Courtesy Car: 12v 1.2 Ibiza '03

[dangel]

Just dropped off my car at marshalls for three days whilst they paint it, fix it and generally put loads of stuff right..

Was supposed to get a 1.6s Leon but they'd sold it (after telling me to sort out insurance for it, which i'm now trying to refund) and so ended up with a new shape Ibiza.

First impressions aren't good tbh! First thing that struck me was how poor the brakes are, i guess i'm used to a lot better - but you really gotta stamp on them and even then it feels a little unsafe. The engine is very noisy - no, i mean VERY - i've driven quieter diesels. It goes, but that's about all you could say about it. Driving position feels like being in a van compared to the leon - headroom is limited and you feel like your sitting very high up on the road. Interior plastics leave a lot to be desired and the seats are too small for my (average) frame IMHO - again, i'm used to better. Controls seem a little odd - it seems things are angled *away* from you - the lighting controls look to be pointing downward, odd given the upright seating position.

But it has aircon, which works and a cd player in there somewhere. Reach and rake on steering a big plus.

It's only the brakes that significantly worry me tho..

 

[mark sheerin]

So do you think the guy who had his M5 in for a service would complain about the brakes on a 316 compact?..

Actually .. its a big issue of mine...

the cheaper cars that are generally used as second car family runabouts for the wifey with the shopping and the schoolrun should have brakes the equal of the top sports model considering the importance to me of the people (my family) who are using it.

Life shouldn't be compromised based purely on money...

after all do the cheaper cars have an airbag in the steering wheel thats inferior to the sports model...NO..

so why the sh1t brakes....?????

 

[dangel]

...exactly. Was thinking of one of these or the arosa for the wife when she starts driving. But not with those brakes - it felt dangerous imho. Still i suppose you could budget for brembos

I want a small but VERY safe car for her!

 

[Tom B]

The lack of ABS most probably.

I used to get a 1.0 Arosa and I hated it. The brakes compared to mine were awful and it had the most lifeless and most horrible gearbox in the world. No offence to any owners out there but I truly hated it.

Have you tried adjusting the height of the seat? There should be a pump lever on the right hand side by the door, keep pushing it down and you should be OK (if one's there)

What you have to remember is that dealers give you the lowest model cars with no options at all to keep the costs down. The next Ibiza model has ABS as standard and it's not much more.

 

[Rage]

The spec difference from the S to the SE is huge. Sure you still get the crappy plastic dashboard, but I think you get climate control and a whole binch of extra safety features.


As much as I hate to recommend a Renault the Megane is the only small hatch to obtain 5 stars in the NCAP tests.

Suprisingly the 1.2 base model ibiza gained 4 stars so whilst stopping may not be great, at least your safe when you do hit the guy in front.

 

[dangel]

Can't see ABS making much difference, except where the wheels lock up. The problem is one of lack of braking force, even under relatively nominal braking it just 'feels' lacking. Then again i'm used to huge brakes and pagids
I'll take it on the A14 later and thrash the bugger.

 

[Dormouse]

I liked the 1.2 Ibiza TBH, for the level it's aimed at yuo get quite alot of car and the engine compared to other makes 1.2's or even 1.4's is great!

Life shouldn't be compromised based purely on money...

I agree, Call it Greed or Capitalism if you want
but that's how life works in this world. Up the revolution!...now where's my 5 year plan?

Dor.

 

[whelme]

The ones I've had have been OK brakewise, maybe it's just yours. 3 cylinder engine is noisey and gutless, but designed for a market, which isn't ours. I prefer the MK3 Ibiza at the moment. Had a Mazda 323 last time from my dealer and it was loads better IMO. Tim, go to Garneys and Hill in Bury and get a better car (if you're lucky)

 

[dangel]

Wayne - would go out to bury but Marshalls is damn near my work so makes it annoyingly easy!

Hey it's a car, it's got a cold air blower - i can't complain for three days of commuting it'll be fine
Just giving my thoughts on it twas all. I must get out in a TDI 130 for a fair assessment of the ibiza!

 

[Hindey]

Originally posted by toXXin
it had the most lifeless and most horrible gearbox in the world.

You've never driven a Corsa have you?

I always thought the breaks on my Arosa 1.0 were alright.

If you're after a supermini with AMAZING brakes, the Citroen C3 is the one for you. The brakes on the 1.4i I drove were phenomenal, and I'm not just comparing them to my 1.0 Arosa either; they were truly excellent for the spec of the car.

 

[muddyboots]

You managed to get an Ibiza courtesy car ?

Pah !

I'm into week 3 of driving the Arosa 1.0 base model from Autoworld in Chesterfield.
The 2 hottest weeks of the year and I'm stuck in a sardine tin with no aircon (or brakes, or power for that matter !)
Not the best car to commute 500 miles/week in. It uses more fuel than my chipped Ibiza 130 . It takes 17secs to get to 60... And yes, the brakes really are shite.

