Louth Motors: The Familiar Seat Ibiza Remains Firm and Fantastic
Those design changes are slimmer headlights, eyebrow DLRs, new grille, and lower bumper
The new 2026 Seat Ibiza hasn’t strayed far from the outgoing model and for good reason. It’s one of the sharpest looking superminis on sale. It is instantly attractive and I still rate its looks 9 years after it was first released. Why we are tempted by the higher SUV equivalents is a complete mystery to me when these cars are excellently designed for our needs already. This 2026 model is the second facelift the Ibiza has been given with the logic being they have a very decent car to start with.
Those design changes are slimmer headlights, eyebrow DLRs, new grille, and lower bumper. Seat have darkened the badge at the back, revised the bumper, cool detailing on the B-Pillar, a new palette of colours and wheels. It sounds like a lot but the reality is that the car is basically the same and Seat have not made any changes to the engine line up or the performance from them. It feels like a new overnight iPhone update that gives improvements (not fixes) that few will notice or look up but be simply assured that they are better than what was there before.
I had the FR model and truth be told I was hoping for a manual gearbox that would save you nearly €2k over the DSG automatic gearbox. That’s because I am all automatic’d out as every new car I get is one. And looks like everyone wants one when a new car is being bought with just 20% of new cars sold being manual so far this year. That’s just 1 in 5! For some models there is no manual option but the cars of the future, the near future indeed, is looking like they will all be automatic. Which is a shame as there is some joy to be found balancing power, gear and turn perfectly. It feels like I’m lamenting the change from a horse to a car but the change is quite seismic.
That DSG gearbox in the Ibiza is a beautiful unit and proves so by not attracting any negative attention whilst driving. It just gets on with trying to have you in the right gear all the time. There is a sporty option on the gearbox and steering wheel paddles. You also get driving modes to choose from that covers all the styles you’d need. The Ibiza shares the exact same chassis, engine and gearbox as its cousins the Skoda Fabia and the VW Polo. Fun fact. Of the three cars the Ibiza – the sportier choice is slower to 100km/h than the Polo and Fabia. It’s an unnoticeable 0.2 or 0.2 of a second but it doesn’t have the bragging rights as being the fastest. The Fabia is quicker and in a like for like specification comparison cheaper. That was a surprise but not a game changer.
What wasn’t a surprise was the handling. I was smitten by it 9 years ago and remain so today. It has that sporty stiffness but not excessively so. The steering response is sharp with hardly a hint of body roll if you turn quickly. It feels like it will never let you down which makes you more relaxed and makes for a much more enjoyable ride. The cabin noise from any sporty driving is louder than the cousins and that I understand is on purpose to mirror the sporty setup in the car. I really enjoyed every drive in this car and just wished I’d have asked for the manual. That’s a lesson learned for me.
Sit inside and you immediately get the feeling that this is a quality cabin. Everything looks and feels good and has a lasting air about it. It’s not ground breaking or ultra modern but I think a lot of buyers actually like that. Seat gives you a few more buttons than others and has resisted going all menus and touch and I applaud that. The software was glitch free for me and was intuitive to use. I think smartphone mirroring has made all this a lot easier on a daily basis and Seat gives you an actual physical button to swap between the car’s infotainment and, say, Apple CarPlay for easy transition.
It’s spacious and like its brother the Arona is of a size that suits anyone needing 4 or less seats. The boot is 355l and very usable. Rear legroom is fine without much complaint. Visibility is excellent and the Ibiza would be an ideal first car / young family car.
There are 4 trim levels, 3 engines and manual (woohoo) and DSG options available. Pricing starts at €25,440 for the 80hp model. I think realistically the TSI engines (95/115hp) are the better choices and then it’s up to you to pick the gearbox.
It’s nice to see that a car that was so good remains so only with subtle augmentation. It’s a sporty all-rounder that has huge appeal for all drivers and not just from the younger driver it is aimed at.