SEAT Ibiza Anniversary Limited Edition FR 1.0 TSI 115PS Review

What is it?

The Anniversary Limited Edition is celebrating 40 years of the iconic SEAT Ibiza. It’s a one-off edition with some extras not available in other trims within the model. Has SEAT given the SEAT Ibiza what it deserves for its 40th birthday? Read on to find out.

Exterior

So, you’ve just read my verdict. It may seem a little doom and gloom as a summary, but the Ibiza has always been a looker; admittedly, most people I speak to prefer the older generations, but the MK6 does have that sporty look still in my eyes.

I always like to have that first visual thought when the review car arrives; when the last car pulled up from CUPRA (CUPRA Leon VZ3 Design Edition), I was pleased to see some nice styling changes; seeing the Ibiza arrive didn’t have the same impact. Whilst I love the Ibiza, sometimes I feel I expect too much from what I see it as (great little town car and being nice to learn to drive in), whilst I was happy to see a lovely colour and some new alloys, nothing grabbed me as a standout feature.

Test car key specifications

• Engine –  1.0 TSI
• Transmission – 6-speed manual
• CO2 (WLTP) g/km – 126 g/km
• Euro standard – RDE 2
• Recommend Retail £24,390
• Options £0.00
• As tested £24,620

If anyone has a good memory, I reviewed the 2022 SEAT Ibiza Facelift in Jan of 2022, and now, after rereading it, things are much the same; styling is on point, I think, compared to other cars under the VW umbrella, and the Ibiza shows sporty accents whilst keeping it mainstream enough to be liked by most.

We’ve got four specific options to go through on the exterior, the first being probably the most obvious of the 4, the colour which is called Graphene Grey. I’ve always been a fan of the solid grey with shiny lacquer on top; you will probably have seen it on other models, so it’s nice to make an appearance with the Ibiza. Going by the SEAT website, I think the only car it’s not available on is the Ateca, which is not so exclusive now, unfortunately.

As for the paint itself, even though this car had only done 1500 miles, I couldn’t see many swirl marks; I assume it had been into a few car washes in that time, so that’s a plus. I will say that my friend’s Focus ST with Stealth Grey has swirling issues after a few years, like most cars would; it’s how easy it is to see them, Black being the worst and white and silver colours are the best to hide marks.

I like that in different lighting; the colour looks more matte, and it shows some great reflections under lighting.

Moving onto the next extra special thing to the Anniversary edition, the alloys. I like them; they’re down as 18″ Performance alloy wheels in Cosmos Grey, running on 215/40/R18/ W XL Continental ContiSport Contact 5 tyres. I had no traction or comfort issues running 18s, so for me, it’s a big win; I am not sure what makes them Performance Alloy wheels, though, as the Ibiza XCELLENCE Lux has the same wheels but in a different grey, mentioned as 18″ ‘Dynamic’ machined alloy wheels in Nuclear Grey.

On the downside, these are the exact wheels I had on the FR Sport Limited Edition on the Arona; it’s starting to sound like they both had a limited edition for the FR Sport and changed the name to the 40th Anniversary edition on the Ibiza, doesn’t it?

Moving onto the next exclusive item, the 40^th Anniversary edition banding. This does show up on the interior section as well, so this isn’t all you’ll see, but it seems the only mention of the Limited edition is the front door pillar in what looks like size 16 font. I may be very picky here, but If I were to buy a limited edition car, I would want to have it somewhere obvious on the inside and also somewhere all could see on the outside; it’s a sense of bragging rights in a way although I’m not like that in real life honest!

Maybe a badge under the FR branding on the boot or something put into the front grill or the same etching on the front splitter would have been a nice added touch; not many people look at the side of a car, which is all I’m saying.

Next up is the Panoramic roof; this is something I’ve been struggling with as of late. I’m not sure I see a purpose (for me, at least); if it’s hot, I put the aircon on; if it’s cold, I put a heater on; if it’s hot, I don’t want to let more hot air in from outside when it doesn’t hit my face.

The roof worked flawlessly when I used it (more info on controls, etc, later on); it’s not loud, intrusive or inconvenient; it blends into the roof quite well, which I don’t always think is the case with some cars.

As my previous review on the Ibiza MK6 Facelift I was a big fan of the styling, and that hasn’t changed; I love the line work on the bonnet, which gracefully swoops down into the nice looking standard FR Sport grill (would have looked awesome if they blacked it out though instead of the chrome surround), I love the look of the lights, even over my Tarraco lights I prefer the triangle shape LED over the sidewards “P” version I have.

