2005 Seat Ibiza Cupra TDi review from UK and Ireland

I have had the car now for about a month, and the only problem I have had is the starter motor went, which I believe can be common problem with the Seats and some VW models.

As I have said, I have had the car for about a month, and have been very impressed with all aspects of it. It's seriously fast and very responsive. The 160bhp delivers a massive surge every time you hit 2000rpm.

The handling and brakes again are very good, which is what I would expect from the large Brembo brake calipers.

The cabin is very smart and very easy to use, and the seats again are very comfortable. I have driven the car for 3 hours at a time, and have not ached once.

The ride quality is very firm giving great handling but a hard ride. Due to the low profile tyres, you do get some road noise, but I can live with it as a compromise for the performance.

I can't express enough how impressed I am with the performance. I have managed to get 140mph and I'm sure that the 0-60 time of 7.6 is faster. I have a friend with an 04 Civic Type R, and he was shocked at how fast the Cupra is, and was a bit disheartened when he didn't wipe the floor with me!!! OF course he pulled away from me, but there didn't seem 37 bhp difference.

I have had lots occasions when BMW 330Ds and 530Ds pull beside me, and think they're going to blow me away, which hasn't been the case when they've been eating my exhaust fumes. LOL.

I get an average mpg of about 40 day to day driving, but I do enjoy the car. On a run up to Leeds from Brum, I managed to get 53mpg averaging 70mph, which dropped to only 46 when averaging 85mph, happy days.

Finally, it's a great little car and I would recommend it over the petrol version due to all round performance and economy.