 

[Snoopstah]

Teach you to go to Chesterfield

They seem to like having cars for three weeks - they had mine in for three weeks, when they crashed it, and then a couple more, trying to fix the engine check light. And still failed.

My broken-down Cupra is now at the dealer I bought it from, courtesy of the AA, and I've got a Skoda Fabia 1.9TDI, with aircon and most modcons. The brakes are very quick to bite - I keep banging my nose on the windscreen!

 

[BLKCPR]

I must admit I picked up an Ibiza 1.2 today while my Leon R is in for some warranty work, a little bit of a shock when it came to joining the motorway, but at the end of the day it's the base model.

 

[Garth]

I had a 1.2 12v Ibiza last week as a couresy car as well. It was awful in my opinion. The only good thing about it was the air con worked well. The biggest gripe was the location of the controls as mentioned. Actually, the worst thing about it was the stereo automatically getting louder and qsofter with the change in speed. That was just bl00dy anoying!

I found myself redlining it in every gear just to get it to move, then I looked at the odometer.... 400 miles 1 nicely run-in Ibiza. I drove it 100 miles like that

 

[Rage]

I know there are a couple of 1.2 drivers on here and as th car is supposed to be a "little runaround " I think your being very hard on it. its very well specced for a base model and performs well in a crash. Its more solidly built than a lot of cars in its class. I'm reliably informed by a work collegue that after testing pretty much every small car he could that this was the best one for the money. His wife loves the car and it does everything they need it to.

Personally I wouldn't choose a 1.2 but to complain that the brakes are weak after stepping straight out of a LCR or other brembo equiped monster is plain unfair. These things aren't meant for regular motorway use. I should think most 1.2s never leave their home town, or go much beyond the local tescos.


The boot space is adequate. A/c is standard as is a CD player powersteering etc. etc.

you get a lot of stuff for the money.

 

[Neil82]

That 1.2 sounds pretty good with that spec as standard, bet its better than the equivalent Clio/Fiesta/Corsa.

 

[dangel]

Well i went home and came back in to work in it and... i'm sorta starting to get on with it now. It's kinda fun in a weird sort of way!

Positives:

CD Player
GOOD air con (impressive for a small car)
Very light steering (which suits it's purpose)
Feels stable at 90mph
Funky looks
Autolocking enabled
Gearing seems sensible

Negatives:
SOME MAD MAN at SEAT decided to put the fuel guage the wrong way around (OMFG!)
Controls face the floor not the driver (?)
Poor brakes (I would def. budget an upgrade on these as part of the car purchase)
VERY noisy engine (driven quieter diesels)
Seats could be better (too small) in the front


But i generally like it. And yes, Corsa's are FAR worse!

I'm learning to stamp on the brakes (which helps) which is a bad thing - i'm bound to put my head through the windscreen when i get back my own car!!!

 

[dangel]

Originally posted by Rage


Personally I wouldn't choose a 1.2 but to complain that the brakes are weak after stepping straight out of a LCR or other brembo equiped monster is plain unfair. These things aren't meant for regular motorway use. I should think most 1.2s never leave their home town, or go much beyond the local tescos.


The boot space is adequate. A/c is standard as is a CD player powersteering etc. etc.

you get a lot of stuff for the money.

Sorry don't get me wrong i'm NOT comparing it to my Leon - just other small cars i've driven. IMHO the brakes are underspecced for the car; and that's it's biggest negative. I wouldn't be happy with my wife pootling around in it without some kind of upgrade to them that's all.
As to motorway use - well depends where you live doesn't it? I should imagine if people live in a city they might well never venture outside it, but if you out in a village like me, it's a motorway commute to work - and this goes for my better half too. So it needs to be up for the job. I have to say the Ibiza feels very nice and solid on the motorway and is quite capable of a steady 90mph (which it wouldn't normally need to do). The only downside on the m/way was the engine noise (but i'm sure better engined models improve on this massively).
Out of interest how much does a 1.2 12V go for anyway?

 

[whelme]

Negatives:
SOME MAD MAN at SEAT decided to put the fuel guage the wrong way around (OMFG!)
[/B]

What on earth is going on there? The last one i had 03 reg was like that, whereas the 52 reg was normal. Has Pedro gone mad, you glance down thinking it full, then the dam thing bleeps at you saying it's empty, suddenly realising it reads backwards.

 

[dangel]

Originally posted by whelme
What on earth is going on there? The last one i had 03 reg was like that, whereas the 52 reg was normal. Has Pedro gone mad, you glance down thinking it full, then the dam thing bleeps at you saying it's empty, suddenly realising it reads backwards.

Exactly what happened to me last night. Chugging down the A14 and suddenly BEEEEEP! Looked down and thought, hang on, got 3/4 tank here, then realised! Amusingly, the temp guage goes the right way round - so it's not as though they're consistant.