on my car suggests is a sporty
derivative and Seat have tweaked
and uprated the suspension and
steering to give it a more sporty feel.
It did not detract from the comfort
and handling aspect.
One feature that I was not
particularly enamoured with was
the amount of road noise that was
transmitted back in to the vehicle.
The tyres possibly were the reason
for it, also 17 inch wheels are never
really conducive to the driver/
passenger comfort but still it was
one of those features that that I
suppose you would have to learn to
live with.
The engine in my particular FR
derivative was a diminutive 1-litre or
999cc, a 3-cylinder derivative that
was producing an amazing 110bhp
but what most impressed me was
Seat has taken the brave step of
introducing their brilliant VAG DSG
7-speed gearbox. This would have
been unheard of a few years ago
to have a 7-speed auto in a 1-litre,
3-cylinder car, but trust me it works
and it was a delight to drive, no
discernible gear changes at all and
it always seemed to know where
and when to change gear.
Features associated with this small
engine vehicle are a 102g/km
for CO emissions which puts the
vehicle in to the very low Band
B for excise duty, they claim 64
mpg on the average figure and
I managed to achieve mid-50s
which I found to be excellent in the
amount of motorway and town
driving that I encountered during a
450 miles sojourn with the vehicle.
The vehicle would managed
to get to 62mph in a quite
respectable 9.3 seconds and a top
speed where legal is 122mph.
All in all the new Ibiza FR is a vehicle
that would give you economics
but will also enable you to have
the FR sporty looks and feel.
The cost of the basic vehicle will
be £16,640, however the very nice
people at Seat have introduced
several options to the vehicle
including a rear view camera
which really does make life a lot
easier and ally this to the rear
parking sensors, you now have a
vehicle that you can manoeuvre
in to the smallest and tiniest of
parking spaces and that has to be
a bonus.
Seat’s come with 12-months
road tax, a 3-year or 60,000 miles
mechanical warranty, 12-year body
warranty and a 2-year Seat service
mobility which is valid in over 30
countries in Europe and adjacent
countries.
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