Courtesy Car: 12v 1.2 Ibiza '03

[Dormouse]

Rage is correct, we should be comparing like for like. The 3 cylinder engine beats the hell out of any other 1.2 i have ever driven.

Strange about the fuel gauge though....maybe we should hide manuels rat 'basil' till he gets it right...

Dor.

 

[kinghorna]

Originally posted by mark sheerin

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

well said Mark, but sadly it's the bottom line of every company is "Make Money"

I turn to Fight Club when I say "if the cost of a re-call is greater than the average out of court settlement, we don't do one" I know it's a film but I'm thinking "nail on the head"

 

[Mattyh87]

Just saw the post from dangel critiscising the brakes on the Ibiza, i was seriously suprised at this! Ive driven various other small cars like Corsas, Civics and other superminis and hatchbacks and the brakes on the Ibiza were the best out of all of them. Perhaps it being a courtesy car it had been given some stick, or being a new car the brakes werent at their best.

Engine noisy? Again it isnt noisy (other cars have a lot more wind/road/engine noise), and the 3 cylinder has a pleasant noise to it - and doesnt boom like a 4 Cylinder. You can barely hear the engine on the motorway even if your travelling at over 100 mph, most reviews point out that it is even more refined then the 1.2 in the Polo.

The handling on the Ibiza in my opinion is perfect, you get a good feel of the road in front of you, i managed to keep up with a Golf 2.0 TDI Sport on some country roads with the 1.2SX.

The issue with the fuel gauge is a non-issue, as you get used to it.

My two main problems with the car is the poor plastics on the pre-06 models and the lack of a boot light! Also the seats could do with better support, if you take corners at speed - as you end up having to take one hand off the wheel to hold yourself in! Seats are comfortable though. The suspension at low speeds is also a bit hard on bumpy surfaces, but then again when driving it fast the suspension keeps it relatively flat while cornering with little body roll.

Perhaps you were expecting too much from a car that for the 1.2SX costs under £8k new (with a discount!)

 

[Deleted member 5985]

I don't think my brakes are that bad, I wouldn't say they were particularly great, but probably slightly better than average compared to it's other competitors.

The engine isn't bloody 'noisy' mate it sounds amazing! I rev it for it to actually move as well as to hear the sound it makes, better than the chipped LCR with milltek and the 2 Ibiza 1.8T's i've driven anyway. Sure, it doesn't go half as quick as them, but it sounds like it does. I remember there being a thread on here about how cool it sounded. My gf's brothers gf (mouthfull) even said 'ur car sounds cool' and she knows naff all about cars.

The seats don't really bother me, would just say they were average.

The thing that annoys me the most about my car is it's suspension. Yes I have confidence in throwing it round a corner, i know it wont fly off the other side of the road, bit i'll be 2 dimensial pressed against the window when I do it. The amount of body roll is shocking, I don't think having 17's on my car would make it handle any worse than on the 14's it came on originally. In addition to the body roll SEAT have also managed to make it the hardest suspension of any car i've driven. If I go over a pothole I think my wheel will have shattered, because i know my spine just did! Surely firm ride = flat cornering, or lot's of body roll = comfortable suspension? SEAT have successfully achieved the worst of both worlds with that.

If I had to do it all again, though, i'd go for the ibiza every time.

 

[Mattyh87]

In my opinion i dont think it rolls badly, its just the seat supports are near non existent

When i give someone a lift sometimes they ask "How did you ever get insured on a V6"

 

[Deleted member 5985]

haha, a V6 in an Ibiza, now that would be terrifying!

Listened to a few R32 sound clips recently...wow is all I can say!