Stormy Spaniard - Driving report Seat Ibiza Cupra

Tight turns, long sprint routes and little traffic. Ideal conditions to make a small but fast car like the Seat Ibiza Cupra really feel right on the tooth.

Even better if the Guardia Civil blocked off seven kilometers of the country road in the mountainous region of Barcelona especially for test drives. The little Spaniard's middle name is for Seat program, since it stands for Cup Racer and thus the sporty, flamboyant models of the Spanish Volkswagen subsidiary. Seat has now given the smallest member of the family a decent dose of extra power just in time for the 20th anniversary next year. Instead of the previous 1,4 liter petrol TSI, the just 4,05 meter long Ibiza Cupra draws its attacking forces against the Opel Corsa OPC, VW Polo GTI and Peugeot 208 Gti from a displacement of 1,8 liters and develops a whopping 192 hp. A lot of power for such a small car, which differs from its more civilian brothers only in sporty air intakes at the front and a central exhaust in the back.

The flag on the roadside lowers, a strong kick on the gas pedal and the stormy Spaniard rushes off, as if the devil was after him. There is not the slightest doubt about 0's spurt time at 100 km / h in 6,7 seconds. At 235 km / h is still over. The 320 Newton meters maximum torque of the turbocharged four-cylinder push the just 1184 kilogram lightweight, on sporty trimmed Ibiza powerful forward. Without oncoming traffic grabs one now the ambition in search of the ideal line through the winding mountain route.

Approach the braking point, turn in, accelerate from the apex. The forces acting on the front axle need to be tamed. The electronic differential lock from Seat, called XDS, now also does its job reliably in the Ibiza Cupra and provides security at all times despite slight understeer in turns that are taken too quickly. There is no four-wheel drive for the Ibiza Cupra for money and good words, just as little as a DSG. If the Spaniard is not yet sharp enough, you can now adjust the steering, accelerator pedal characteristics and dampers at the touch of a button, and then work even harder in conjunction with the crisp, shiftable six-speed gearbox and the smooth steering. Standard on board are ESP including hill start assist and multi-collision brake, a tire pressure warning and the new drowsiness warning from Seat, which recognizes the driver's decline in concentration by his steering behavior and wakes him up with a warning tone. The Spaniard with a license to run, but not to play, is available for prices starting at € 23.

The vehicle registration for the Seat Ibiza Cupra