Seat at the Paris motor show 2008

By Ben Whitworth

Motor Shows

02 October 2008 15:12

Seat wheeled out its feisty new Ibiza Cupra – all 180bhp of it – and followed it up by its new old A4-based Exeo, and topped off its show with its ultra-clean Ibiza Ecomotive. 

Penned by ex-Lamborghini designer Luc Donkerwolcke, the Cupra is the first Ibiza that we’ve really warmed to. On its chunky 17-inch alloys, aggressive body kit and go-faster details, it looks far closer to the Bocanegra concept we saw in Geneva at the start of the year. And that’s a good thing.

It’s powered by a 180bhp 1.4 TSI engine – the one with the supercharger and turbo blower – and gets the VW Group’s seven-cog DSG box as standard – there’s no manual option. Performance is impressive – 7.5 seconds to 60mph, 140mph top speed, 42mpg and 159g/km. It’ll arrive here before summer next year priced around £17,000. If this is the Cupra (the warmish one in Seat speak) we can't wait for the full-blooded Cupra R!

The Ecomotive version of the Ibiza – the angelic sibling to the devilish Cupra – took a bow. With a 76.3mpg consumption figure and a CO2 rating of 98g/km, its advanced 80bhp 1.4TDI complete with particulate trap will make it one of the cleanest cars in its class when it hits showrooms early in 2009. And then there’s the Exeo – an old Audi A4 with a Seat nose and tail grafted on to it. Less said the better, although if it's priced right…

Seat’s two Ibizas – the whip-crack Cupra and miserly Ecomotive – show that the company is thinking on its feet when it comes to picking out the best bits from the VW family storeroom. It's worth a visit to see the Cupra – and to have a snigger at the Exeo.

CAR's Seat stand score: 3/5

Click here for up to the minute Paris motor show 2008 live reports

Click here for the previews and review: Guide to all cars

By Ben Whitworth