This is the cheapest of the half-dozen models in SEAT's 2007 model year Formula Racing range. As with the León and Altea FRs, the Ibiza comes with a choice of petrol or diesel engines, but not quite the same ones. The larger, more recently designed models have modern two-litre turbocharged units, whereas the Ibiza gets engines from the Volkswagen Group's classic collection.In the case of the diesel, that means the ageing but still impressive 1.9 TDI, which makes the Ibiza nearly £1200 more than the car tested here (though it also means cheaper insurance - the TDI comes four Groups lower). The entry-level FR gets the 1.8-litre petrol turbo which has been appearing in SEATs, Volkswagens, Audis and Skodas since the reign of Edward the Confessor.And why not? It's a good unit. The fact that it must also have paid for itself years ago, and the other fact that the Ibiza has itself been around for a long time, means the car can be priced just under £12,000. For that money the Ibiza FR provides impressive performance, with a top speed of 134mph and a 0-62mph time of 8.4 seconds. There are much hotter hatches around, but they all cost more.The Ibiza could be quicker than it is. The 1.8 Turbo engine has been made available over the years with a wide variety of power outputs, from 148bhp (in its original form) to 247bhp in the Audi TT.In the Ibiza FR, it comes in 148bhp spec, which is about as much as the car can reasonably handle. The Ibiza feels like what it actually is - a car whose heritage stretches back for more than a decade - and if it had a lot more grunt going through the front wheels it could start to feel pretty wayward.The most notable example of this made itself apparent when I drove the test car both at the Prodrive proving ground and in the surrounding roads in Warwickshire. The back end is apt to become a bit excitable even under medium braking, and if you're not prepared for this it can focus your attention on the public highway.It was even more obvious at Prodrive, but in a track situation it can work to your benefit. From past experience of other hot Ibizas I know that the slight back-end instability can be very helpful on turn-in to a slow corner, since it saves you some of the work of pointing the front in the right direction.I mention the past experience here because SEAT arranged to have instructors sitting beside journalists on the track. Mine was James Rhodes, a splendid fellow who is all for blasting round corners as quickly as possible, but even he was under orders to make sure that no one got too far out of shape.So, after we had pulled over to let SEAT's British Touring Car Championship team leader Jason Plato swish past in a León FR, James - with, I suspected, some regret - was duty bound to discourage me from giving chase by swinging the Ibiza's tail into corners, which happened to be exactly what Plato was doing to considerable effect in the León. If you're going to take an Ibiza FR out on track days, this is what you need to do to achieve really good lap times, but at the same time it's a thoroughly inadvisable technique to use on public roads.My feeling with the Ibiza range as a whole is that the less power the engine produces, the better the car is (see 1.2 Reference test). But the FR provides good fun on a relatively low budget, which is all it was ever meant to do. Engine 1781cc, 4 cylinders Power 148bhp Fuel/CO2 35.8mpg / 190g/km Acceleration 0-62mph: 8.4 seconds Top speed 134mph Price £11,975 Details correct at publication date
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