KK OO SS
Drivingwww.carsforkent.co.ukDrivingwww.carsforkent.co.uk
WE SAY appearances can be
deceptive, and ask what's in a
name? Both phrases apply to
contrasting additions to Seat's
sporting Ibiza supermini line-up.
Sitting at the top of the range for perform-
ance is the new Zorro-masked Bocanegra
version of the Ibiza Cupra hot hatch, while
its antithesis is the miserly Ecomotive.
The latter is perhaps the most surprising
because Seat � the Spanish arm of VW �
pitches itself as an affordable sporting
brand, using the brand strapline `Auto
Emocion' and yet it has just produced what
may be the best eco-friendly car on the
market.
Leaving aside fuel-sipping records
already held by the Ecomotive (inset) � it
set 120mpg on its latest epic � real world
driving should still average around 75mpg
and it qualifies for road tax exemption with
just 98g/km of CO2 emissions.
And yet while the car's name and its
noticeably blanked off grille � part of the
wind-cheating, economy-enhancing package
� suggest a hair shirt driving experience,
the Ecomotive is actually pleasant to drive.
There is no Noddy car cornering on skin-
ny tyres or asthmatic performance from a
weedy engine and hopelessly optimistic
gear ratios; the Ecomotion actually works.
The 80PS (79bhp) 1.4-litre diesel feels
weighty up front yet pulls well to take the
Ibiza miser to 62mph in a respectable 13
seconds.
True, the three-cylinder can sound buzzy,
but maximising power through a precise
five-speed manual `box can be fun since the
three or five-door Ecomotive � priced at
�12,355 and �12,755 respectively � still has
the impressive Ibiza chassis.
Compared to some eco-warriors, it's also
not that much more expensive than an
equivalent from the standard range � you
will pay about �850 extra for this sporting
economist.
And while your head may have persuaded
you into an Ecomotion, your heart can bask
in the reflected glory of the Bocanegra. Like
the Ecomotion though, the car's appear-
ance doesn't quite go with its character.
For the �16,695 Bocanegra (main picture)
is that all too rare beast: a useable every-
day car that just happens to have beefy hot
hatch looks, power and handling.
Petrolheads may argue the toss, but who
really wants to have their kidneys and fill-
ings shaken all the time just for occasional
exhilaration?
Seat hints at the car's lightness of touch
by offering it only � at least for now � with
the Cupra powertrain: a 180PS (178bhp)
1.4-litre turbocharged and supercharged
petrol engine paired with a new seven-
speed version of the VW twin-clutch DSG
auto `box.
This fits that everyday character I men-
tioned, turning the hairy-chested Bocanegra
into a docile city car. Out on the open road
though, gears can be selected manually and
swiftly using the floor-mounted change or
F1 paddle shifts. On-road poise and feed-
back is excellent and it really is as much
fun as it is easy to live with.
Those dramatic Bocanegra add-ons � the
masked front, honeycomb meshing, promi-
nent alloys and big trapezoidal exhaust �
underline the car's ultimate ability though.
Why Bocanegra? It means `black mouth'
in Spanish and was coined for a sporting
Seat built from 1975-79 using Fiat under-
pinnings and a coupe body courtesy of NSU
� later absorbed into Audi � and distin-
guished by an all-black front end.
Zorro co-exists
with the miser
FirstDrive
Seat Ibiza Cupra Bocanegra
& Leon Ecomotive
STEVELOADER
by
Zorro co-exists
with the miser

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