SEAT Ibiza 1.9 TDi

Before this car I had an 1.4 MG ZR (petrol) which although gave excellent performance for that size engine, was proving costly for my commute to work - on average I was achieving about 33 miles per gallon.

So, after only having had that car for 8 months I decided to switch (to the dark side as some would say!) to diesel. I decided to move away from MG as the build quality was not great and the engines somewhat outdated in comparison with other manufacturers, in particular Seat which shares the PD (pump-deuse) diesel engine platform with other names such as VW, Audi and Skoda.

I took the Seat Ibiza FR TDi out for a test drive and it instantly gave me the wow-factor. With a 128 BHP (130PS) 1.9 litre engine, this diesel is no dawdler! Official Seat statistics rate the 0-62 time at 9.4 seconds, although this is widely seen as being on the conservative of what it does actually achieve (1 car magazine rated it as low as 8.4 seconds). My first experience of this car was a rush of exhiliration, feeling the full force of 229 lb ft of torque (310Nm). These specs make this car real fun to drive and it really comes into it's own in mid range driving. The in gear acceleration is one of this car's biggest assets, and with 6 gears to play with to take you up to 129MPH, that's a lot of assets!

Now comes the clincher - all this performance must hit your pocket surely? No. I have achieved 62MPG in this car on a 110 mile motorway journey at the national speed limit. On a day to day basis I never average less than 46-47MPG - my 30 mile journey to work includes a combination of town centre driving and A-road driving at the national speed limit twisting through the countryside. If I'm conservative with my right foot, I average around the 50-55MPG mark. Insurance also cost me less than my previous 1.4 petrol, as did the tax disc.

Build quality is good, I only have a few minor niggles including the glove compartment not closing as flush as it should and a rear cup holder that keeps popping out.

The only thing that is a disavantage for me, if I can call it that, is the service interval. My previous cars have been due for services at either 15k or 20k miles, but the Ibiza FR TDi requires servicing every 10k miles. This comes around a lot more quickly with the amount of driving I do.

For the on-the-road price of £12950 (3 door version), you also get: CD player, climate control, 16" alloys, twin chrome tail pipe, sports suspension, fog lights, electric mirrors, electric front windows, alarm and traction control system. I could go on, but to sum up, you get a lot for your money. 7 months on, I'm still really pleased with it and always smile when I drive it.