in super-mini you can't expect estate sytle storage. the rear passengers have lots of room and the rear seats are very comfortable.

This is a very good car. I would recommend it highly.

Faults:

At about 3500km everything "died" when I tried to start the engine. I was really getting no response from the engine when I switched on the ignition. I had it checked out, but nothing came up (or at least, that's what they told me). Since then, everything works fine.

A few squeaky sounds coming from the driver's seat. Nothing annoying really.

General Comments:

If someone told me a few years ago, that a 1.4lt car could perform the way the Ibiza does, I would certainly not believe him.

Despite a slight reluctance of the gas pedal, since the engine reaches about 3500rpm, the Ibiza is really powerful and practically begs to be pushed to its limits.

As far as handling is concerned, this car behaves like a train on rails even with the TCS off. Absolutely stunning!

Braking with the Ibiza is also a lot of fun. After all, it is the only 1.4lt car out there with rear disk brakes, ABS and countless other brake assisting electronic goodies.

All in all, the 2002 Ibiza is great and can certainly handle more horsepower. An absolutely fantastic super-mini and the best in its League.