Moving around to the side, it’s much of the same. However, it still bothers me that the line from the corner of the lights doesn’t match (doesn’t need to join) with the line from the rear lights. It’s been going since the MK3 Leon, just bugs me a little bit.

Also, can you see the 40th Anniversary decal on the driver’s door pillar? You missed it, didn’t you…

Moving to the back of the Ibiza it is probably my favourite part of the car’s exterior. The rear lights are just the right size, and they carry on the aggressive style lines.

Once things get darker, I took a picture of the rear lights; they look good. But why do they still use LEDs for the main rear light and standard bulbs for the reverse and indicators? I imagine replacing a full LED unit would be way more expensive, but then they should last longer, right?

Interior

I want to start with the fact that this car is less than £25,000, which in this day and age is relatively well priced; you get the FR Sport trim with the 40^th Anniversary Limited Edition bits on top of that, standard spec for this trim seems pretty good, you get the usual digital dash included as well and you can customise the display to your taste.

Moving around the inside, you still get the sense that it is on the more budget side of interior design. I still remember the first time I saw the coloured air vents; this 2nd time around, it’s no different. They feel and look a little cheap and somewhat out of place. Admittedly, the FR Sport I reviewed before had red surrounds, but this trim has white, which matches the XCELLENCE Lux we had for the Arona.

I’ll start with some specifics and a new style of sill protector exclusive to this 40th anniversary trim; I think you’ll understand why when you see the picture below. It’s nice and shiny, but it’s hard to get a decent photo of it when it’s sunny.

So, something good, and I’m happy to say it’s really good, the new bucket style seats (I think of bucket seats as hard plastic things for racing), they’re comfy, supportive and pretty good looking, I’d say they’re the best update to the Ibiza and the seats have the classic red stitching.

The lack of an armrest might not be the biggest of issues for some, but I thought an added armrest in a top spec wasn’t too much to ask; even my wife mentioned that it wasn’t great; she doesn’t even like cars!

Instead of somewhere to store things or put my aching arm after carrying my twin girls around, I got a square storage section, which I couldn’t find a use for.

So, some more good news for you: buttons, lots of buttons; having been using my Tarraco now for a year, I pretty much hate the aircon section of the centre console; the touch button scenario winds me up, but sometimes works great, but other times it triple taps when I wanted another button, then other times it doesn’t click at all.

The Ibiza has some lovely actual physical buttons, the little touches that put the driver first instead of an end-of-year profit, but SEAT, more physical buttons, please.

Now imagine you’re sitting in the driver’s seat, and I’ll give you a quick tour; straight in front, you’ve got the standard FR steering wheel (another place we could have the 40^th branding somehow), as this was a manual I don’t have the paddles which I think makes the area look a little empty now I’ve seen it with paddles, the digital dash in all its glory, it didn’t miss a beat and showed everything I wanted it to when I wanted to. 

Moving towards the left, you get the centre console; this hosts the Infotainment system again, which had no issues. Admittedly, I use it for Android Auto (wireless), so I didn’t have much need to use the screen apart from adding Waze destinations; under the screen, we have the air conditioning section. Did I mention it has real buttons? at the bottom, we’ve got the USB-C connections and a little storage.

Moving across to the passenger side, you see another lovely bucket seat and that nice shelf-like detail from just below the infotainment system across to the passenger door, onto the door, which shows off more fight jet styling with angles and long line detail; the Ibiza is just a nice place to be.

Next up, where I would typically see my electric handbrake button and an automatic gearstick, I have this archaic device that I only hear stories about, a pull-up hand brake and a manual gearstick, another one of the things on top of the analogue dash and semi-auto gearbox that I thought I would never give up on a newer car, just seems a little dated now. Well, until I started using it, I loved being back in the “driver” seat; it gave the car an extra bit of life even though it was only a handbrake.

Moving into the back, we have the standard seating arrangement; I found that I couldn’t sit behind myself without my knees being part of the seat in front, yet on my previous review, things seemed to be better, so maybe the bucket seats have lost the rears a little bit of space.

I think most people would be fine as having a driver and rear passenger being 6ft2 is unlikely. The seats are comfy as expected, but with no defined mouldings, it’s just one long, smooth rear bench.

Into the boot now, I took the Ibiza for a family shop, and I managed to get 2 of the more oversized cool bags for fresh food, two normal bags for life, and then 3 of the 12-pack water bottles; you’ve probably got enough space for another 2 or 3 bags if you didn’t have the water so it’s got a decent amount of space for you to use.

