2021 SEAT Ibiza mid-life facelift revealed with LED headlights as standard

[Syphon]

SEAT has updated its small city car, the Ibiza, refreshing the exterior and undertaking a revolution to the interior, which includes new connected technology and driver assistance systems.



Designed, developed and produced in Barcelona, at SEAT’s headquarters in Martorell, the new SEAT Ibiza will enter production in the third quarter of the year.



The SEAT Ibiza has been a key pillar of the brand’s success since it was first introduced in 1984 and, after 37 years, five generations and nearly six million sales, it’s SEAT’s most successful vehicle to ever roll off the production line. The updated, fifth-generation model is aiming to maintain that winning performance as a key model in its segment in Europe.



“The SEAT Ibiza is an icon in the automotive industry and one of the key pillars of the brand.” “The refreshed fifth-generation’s new exterior modifications and interior revolution, together with new levels of connectivity and safety mean it’s ready to continue the success...

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[ayrshiredude]

Looks nice, I don't see much of a change on the outside though. The inside looks so much nicer than the current one. I love the dash, looks very much like the Skoda Kamiq/Scala. Still not sure why they didn't fit a soft touch dash to the current one it would have made such an improvement. Not sure about the led vent surrounds, might be too much in your face. Would be great if they also increase the sound insulation, would make it one of the best Superminis about. I read in another article they were bringing back the 1.5 engine and also a 1.0 that combines natural gas. Didn't read anything about that here though.

 

[kurac338]

Looks nice, I don't see much of a change on the outside though. The inside looks so much nicer than the current one. I love the dash, looks very much like the Skoda Kamiq/Scala. Still not sure why they didn't fit a soft touch dash to the current one it would have made such an improvement. Not sure about the led vent surrounds, might be too much in your face. Would be great if they also increase the sound insulation, would make it one of the best Superminis about. I read in another article they were bringing back the 1.5 engine and also a 1.0 that combines natural gas. Didn't read anything about that here though.

Not really a fan of the interior refresh. Its an identity crisis. Looks as if its designed for "gamers" with all the silly RGB (without the GB).
Exterior is basically the same. Maybe the fog light surroundings are a little different (uglier), just like the "handwritten" Ibiza lettering on the back. Makes me love my MY18 even more

FYI, I went on the German site (seat.de) the other day, and saw that they are once more offering the 1.5 TSI variant. Although this time it is DSG only, opposed to being manual transmission only initially, and its even more expensive than before... Glad to see it back tho.

 

[lordedmundo]

Not really a fan of the interior refresh. Its an identity crisis. Looks as if its designed for "gamers" with all the silly RGB (without the GB).
Exterior is basically the same. Maybe the fog light surroundings are a little different (uglier), just like the "handwritten" Ibiza lettering on the back. Makes me love my MY18 even more

FYI, I went on the German site (seat.de) the other day, and saw that they are once more offering the 1.5 TSI variant. Although this time it is DSG only, opposed to being manual transmission only initially, and its even more expensive than before... Glad to see it back tho.

I also prefer the interior of the current model (MY21 in my case). A bit mean of SEAT to have the round vents that glow - but not the middle one!

The new steering wheel is an improvement, but that is about it...

Not much changed on the exterior - which is a good thing. I don't think the Skoda like front end on the upgraded Leon would like right on the Ibiza.

 

[BigJase88]

Looks much nicer, that hard plastic scratchy dash was horrendous on the pre-facelift, looks a much nicer place to be

 

[SRGTD]

Looks much nicer, that hard plastic scratchy dash was horrendous on the pre-facelift, looks a much nicer place to be

Agree. And it’s good to see that a conventional headlight knob and heating controls have been retained, rather than everything being touchscreen controlled.

 

[SRGTD]

I don't like the updated dash.
Doesn't suit the exterior design of the car.
Changed badge font is terrible.
The FR seats are disgusting at the moment so looks like they've been updated which are a massive improvement.
The information provided is it for all countries?
As I believe at the moment different countries get different specs for model types. Like in Europe they get red brake calipers on FR sports etc.

That’s often the reaction to a new or refreshed model. There was dislike by many forum members who owned a mk3 Leon for the appearance of the current model Leon when it was revealed - it was likened by many to the Ford Focus. There was a similar feeling of dislike to the mk8 Golf by mk7 / mk7.5 Golf owners. Generally, the dislike becomes less over time as a new or refreshed model becomes more familiar and people get used to it.

I’m not a fan of the illuminated air vent surrounds - apart from that, I do quite like the new style dash. The positioning of the central infotainment screen probably makes it easier to see than the lower down position of the screen in the current car. Still not sure about the stuck on iPad style of the infotainment screen though, although that seems to be the way most manufacturers are going with the central screens in their cars. The font style used for the ‘Ibiza’ badge on the tailgate is the same as that used on the mk4 Leon, so I‘d expect that font to be used on all future model changes and facelift models across the Seat car range.

As to whether the information applies to all countries - as Seat tend to produce cars where usually, the only selectable options available for the customer to choose are engine type and paint colour, I’d expect all models coming to the UK will get the features highlighted in the article posted by @Syphon.

I don’t like the wheels - seems that most if not all models will be getting diamond cut alloys and I dislike diamond cut wheels with a passion (poor durability of finish, expensive to refurbish, easily damaged by tyre fitters). It’s easy to change alloys though, and I have done on my last three cars that came with diamond cut wheels.

 

[alpineSi]

I like swapping the vent and screen position to put the map more in line with your eyes. I don't like the 'bar' nature of the dashboard, it seems more like a concept than a serious car. Also not sure I'd drive with illuminated vents on - assume these can be turned off.

Is "travel assist" a rebrand or an improvement of adaptive cruise control? Watching the video, it looks like the car can come to a complete stop and start off again (whereas ACC just lets it slow down and speed up within limits).
Also, what are "Eco LED" headlights? Our 2018 came with Full LED and we love them. Are Eco LEDs just normal bulbs with LED running lights?

Thinking about things owners actually want, I imagine they didn't bother to add any more interior lighting to the rear so you can find things at night?!

The area to dump your phone looks smaller now too, as if the USB ports come out further. Might be a photography illusion, but I do not need less space for my phone...

 

[Syphon]

Hi. Yes this is the UK release so will be UK spec.

Scott

 

[Seriously?]

Thinking about things owners actually want, I imagine they didn't bother to add any more interior lighting to the rear so you can find things at night?!

The Arona facelift does include rear courtesy lights at long last, so hopefully these are in the Ibiza too?

 

[mike345]

To be fair the blind spot detection and lane assist look pretty useful, I’m not the happiest of drivers most of the time, but I’m not sure if these features are more of a nuisance than a help in reality

 

[vc-10]

I'm not sure about the round air vents and the huge coloured/glowing surrounds. Looks a little tacky to me. The soft touch dash though would be nice- less glare if nothing else!