The third in Seat’s Ibiza range, the latest Ibiza ST estate operates in a niche very nearly all its own. It slots in between the five-door Ibiza supermini and a fuller-sized estate from the class above. Only Skoda and Renault compete in the supermini wagon market.
The Ibiza ST offers more boot space than the regular Ibiza hatch, without compromising the sporting lines penned by ex-Lamborghini designer Luc Donckerwolke.
Seat Ibiza ST: an emphasis on eco engines
We drove the Seat Ibiza ST in 1.6 TDI Sport spec, but from launch there will be the choice of two petrol and two diesel with outputs ranging from 74bhp to 103bhp, with the option of a five-speed manual gearbox or the dual-clutch seven-speed DSG auto.
The most economical of the bunch available is the 1.2 S, one of the most fuel efficient estates around with a combined 80.7mpg.
How does the Ibiza ST estate drive?
If you want excitement and a thrilling ride, this may not be for you. Back in the real world, it’s a pretty convincing small estate car package. The Ibiza wagon delivers a comfortable, laidback stance on long journeys: comfortable seats, light steering, fluid easy gearchanges and of course a decent sized boot to carry the luggage – you really notice the extra 138 litres.
Our top-spec 1.6 diesel delivers enough power for overtaking, but isn’t the fastest car on the road. Road noise is well suppressed and even on a long journey (we drove halfway across France in it) it’s a refined place to sit.
Styling
The Ibiza ST’s cabin is a bit of a mix of textures and colours; a few too many patterns going on in there, for our liking. At least the colour contrast adds some lightness to the cabin, but the rooflining does remind me of the blue J-cloths I use at home, except in grey.
If the 430-litre isn’t big enough, just flop the back seats down to boost the luggage space to 1164 litres. Although who really loads the boot fully to the roof?
One nifty feature is the Seat’s docking station for your TomTom; rather than spend thousands on an official-fit sat-nav, Seat let you drop your handheld unit into the dock and away you go. Neat thinking.
Verdict
Currently there’s little choice if you want a supermini estate. The Ibiza ST provides a new alternative, and is worth considering if you don’t need the space of a VW Golf or Ford Focus estates. It’s a bit more stylish to boot, and errs away from the boxiness that blights some larger wagons.
With prices starting around £12,000 for the 1.2 TDI eco version, the Ibiza ST is a reasonably priced car. A shame the UK largely shuns mini estates; don’t expect to see too many around on our roads.