Although the new five-door Seat Ibiza goes on sale this summer, the Spanish manufacturer has released two special editions of the previous three-door: the Seat Ibiza Sportrider and Freerider. The Seat Ibiza Freerider comes equipped with a 1.2 12V engine developing 70 PS and a five-speed manual gearbox. The Seat Ibiza Freerider price starts at 8,995 pounds and includes cruise control, full Climatronic climate control and sporty 15" 'Galea' alloy wheels.
The Seat Ibiza Sportrider is powered by either a 1.4 liter 16V 100 PS petrol engine or 1.9-litre TDI developing 100 PS. The Seat Ibiza Sportrider price starts at 10,395 pounds.
Seat Press Release:
EXTRA-SPECIAL NEW IBIZAS 'AV IT LARGE'!
SEAT’s stunning all-new Ibiza five-door may be just around the corner, with sales beginning here in the summer, but that doesn’t mean the existing car’s going to slink off into the sunset – far from it, in fact.
Exciting new special edition versions of the current three-door Ibiza are arriving in showrooms
now, packed to the gunwales with equipment and priced to ensure they don’t hang around.
The two newcomers – named Freerider and Sportrider – boast eye-catching bespoke boot badging to single them out from the existing Ibiza crowd, and are offered with a variety of frugal, feisty engines.
The new offerings, available exclusively in three-door format, kick off with the Ibiza Freerider 1.2 12V 70 PS. Mated to a five-speed manual gearbox, the three cylinder 1.2 petrol delivers a decidedly ‘green’ 47.2 mpg on the combined cycle,
producing just 139 g/km of CO2. The 0 to 62 mph time is an entirely respectable 14.2 seconds and the top speed cracks three figures – 106 mph to be precise.
Freerider includes an enticing collection of ‘big car’ goodies such as cruise control, full Climatronic climate control, sporty 15” ‘Galea’ alloy wheels, passenger seat height adjustment and electrically adjustable, heated and folding door mirrors.
Front fog lights and, of course, that bespoke tailgate badging, complete the Freerider’s complement of extras, although those who order early will also be offered the option of state-of-the-art DAB digital stereo radio entertainment at no extra cost. A total of 300 Freerider Ibizas will come equipped with the hi-tech entertainment system as standard.
The price for all this? A particularly modest £8,995 RRP.
Meanwhile, those who crave an even more striking drive, inside and out, can opt instead for the new Ibiza Sportrider three-door which is offered with a choice of potent powerplants. Sportrider buyers can choose between the zesty
1.4-litre 16V 100 PS petrol engine or SEAT’s thrifty yet sporty 1.9-litre TDI, which also offers up to 100 PS.
The 100 PS 1.4-litre, again driving the front wheels through a crisp five-speed manual gearbox, offers a brisk 11.2-second 0 to 62mph time, top speed of 118 mph and fuel economy on the combined cycle of 42.8 mpg. CO2 emissions, meanwhile, are limited to 154 g/km.
The diesel-engined Sportrider, with its tried and trusted 1.9-litre TDI allied to a five-speed manual ‘box, will cover the 0 to 62 mph dash in just 10.8 seconds, charge on to a top speed of 118 mph, and produce only 132 g/km of CO2. Combined economy, meanwhile, is a creditable 55.4 mpg.
These more energetic offerings take the Freerider as their base, but add even more in the way of equipment and styling enhancements.
Both offer cruise control, Climatronic air conditioning, passenger seat height adjustment, electrically adjustable heated and folding door mirrors and fog lights as standard, while styling additions include arch-filling 16” ‘Spica’ alloys, grippy sports seats in bespoke Sportrider cloth, front and rear bumpers lifted straight from the sporty Ibiza FR, body-coloured door handles and mirrors, plus honeycomb front grille.
The Ibiza Sportrider 1.4 16V petrol costs just £9,495 RRP, while the 1.9 TDI version is available in SEAT showrooms now priced at £10,395 RRP.
All three are offered with a variety of smart metallic paint finishes including Black Magic, Luna Grey, Track Grey and Ada Blue at £360 RRP. Other non-metallic colour options include SEAT’s trademark Emocion Red and the high fashion Candy White.
SEAT Head of Marketing Steve Robertson said of the Freerider and Sportrider newcomers: ‘The continued sales success of our existing Ibiza – it was once again the best-selling car in the SEAT range in March – shows how popular our supermini is.
‘I’m sure that with the arrival of these new cars, and the great levels of style and specification they offer, we will see even more interest in the weeks and months ahead.’