Under the boot floor, we find a spare wheel, which in this day and age is quite rare; there’s a reason for this as this Anniversary spec has the Beats upgrade for the audio, which includes a sub which fits nicely into the spare wheel.

Engine and sound

I love this little 1.0L engine; I feel it gives so much even though, in terms of power and size, it has so little, a big heart with a little voice. 

Here’s some stats from the spec sheet so you know the basics

• Fuel Type – Petrol
• Gears – 6-speed
• 0-60 – 9.7 seconds
• Max power – 85kW
• Max power (PS) – 115PS
• Max. speed – 123mph
• Max. torque – 200 / 2000-3500Nm/rpm
• Combined – 50.7 mpg
• Emissions (WLTP) – 126 g/km

As soon as I started driving, I started smiling; it could be an amalgamation of having a manual with a handbrake and an excellent nippy engine, but whatever it was, I enjoyed it, yes it’s not super powerful. Still, the 0-60 is the same as my 1.5 TSI Tarraco with 150PS in a car that weighs around 500kg less. 

On starting off, the engine feels like it’s got plenty of grunt; it’s only higher up the rev range, and the power doesn’t have as much punch as some might like; if I’m honest, I couldn’t fault it for anyone who wanted a drive about keeping to single lane roads, I think if you love your motorway cruising, then you may need something with a bit of more top end torque to get you overtaking when you’re in 6^th gear.

As for the economy, I make the same trip for every car test; it’s about 25 miles each way; on the way there, I try to be as economical as possible (ECO profile, etc.) then on the way back, I put it in Sport and give it a regular drive with overtaking whilst dropping to 3rd and more of the sort to give a real-world figure.

So, for the eco drive, the car achieved the following:

• Time driving – 46 minutes
• Distance – 26 miles
• MPG – 60.9mpg
• Avg Speed – 34mph

Then on the way back in Sport I got

• Time driving – 42 minutes
• Distance – 26 miles
• MPG – 45.3mpg
• Avg Speed – 38mph

I’m aware that this isn’t a perfect science as the area I drove isn’t completely flat, but the hills go both up and down both sides! Still quite a big difference, but also note that the Sport profile on the way home still got a better mpg than my Tarraco going on a typical journey using standard drive in auto; I’d be happy with either of the figures. The ECO drive was boring for sure, but I only saved 4 minutes, and those 4 minutes probably cost me a bit more in fuel.

On the road

As this was the same car pretty much that I reviewed last time, this test doesn’t seem fair as I’ve already had the experience for the first time, but I’ll give it a go; driving around town, this car is in its element, you can get up to speed quickly and fit in most spaces, braking is sharp and to the point, handling doesn’t really need as much at lower speeds unless you’re a lunatic, the 18 inch wheels don’t give much noise back into the cabin, and the steering is nice and light when needed.

On main roads (60mph single lane), I find the 1.0L engine still well within its realm of being an excellent pick for almost anyone; going onto back roads, I found the car very responsive. The 1.0L did struggle to pull power out of the corners, but I’m not expecting this to compete with a 4WD 300bhp Leon Estate on 19s.

On the Motorway, I found the engine a little lacking unless you drop down a few gears, which gets a little boring after a while. Also, my clutch leg felt like it was falling off after the week of driving; yes, I know, it’s a little pathetic, but it’s been five years since driving a manual, and I drove the Ibiza quite a lot doing parcel drop off’s and traffic stop starts, I’m a better man for it I’m sure!. 

Technology

I’ll start with the new bits; The Stereo. I like music, admittedly, I like the sort of music that people think as being somewhat unhinged; I go from listening to Tool to Slaughter to Prevail, so please excuse any album art on the images for this review; I didn’t check them for the classic Death metal artwork, with that said, this 40^th Anniversary Limited Edition shows off a fancy 9 speaker Beats system, admittedly I didn’t count them so I’m taking them at their word.

Within the system, you get a sub-woofer in the boot; it’s not to be confused with the sort of sub that shakes your rearview mirror; it’s more of a gentle vibration that adds to the music where normal door speakers would fall short. Being a smaller sub, it lends itself to my music, but I also played some Falling in Reverse, which gives me some Rap vibes, along with some metal added for variety. Overall, it’s not something I would add to my car spec and pay extra for, but as it comes with this trim by default, that’s good news for buyers.

I need to talk about the keyless entry now unless I’m going crazy the Ibiza and Arona don’t have car access from the passenger side, and the keyless entry only works if you stand near the driver’s door and the boot; I have no idea why that would be a thing as I park on my drive nose first so I see the passenger side first so it’s an easy unlock from my garden to let the girls into the car, with this I would have to actually use a key or walk further, petty and quite specific to me right?

