“Auto Bild” long-term test
Long-term tests are seen by many as the best way to scrutinise quality promises made by car-makers. The latest issue of German car magazine “Auto Bild” confirms what Ibiza drivers have already discovered: that their choice of the sporty Spanish bestseller was the right one in terms of repairs and durability as well as all its other attributes.
After a gruelling 103,445 kilometre test driving across Europe, repair costs totalled just EUR 4.58 – to replace a failed number plate light. “Auto Bild” has awarded the SEAT Ibiza 1.4 16V Sport an overall score of “1”, rating it “highly recommended”. This places the Ibiza in top spot in the “small car” test category, well ahead of its competitors.
At the end of the long-term test, as the “Auto Bild” testers noted: “The
SEAT Ibiza reached its final destination still with its first set of
brake discs and pads. It made no unscheduled workshop visits at all, and
its oil consumption was zero.” The assessment of the interior was also
outstanding: “The seats remained firm right to the end, with exemplary
side restraint, and retained such a high quality that, on disassembling
them, we thought someone must have sneaked in some new replacements
while we weren’t looking.” The engine performance was also highly
praised. According to the test report, it “not only coped brilliantly
with the marathon endurance test, but by the end had even improved its
performance and acceleration still further.”
SEAT offers its
best-selling supermini in three distinct body variants: the sporty
three-door Ibiza SC; the practical five-door Ibiza; and the roomy Ibiza
ST estate. In addition to the 1.4-litre 16V engine developing 63 kW (85
hp) tested by “Auto Bild”, customers can choose from a total of seven
petrol and four common-rail TDI diesel engines, with power outputs
ranging from 44 kW/60 hp to 132 kW/180 hp. Six equipment lines offer
sports and comfort features to meet all needs. With this latest – fourth
– generation of the Ibiza, SEAT is impressively building on the
bestseller’s outstanding success story. A winner of numerous car
magazine reader polls all around Europe, the new Ibiza was also awarded
the “Golden Steering Wheel 2008”. Its performance in the EuroNCAP crash
test was just as impressive, achieving a top, five-star, rating for its
exemplary occupant protection.
