SEAT Ibiza 1.4 TSi FR DSG ON THE ROAD

Review & Photos by Rob McSorley

Since parent company Volkswagen took the reigns at SEAT in 1990 it has strived to carve the Spanish brand a neat section of the market with products that are more daring and sporty than Skodas or Volkswagens. SEAT could be described then as the wild child of the family, perhaps the unruly teenager that likes to have far too much fun.

The Ibiza has been SEAT’s best-selling model for a very long time, few realise that its been about for nearly 30 years and is now in its fourth generation. Earlier this year the Polo-based hatch received a thorough reworking to keep it fresh in the face of increased opposition. Until the new Cupra (Cup Racing) comes along the sportiest model is the FR (Formula Racing) which as of 2012 is available in a number of body styles and power outputs. We test the most potent petrol model to find out if it’s any good.

Volkswagen Beetle Design 2.0-litre TDI DSG BRIEF ENCOUNTER

Review & Photos by Rob McSorley

It's no secret that currently retro is cool. You could be fooled into thinking that it all started with BMW's runaway success the MINI but Volkswagen’s Beetle predated it by a good few years. 

Sadly in comparison the 'new' Beetle seemed like a poor regurgitated imitation of the original Beetle. If you squinted hard enough it sure looked like a Beetle but everything else was pretty ordinary including its bland VW parts bin interior (dashboard vase aside) and so-so drive from its Golf derived underpinnings.

2012 saw the launch of this, the second generation car which promises to up the game in response to the now more crowded sector occupied by not only the MINI but Fiat's 500; not forgetting the 'anti-retro' Citroen DS3.