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The Spanish-owned arm of Volks-wagen has treated the award-winning Ibiza, now in its fifth generation, and its compact SUV sibling, the Arona, to a mid-life refurb. Since its debut in 1984, the peppy little city car has amassed a serious following, especially among younger drivers, and has sold six million units. Keeping in mind its iconic status, the engineers at Martorell haven’t messed too much with the overall design, adding a new front bumper, new signature LED lights, super-snazzy rims and a revised interior. Another nice touch is the ambient lighting in the surrounds of the air vents, in mint or silver metallic You can certainly see influences from its more luxurious stablemate, Audi, with slimmer headlights that emphasise the car’s width; coupled with the mesh grille finished in either matt or piano black, it gives the little five-door an extra dollop of sportiness. That feeling continues inside, where the FR model now comes with bucket seats as standard, along with the black roof lining and chunky, three-spoke, flat-bottom steering wheel. Other styling cues from its German cousin include the FR logo laser-etched into the black door pillar and a new line up of 17- and 18-inch alloy wheels. Another nice touch is the ambient lighting in the surrounds of the air vents, which are available in mint or silver metallic. There’s also the option of a 10.25-inch digital cockpit with interchangeable displays further complemented by a 9.2-inch floating infotainment screen. Top-end models (style and FR) also get wireless charging, with a super-fast 15W (up from 5W) unit that’s also refrigerated to keep devices cool. It’s loaded with safety tech too, including active cruise control with emergency braking and driver-fatigue alert, lane assist, traffic-sign recognition and blind-spot warning. It retains its generous boot of 355 litres, while a double floor adds to its practicality. The Ibiza’s compact SUV sibling gets similar treatment with a slight facelift, updated interior and new colour combos. The biggest change can be seen at the front, where a heavily revised nose features the same sleek LED headlights, new hexagonal grille and new spotlights now nestled in the lower apron. The new offering gets exclusive new paint shades, including “liminal oniric” and “hypnotic”, that can be twinned with two new roof colours, midnight black and Manhattan grey. Inside, the seats get embossed fabric while the upper dash and doors are treated to soft-touch material. Both models come with a choice of three one-litre, three-cylinder engines with power output ranging from 80 to115bhp and with either a five- or six-speed manual gearbox or seven-speed DSG auto. We tested the meatiest of the three in the city car around the magnificent island of its namesake, and its refinement was certainly a match to the jaw-dropping scenery, especially around the coast. It cruised effortlessly from little village to hamlet, and even on the odd dual carriageway the Ibiza really is punching above its weight. Granted, on more mountainous roads the three-pot got a bit vocal, but a squeeze of the throttle and a couple of seamless gear changes remedied that. Thanks to the MacPherson suspension, it behaved impeccably and proved agile and nippy. Of the two models, we preferred the Arona, thanks to its elevated driving position and the feeling that you were wrapped in more metal, but drivers of a certain age won’t be able to resist the cheeky charm of the original. Prices for the Seat Ibiza start from €23,925, while the Arona starts from €28,175.