I think I’ve gone on enough in other reviews for what car companies call Lane Assist, I call a pain in the rear end, I find that every time I drive into an area that has those annoying little bits that stick out of the side of the road (normally a square of kerb), designed to do something, I’m not sure what. Any SEAT or CUPRA I’ve tested hates this as you move slightly towards the centre of the road, and the car goes, “no, you’re an idiot go back to the left”, this normally ends up with me fighting with the car to stay away from a kerb (I know it wouldn’t steer me that much but it’s annoying), it also doesn’t seem to like it when I go from single lane to dual when the middle white line just appears, splitting the lanes, the car thinks I’ve teleported somehow and steers me right when I want the left lane (no indication needed as it was single line traffic beforehand). Rant over!

What’s it like to live with?

At this point, I don’t think I have anything bad to say about the car. It’s a great size if you need this sort of car, and it’s comfy and easy to drive (I would recommend the manual for a better driving experience unless you’re stuck in traffic loads), and it wouldn’t cost loads to insure and upkeep, it’s got a nice spec and great looks.

Running Costs

This car is pretty much spot on; it’s got a nice 40L fuel tank; depending on what you put in the tank, it could be a £50-£60 fill-up on BP Ultimate 97, which will probably get you 350-400 miles, as for Insurance it’s in the 15E group, to put in perspective my Tarraco is 22E so insurance costs should be on the lower end as long as you’re not under 25 or first time driving as I’m assuming life’s tough for you right now with cars.

Rating – 8/10

Comfort

The ride was on point, and the new bucket seats are comfy whilst keeping your squidgy bits where they should be; considering it’s on 18’s, I’d be pleased with the comfort (the current car has 20’s on sports suspension). 

Rating – 7/10

Power

It’s not going to win any land speed records, but for a town car, this car has everything you’ll ever need; that’s pretty much it, no fuss and no complaints; if you want power in buckets, then this is not the car you should be looking at.

Rating – 6/10

Cost

The review car came in at £24,620, putting that up against its rivals with similar specs (the VW Polo with slightly less spec, I think came in at £31,405; the Fiesta doesn’t exist anymore and lastly, the Skoda Fabia, which came in at £26,255) it shows promise.

SEAT still shows you get more bang for your buck with them against competitors.

Rating – 8/10

Styling

Styling is something the Ibiza has in buckets (as well as bucket seats), great body lines along with aggressive accents; it’s a great-looking car indeed; it’s a shame this doesn’t have an added body kit to finish it off. Still, the wheels are excellent, and the panoramic roof looks good from the outside.

Rating – 8/10

Tech

The tech side isn’t the best; it feels like a bit of a parts bin upgrade and not a show-off for a 40th anniversary; the car without the 40th trim is stellar, but I don’t see the point in the extras (roof and stereo) especially as the Arona FR Limited edition has the same wheels and a better spec.

Rating – 6/10

Would I buy one?

Unfortunately not, I have two girls and no need for a small car; I’ve never been someone to buy a small car, maybe because I’m tall; if I was someone who gets the smaller car thing this would definitely be in my top 2 to look at (I don’t have another one so it’s pretty much top but I’m leaving myself open in case CUPRA do good things with the Born or new Raval as I feel that battery in a small car is quite ideal.

Don’t take this as gospel for everyone; this car is really good; it’s just a shame that for someone who’s been on the SEAT train for quite some time, this 40th-anniversary edition didn’t quite meet expectations.

Stats from the Review:

• Colour – Graphene Grey, Metallic Paint
• Upholstery – Black Microsuede
• Engine –  1.0 TSI
• Transmission –  6-speed manual
• Max.Power:PS @ rpm – 115/85/5500
• Max. Torque: NM @ rpm – 200/2000-3500
• Fuel economy (mpg) WLTP – 48.7-50.4 mpg
• CO2 (WLTP) g/km – 126 g/km
• Euro standard – RDE 2
• 0-62 mph – 9.7 seconds
• Top speed – 123 mph
• Length – 4059
• Width (Inc. wing mirrors) – 1780
• Height – 1447
• Wheelbase – 2564
• Boot space – 355
• Fuel tank – 40
• Kerb weight – 1168
• Towing capacity with brake 8% – 1200
• Recommend Retail – £24,390
• Options – £0.00
• As tested – £24,620
• Benefit-in-kind rate – 30%
• Insurance group – 15E

Thanks for reading. Let me know what you think in the comments below.

Jimbobcook

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