With the current SEAT Ibiza nearing the end of a lengthy lifecycle, the Cupra has been hotted-up for one final fling. Is this Ibiza still up for all-night rave, or is it now more last tango in Benidorm"You remember 2008, right" A time when George W. Bush was still President of the United States, ?Rockstar? by Nickelback was inescapable, and the world was facing a humongous financial catastrophe. Ring any bells" At the same time as all that, SEAT was unleashing the fourth-generation Ibiza on the public. Cutting to the chase, this Ibiza has been around the block a few times.
After eight years, the fourth-gen Ibiza looks remarkably similar to the original Luc Donckerwolke design, despite having had two facelifts. It?s still an attractive car and, with the evolution of hot hatch styling in that time, manages to actually be relatively subtle compared to its rivals. Aside from the extra cut outs below the front grille, and the bespoke rear bumper and diffuser, you?d be hard-pressed to tell it apart from a cooking FR model.This particular test car was ?Cupra Black? spec, which means it gains black alloy wheels along with red brake calipers. There?s also additional interior equipment differences, but we?ll cover that later. Unless you have a serious dislike of gloss black alloy wheels, it?s most probably £800 well spent to upgrade. The biggest alteration to this latest Ibiza Cupra is beneath the bonnet. Gone is the weird twincharged 1.4-litre petrol engine ? which s...