It’s hard to believe but the Seat Ibiza has been around in one form or another for over 25 years. Now in it’s fourth generation, a new green version of the car originally developed in partnership with Porsche has been built with the environment in mind.
If you have a head for figures, the Seat Ibiza Ecomotive 5DR 1.2 SE TDI COPA, or Eccomotive for short has some rather impressive statistics.
1: No road Tax – The car is in Insurance band A and that means your tax disc is free of Charge.
2: MPG – The Eccomotive we tried is capable of up to 92.1 miles per gallon. It’s average MPG is 80.7 and even on a bad day it is still 67.3mpg.
We had the car for a week and did over 200 miles in it and the tank was still three quaters full when it left. If you do a lot of miles over time that will save you a lot of money.
3: No congestion charge – Because it has one of the lowest emissions in the marketplace (92g/km). If you live in London you can travel into the centre without paying up to £12 to do so.
It’s energy efficient features are backed up with Start / Stop technology(the engine cuts out if you are stationary in neutral, saving fuel) and Low Rolling-Resistance Tyres which decrease your grip on the road a tiny bit, but as a pleasant consequence also slightly increase your driving pleasure.
As you might expect from a car designed by someone who also works for Lamborghini it’s one of the sexier cars in the leisure centre car park.
From the outside the car is very cool.. The ‘crease’ along the side is reminiscent of a Picasso Cubism Portrait crossed with and a paper aeroplane…. on wheels..
Inside though things are more functional than luxurious. The dashboard is simple and well laid out and everything is in easy reach, the trim is slightly plasticky, but the seats are solid and the driving position is excellent. As you might expect the Air-Con is superb while the stereo has got some real oomph too.
Although there is plenty of room in the front, things get a bit cramped at the back especially if you are on the tall side. As some compensation there is a good size boot and the back seats fold down flat for extra storage should you get carried away in IKEA.
[nggallery id=60]Out on the road I found the suspension to be smooth, and not hard as other Seats I have driven, the growly diesel engine is a bit noisy at high speeds, but it’s a nice growl….like a friendly Alien bear might sound if you ever met one.
In order to accommodate all of it’s ‘green’ features the Ecomotive does lose some of the excitement normally expected when you put your foot down in a regular Ibiza, but it’s a very comfortable drive and with only a few minor quibbles, this car proves you can take your environmental responsibilities seriously without having to be boring.
Prices start from £13,490 more info visit www.seat.co.uk