New SEAT Ibiza 2021 facelift on sale from £16,945
The updated SEAT Ibiza is available to order now, sporting a few styling tweaks and a completely redesigned cabin
The facelifted SEAT Ibiza is on sale in the UK now. Prices for the updated supermini start from £16,945 – and it features a host of technology improvements together with some minor styling revisions designed to keep it competitive with the likes of the Ford Fiesta and Hyundai i20.
Buyers can choose from six trim-levels – SE, SE Technology, FR, FR Sport, Xcellence and Xcellence Lux. The cheapest model comes as standard with 15-inch alloy wheels, automatic LED headlights, electrically adjustable door mirrors and driver assistance technology such as cruise control, autonomous emergency braking and lane assist.
Inside, there’s a leather multifunction steering wheel, air conditioning, a USB-C port and chrome interior trim. The old car’s centre-mounted infotainment systems have also been replaced by a pair of floating-style units, measuring either 8.25 inches on the SE model or 9.2 inches for SE Technology variants and up.
Prices for the Ibiza SE Technology start from £17,875. Upgrades over the base-model include 16-inch alloy wheels, voice control and the larger 9.2-inch infotainment system. Buyers also get SEAT Connect thrown in as part of the package, which adds live traffic information, a petrol station locator and map updates for 12 months.
Upgrades for the sporty SEAT Ibiza FR include 17-inch alloy wheels, sports suspension, electrically adjustable and heated door mirrors, an engine immobiliser and rain-sensing wipers. There’s also a host of cosmetic tweaks such as black window surrounds, rear privacy glass, twin exhausts and a larger tailgate spoiler.
Inside, the FR gets sports seats, dual-zone climate control and red interior ambient lighting. DSG equipped models also get paddle shifters on the steering wheel, while a traffic sign recognition system can be specified as an optional extra. Prices start from £19,285.
The slightly more generously equipped Ibiza FR Sport is priced from £20,140. Upgrades over the FR model include 18-inch alloy wheels and a few extras for the interior, such as a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster, comfort seats trimmed in black microsuede upholstery and storage pockets on the front seat backs.
SEAT’s comfort-focussed Ibiza Xcellence starts from £19,500. It comes with 17-inch alloy wheels, rear parking sensors, keyless go, burgundy air vents and an armrest between the front seats. The FR’s sporty black styling pack is swapped for a chrome alternative, while its sports suspension system is switched for a softer setup.
Prices for the flagship Xcellence Lux variant start from £20,350, for which buyers get adaptive cruise control, high-beam assist, a digital instrument cluster and a rear-view camera with front and rear parking sensors. SEAT also includes its traffic sign recognition system as standard.
SEAT offers a choice of three warranties on the updated Ibiza. The standard option runs for three years/60,000 miles, but buyers can choose to upgrade this to either four years/75,000 miles or five years/90,000 miles for an extra £165 or £285 respectively.
New 2021 SEAT Ibiza: engines and drivetrains
Like on the old car, there’s a trio of 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol engines to choose from with the revised Ibiza. The entry-level naturally aspirated 79bhp unit and turbocharged 94bhp unit are unchanged, although the former engine isn’t available from launch.
Both engines come with a five-speed manual gearbox as standard, while the 94bhp model has claimed economy figures of between 47.9 and 54.3mpg depending on the specification. Details on the naturally aspirated 1.0-litre petrol will be announced later this year.
The Ibiza’s more powerful turbocharged 1.0-litre engine also returns, but it now produces 5bhp less than before with an output of 108bhp and 200Nm of torque. It’s only available on FR models and up, and can be paired with either a six-speed manual gearbox or a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic.
Fuel economy for the unit stands between 48.7 and 52.3mpg for manual cars and is 44.1 to 48.7mpg for automatic models. CO2 emissions follow the same trend, with manual models mustering between 123 and 124g/km and automatics managing between 132 and 133g/km.
New 2021 SEAT Ibiza: facelift updates
Exterior styling changes for the updated Ibiza are few and far between. Buyers can choose from two new paint colours (Sapphire Blue and Asphalt Blue), while a new SEAT badge features on the car’s radiator grille. There’s also a new “Ibiza” nameplate on the hatchback’s tailgate, finished in the same handwritten script as the latest Leon.
SEAT has introduced three new alloy wheel designs as part of the update. There’s two new 17-inch options for the supermini’s FR, Xcellence and Xcellence Lux trims, and one new 18-inch option for the FR Sport specification.
The rest of SEAT’s revisions are limited to equipment upgrades. Every version of the Ibiza now comes with LED headlights as standard, with SE and SE Technology models receiving the firm’s Eco LED lamps, and FR models upwards getting SEAT’s full LED units.
Revisions for the Ibiza’s interior are more noticeable, primarily because of the new floating infotainment systems and 10.25-inch digital gauge cluster. Some new air vents occupy the space left by the old infotainment screens, and SEAT has retrimmed the rest of the dashboard in a softer touch plastic.
The new infotainment systems have brought a host of technology updates with them, such as wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and a new voice recognition system. The latter system is activated using the voice command “Hola Hola” and allows the driver to enter navigation instructions or search for music without taking their eyes off the road.
Elsewhere in the cabin, SEAT has equipped some new LED ambient lighting, with the driver and passenger air vents now lighting up with a specific colour depending on the trim-level. SE models get honey-coloured lighting, and FR and Xcellence variants get red or burgundy lights.
SEAT has also fitted an eSIM to the Ibiza, meaning it now supports the firm’s SEAT Connect smartphone app. The system allows drivers to remotely lock and unlock the car’s doors, as well as check its fuel level and parking location. There’s also a function which activates the car’s horn and hazards, so the owner can find their car more quickly in a busy car park.
Buyers get some extra safety equipment, too, such as lane assist, traffic sign recognition, high-beam assist and side assist, which warns the driver when a vehicle gets within 70 metres of the car’s blind spots.
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