Seat has successfully jazzed up the standard Ibiza’s cabin for the Cupra, the most obvious upgrades being the large sports seats and chunky, flat-bottomed leather steering wheel.
The aluminium pedals and wheel-mounted paddles are likeable additions that enhance the cabin’s appeal. Add the solid-feeling build quality, minimalist switchgear and broad range of seat adjustment and the Ibiza’s cabin is one of the most user-friendly in its class.
Finding a comfortable driving position is easy, because the very supportive sports seats are height adjustable and the steering wheel adjusts for both rake and reach. Our test car came with optional £800 leather seats, which are expensive but are preferable to the cheap-feeling standard material.
The placement of the paddle shifters on the steering wheel is fine, but they need to be bigger and easier to trigger, especially for track use. A lack of any seatbelt adjustment is the biggest issue with the driving position.
Otherwise the cabin is largely unchanged over other Ibizas. The only obvious signs of cost-cutting are a few hard plastics and the cheap mechanism that tips the rear seat bases forward, which you must do if you want to fold the 60/40 split seat backs flat. The boot is a little smaller than that of its obvious rivals, but adequate; even the Fiesta’s best-in-class figure of 295 litres is only 11 litres more than the Ibiza can muster.
Rear passengers will feel more claustrophobic in the Cupra than in a standard Ibiza Sport Coupé due to the large front seats, but it is still possible to seat four adults in relative comfort.
The Ibiza Cupra promises to be the cheapest car in its class to run. Its closest rivals in terms of power and price – the Renaultsport Clio 200 and the Vauxhall Corsa VXR – are both 10mpg less economical and produce at least 40g/km more CO2 than the Ibiza’s official figures of 44.1mpg (combined) and 148g/km. The only match on running costs is the Mini Cooper S, which in manual form manages nearly identical figures of 44.1mpg and 149g/km.
As a result, the Ibiza will cost just £120 to tax for a year, next to the £215 the DVLA will require for the Clio or Corsa. And residual forecasts show the Ibiza holding its value better than all of its rivals other than the Mini.
Together with the comprehensive standard spec, well priced options list and comparatively low group 14 insurance, the Ibiza Cupra looks like a very strong ownership proposition.
