David says: FEW journeys test the mettle of a car, or a driver, as much as an unexpected 140-mile drive in dense fog – at night.

Things that seem so important as a salesman waxes lyrical in a fancy, showroom, shrink into insignificance as the limit of vision shrinks to three cat’s eyes on an ever-murkier M5.

When you are up against it, in heart-pounding driving conditions, it is surprising how many of the ‘must-have’ features of modern cars become completely irrelevant.

The list of essentials boils down pretty quickly to crystal clear instrumentation, switchgear that’s chunky, simple to understand and easy to operate, and a damn good set of lights.

To be honest, a compact hatchback would not have been my choice in the circumstances, but SEAT’s new Ibiza took what was a pretty grim run in its stride and proved it was much more than a pretty face.

In the dead of night, you can’t appreciate just how striking that new face is. But the new Ibiza is an altogether more aggressive sight than its predecessor.

It is the first product of SEAT’s design director Luc Donckerwolke, a former Lamborghini stylist with cars such as the Murciélago to his name, so, as you might expect, there’s not a straight line in sight.

Neat, precise and composed on the road, the Ibiza is five-star Euro NCAP approved for safety. The 1.4-litre version tested here is not the most economical, but delivers a decent combination of economy and performance.

Inside, the emphasis is on the driver, with all the instruments angled towards you and new air nozzles ensure the air flows precisely where you want it to.

The car has grown inside, as well as out, but the most notable feature is the sporty driving position, lowered by almost an inch.

And the SE’s twin-bulb headlights and front fog lights, with cornering illumination, give an added edge when the going gets tough.

Marie says: A QUICK sprint through the colour chart available for SEAT’s new Ibiza is enough to give you the flavour of this spritely newcomer.

Emotion Red, Candy White and Track Grey Metallic are a few of the shades that contribute to the hatchback’s youthful character.

This bright cheerful car stood out from the rest on a dull day in more ways than you might think.

Swish, curving bodywork scream youth and vitality and that is great. For despite its obvious youthful, sporty looking appearance, the Ibiza is a car for all ages and it is refreshing to feel that you’re not too old to own one. The test car was powered by an economical 1.4-litre engine with a five-speed manual gearbox, but despite its small size it has plenty of power and proved quick off the mark at junctions.

The Ibiza has plenty of zip, and will slip itself into fast-moving traffic with no problem. Its manoeuvrability is great for driving in small, twisty places, as the steering is light and very responsive.

Parking is easy, with good visibility through the rear window and the addition of parking sensors to keep you alert when reversing.

There is plenty of space inside and three adults can fit into the rear seats, as long as they are good friends.

But if it’s stuff that you are moving instead, then the rear seats split and fold for those longer items.

The Ibiza is clearly at its happiest zipping around busy city streets, but it is perfectly capable of handling more serious trips.

If you are going on a longer journey, the Ibiza carries all the necessities to make it an easy one, namely air conditioning, Bluetooth telephone link as an option and a very neat satellite navigation system.

The sat-nav is not obvious at first, until I explored the round flap on top of the dashboard. Flip this up, pop in a connector and a TomTom navigation system slots in. It is easy to use, gives at-a-glance instructions and, of course, can be easily removed for safety.

Auto facts SEAT Ibiza 5dr 1.4 SE

PRICE: £10,395

INSURANCE GROUP: Three

FUEL CONSUMPTION (COMBINED): 45.4mpg

TOP SPEED: 108mph

LENGTH: 405.2cm/159.5in

WIDTH: 169.3cm/66.6in

LUGGAGE CAPACITY: 10.3cu ft

FUEL TANK CAPACITY: 9.9 gallons/45 litres

CO2 EMISSIONS: 149g/km

WARRANTY: Three years/60,000 miles

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