Review of the new SEAT Ibiza Cupra

The Cupra brand name is reserved for the fastest, most extreme cars coming from the SEAT stable. It's been applied to some corkers in the past and the Spanish marque doesn't use it lightly. That's why the prospect of the latest Ibiza Cupra will have had expectation levels soaring amongst hot hatchback fans. They will have soared right up until news leaked out that the Cupra would have a 1.4-litre engine. That doesn't sound like a lot of capacity for an Ibiza Cupra but there's more to this powerplant than meets the eye.

In the past, car manufacturers sitting down to begin the development process of a new performance car could always fall back on one overriding principle. Make it faster and more powerful than what went before. Preferably, it would be faster and more powerful than anything that rival brands had yet dared bring to market as well. There have always been smart thinkers who strayed from this formula but it's only quite recently that more mainstream manufacturers have begun looking at the problem of performance with a similar degree of subtlety. In some cases, it's been forced upon them by the rising cost of motoring, environmental concerns and unconquerable physics but who's to say that won't ultimately make for better quick cars? At SEAT there's confidence that it will.

The previous generation Ibiza Cupra had a 1.8-litre turbocharged engine so fitting a 1.4-litre turbo unit to the latest car might look like a retrograde step to some. In reality, this 1.4 is a highly advanced piece of kit that has already surfaced in a number of other Volkswagen Group products. Badged TSI, as SEAT's turbocharged petrols tend to be these days, it's actually turbocharged and supercharged, helping it to a maximum power output of 177bhp. That's roughly the same total as the old 1.8T engine managed in the old Ibiza Cupra and while the new car's 0-60mph sprint time is 0.1s slower than that car's at 7.2s, the supercharger boosts its low range torque to far superior levels.

"The presence of the DSG system will need to be factored into the price of the Ibiza Cupra"

The 1.4 TSI twin-charge engine works on the principle that even modern turbochargers take a while to get into their stride and inserts a supercharger into the mix that can boost performance at low engine speeds while that happens. With turbo and supercharger working in tandem, maximum torque is produced over a much wider section of the rev range, giving the car greater flexibility. In a compact front-wheel-drive car like the Ibiza Cupra, the engine has added benefits in the shape of its light weight. This reduces the forces acting on the front wheels while they're working at important jobs like deploying the power and steering.

From the moment the curvy lines of the Ibiza Sport Coupe three-door were unveiled, hopes were high regarding what the Cupra derivative would look like and in the event, SEAT has left little room for disappointment. The Cupra specification is actually available in two models, the standard Cupra and the Bocanegra. The differences are largely cosmetic with the already extreme appearance of the Cupra taken to the next level by the Bocanegra version which was inspired by a SEAT concept car and which means 'black mouth' in Spanish. The Cupra has the traditional ground-hugging stance of a hot hatch with large vents cut into its front and rear bumpers, a subtle rear roof spoiler and a huge central exhaust. In Bocanegra form, the car lives up to its name with a 'black mouth' created by blacked-out sections of the bumper and grille surround and black honeycomb mesh over the air-vents.

The interior of the Cupra continues on the racy lines of the outside with sports seats and upgraded trim materials. These are welcome additions in the Ibiza as in the standard models, its cabin doesn't really have the wow-factor of the exterior lines, despite being very well put together. This isn't one of the roomier superminis around that the moment but the Ibiza three-door does leave the practical stuff to the five-door car, leaving it free to focus on looking good. In practice, there's space for a couple of rear seat occupants on short journeys and the boot is reasonable but not spectacular in size.

SEAT is rightly proud of the twin-charger engine in the Ibiza Cupra but that is by no means the extent of the car's technological innovations. Standard fit on all models is the XDS electronic differential system which uses the stability control functionality to mimic the action of a mechanical limited slip differential. Even more impressive, however, is the fitment of the DSG twin-clutch automatic gearbox as standard. This is a highly unorthodox move in a hot hatch but the DSG system with its wheel-mounted paddle shifters is about as slick as automatics get.

The presence of the DSG system will need to be factored into the price of the Ibiza Cupra and Bocanagra by buyers as the vast majority of rival models don't even have an automatic option. With this taken into account, the asking prices are reasonably competitive compared to key rivals like the Vauxhall Corsa VXR and Renault Clio Renaultsport 200 but many will still see £16,000 as big money for a supermini-based hot hatch.

Further advantages of the 1.4 TSI engine's small capacity come at the pumps where the Ibiza Cupra can return over 44mpg. It's unlikely that you'll see these kinds of returns if you use the car's performance potential on a regular basis but it's good to know that economical progress is a possibility. Emissions of 148g/km are also very competitive for the class.

The latest Ibiza Cupra has treaded water in terms of performance and retreated on engine capacity but SEAT is confident it's a major advance in fun and that's what really counts. The signs look good with the 1.4-litre twin-charger engine taking a thoroughly modern approach to delivering its 177bhp of clout, securing the added benefits of light weight and strong economy in the process. With the XDS electronic differential and DSG twin-clutch gearbox, it looks like the Cupra is intent on dragging the hot hatch into the 21st century.