Seat Ibiza (1999 on)

According to the nice salesperson at my – fairly – local SEAT dealership, this year the SEAT has, for the first time ever, outsold Volkswagen in Germany. Here in the UK they are lucky to get a 5% market-share and are still considered ‘exotic’. To me the SEAT has never been ‘exotic’. My mother owned two SEATs before she had to give up driving due to deteriorating health. The SEAT range comprises a number of Superminis and larger family cars. One of the best known of them all is probably the Ibiza – voted Supermini of the year three years running (What Car? Magazine 2003-2005). SEAT cars are generally named after Spanish places (Toledo, Cordoba) as ...

~ ~ This car from Spanish car manufacturers Seat is one of the most stylish and exciting to drive in the “supermini” class of vehicles. It’s hard to believe that the Seat Ibiza has been around now for seventeen years, the very first rolling off the production line as far back as April, 1984. Since then over 2.5 million Ibiza’s have been produced at Seat’s ultra-modern factory in Martorell, which is the largest manufacturing plant in the whole of Spain, and the second largest passenger vehicle factory in the whole of Europe. ~ ~ Ever since the very first version hit the streets all those years ago, the Ibiza has enjoyed a ...

Okay, okay. I know it was very naughty, and maybe I shouldn't have succumbed to temptation but I did take, what I thought to be, proper precautions - honest! But it was that feeling, the familiar urge. I just had to do it. I couldn't resist. I was on a motorway, the road was empty, so I gently squeezed my foot on the accelerator until ... zzoooommmm ... I topped 100 mph. I had a silent(ish) whoop and then slowed down to seventy again with a big, ear to ear, grin on my face. Oh come on, you'd have done the same, wouldn't you? I mean if the brochure says it does over a ton you've got to make sure they aren't telling ...