Normally, we start a video with a short introduction.
However, I'm driving a brand new Ford Fiesta right now, and I've got a brand new Seat Ibiza waiting for me as well.
So there's lots of stuff to talk about; lets start immediately with this Fiesta 1.0 EcoBoost.
The EcoBoost is quite a famous engine. They first introduced it in 2012, in the Focus.
Since then, it has been fitted to all kinds of Fords.
It's a very nice engine. A 1.0-litre 3-cylinder turbocharged engine.
Actually, it doesn't differ very much from the one in the previous Fiesta.
For now, it's only available with 100 horsepower.
In time, a 125- and 140 horsepower will become available.
But if you ask me, the 100 horsepower is more than enough.
It's the 170 Nm of torque this engine produces you want.
That amount of torque is already available at 1500 RPM.
That makes it a very smooth, and powerful enough car to drive on the road.
You do notice the power drops when you go beyond 5000 RPM,
and if you really floor it isn't particularly fast. It's decent though, but not fast.
But because of that 170 Nm, especially the rev range it's in when you reach that amount,
it's pretty quick.
Also, its rivals have caught up with the refinement of the engine.
Especially in the three highest gears. If you go between 1500 - 2000 RPM,
it sounds a little stressed. It feels a little bit unbalanced,
so it isn't the pinnacle of refinement.
You have the change gear more often to make sure it stays in the ideal range.
Luckily, it's connected to a very nice shifting 6-speed manual.
It's a transmission which really appeals to everyone. It's light, but it gives a lot of feedback as well.
If you like that sort of thing, it feels very good.
But if you don't really care about it, you won't be bothered by it either.
It's a very nice transmission, but the real pinnacle of the Fiesta was,
and still is; it's chassis.
It's an incredibly playful car, and the same story applies here as well.
If you like that, it's very nice,
and if you don't care, you won't be bothered by it.
It's not like it's very hard, it even has quite a long spring rate.
The dampers neatly control everything, so you have a car which absorbs bumps, pit and potholes,
whilst keeping tight on the road.
Most of all, it's a very agile car which reacts to everything you do.
If you release the throttle, the nose goes to the inside,
if you put your foot down again, it'll go to the outside.
You get very good feedback, the steering is very good as well.
You can really feel when the grip is ending, but it doesn't feel too heavy.
It really is a car in which you can have a lot of fun,
whilst maintaining enough comfort to use the car as a daily.
That's a trick Ford has mastered. Mastered very well indeed.
It's also a trick which Seat has been trying to master for years, because they're still the sporty nephew in the VW Group.
And they've managed, partly...
This is an Ibiza FR, so it's the sporty version.
It should actually be compared with a Ford Fiesta ST-line, but that isn't around yet.
And even though this car is fitted with a sports chassis, and the Fiesta isn't,
the Fiesta still is more fun to drive.
And that isn't because of the grip, because if you're going to look at which speed the front starts to slide,
the Fiesta isn't particularly better than this Ibiza.
It's the feedback, the connection you have with the car.
The connection isn't as strong as in the Fiesta.
It's a little bit more distant, there's less feeling in the steering,
the moment you're in a corner and you try to vary with the amount of throttle, there's less happening...
It's got the grip and it's able to be fun and the drive is very good, but it's a tad less playful than the Fiesta.
That also means the chassis is more at ease, especially on outer roads and motorways.
And even though is fitted with a sporty chassis, it's got a more comfortable ride.
It feels like it's a bigger car than the Fiesta, which is light and agile.
This feels a little more solid.
You get the same impression from the engine. Again, it's very close.
This one produces 95 horsepower, instead of 100 in the Fiesta,
but on the other hand it also produces 175 Nm of torque, instead of 170 Nm in the Fiesta.
The rev range in which the Ibiza produces that torque, is about the same as the Fiesta.
Both engines start to produce their peak power at around 1500 RPM, both have decent performance,
this one isn't as great in the higher revs either...
What you do notice however, is that this engine is a little bit more refined.
So where you get a lot of noise in the Fiesta, especially in the final three gears at around 1500 - 2000 RPM,
you don't really hear anything in here. You can easily let the revs drop to 1500 RPM, even in top gear.
No big deal. Top gear does mean the fifth gear,
unlike the Fiesta, which offers a 6-speed as standard.
That brings us to the practical side of the test, because on the driving side; both score very high.
It's mostly about the rational arguments, and that's where Seat has a strong hand.
The trunk for example. It can fit 355 litres,
and that's more than 50 litres more than the Fiesta.
Also, when you're in the back, you're better off as an adult.
If I get behind myself with my 1,80 m, there's enough space in every direction.
My legs aren't stuck, I can easily fit my feet underneath the seat.
Even the headroom is good, I've got centimetres to spare.
So when it comes to spaciousness, this Ibiza really does well as a B-segment car.
In the front, it's ergonomic as well.
A lot of functions are controlled by a touchscreen, and a few physical buttons around it serve as hotkeys,
and it works pretty nice. It's quick, and it reacts immediately.
The rest of the ergonomics are good as well; the seating position and other controls are all adjustable.
And when it comes to the latter, the Fiesta comes a little short.
The dashboard has really improved compared to the predecessor, especially qualitatively speaking.
It feels more premium now. The seating position however,
isn't as good. The seats are a tad small,
which means they don't sit very nice, especially if you're a tall person.
Then, the ergonomics. It has improved a lot;
the new Sync3 system is a lot quicker than before.
Sometimes it freezes for no apparent reason though, and in the back, I'm a little bit stuck here.
My legs are against the seat if I get behind myself, and even though I can fit my feet easily beneath the seat,
the headroom is a little bit limited.
If we move to the trunk, it's the same story.
It only offers 303 litres of luggage space, instead of the 355 litres the Ibiza offers.
Then, the final and maybe the most important question; what do they cost?
Again, it's very close.
If you want a fully equipped version like we've got here, with automatic aircon, alloy wheels, built-in satnav...
and other nice features like cruise control, electric windows etc., you're going to pay around €20.000 or €21.000.
That's a lot of money, but in both cases you get a great driving car,
which is usable for the whole family.
The Seat Ibiza is a tad more practical, but if you often drive it without carrying more than two people,
a test drive in the Ford Fiesta is worth the while.