I had preconceptions about my new long termer, in my mind the Ibiza SE Copa would be comfortable, stylish and economical. After my first time in the car I discovered that it may also be a little too conventional.

The Seat brand is known for its sharp styling and the Ibiza is no exception, it is a great looking car, the styling is so similar to that of the Leon that it could quite easily pass as its younger brother.

In our 1.2 TDI CR Ecomotive, the economy credentials speak for themselves, an 80.7mpg combined figure and only 92g/km of CO2 is impressive and has the potential to deliver significant savings in tax to companies and drivers. I have only managed to achieve 68mpg out of the Ibiza at the moment but can see this easily edging into the seventies as I get more used to the car.

The inside is comfortable and there is plenty of room in the back for adults as well as children.

The biggest problem with the Ibiza is the engine.

With maximum power at 75PS it is unsurprising that the Seat struggles. Getting up to 60mph seems to take an eternity when on the slip road onto a motorway and slightly hillier terrain can soon feel like you’re climbing a mountain as the car noisily tries to conjure up enough power.

When I compare the Ibiza to the Corsa Exclusiv 1.3 CDTi that I drove recently, despite only 2g/km of CO2 between the two and identical fuel economy, the drives were completely different.

I found the Corsa to be nippy and the 95ps engine delivered smooth handling, it was really fun to drive and the engine hummed along nicely unlike the Ibiza which feels sluggish and stubborn when you try and drive over 60mph.

It seems to me that in their rush to deliver impressive environmental credentials, Seat have sacrificed the Ibiza’s performance. Yes the Ibiza will save you money at the petrol pump but it will also leave you frustrated, waiting for that extra bite of performance that doesn’t come.

We have the Ibiza for the next 12 months and I am looking forward to pushing the Ibiza to see just how economical it can be.