Ahead of its Geneva motor show world debut, Seat has unveiled an all-new fifth-generation Ibiza in Barcelona. Destined for UK showrooms in July 2017, the latest Ibiza has all-new styling which Seat says continues the brand’s design DNA, but, with an edgier, sportier design, featuring more sculpted, accentuated and streamlined surfaces.

The new Ibiza is also the first Volkswagen Group model to use the MQB A0 modular platform, which Seat says highlights its importance within the Group.

Launched in 1984 for the first time, the Ibiza has been around the longest in the history of the Seat brand and is its top-selling model, with over 5.4 million units sold. The Ibiza is one of the brand’s three pillars, together with the Leon and Ateca, upon which the company says it will continue building its future success.

The new Ibiza has improved interior roominess and is designed to be safer and more robust. It is much wider by a notable 87mm, as well as two millimetres shorter and one lower than the previous model. The track is 60mm longer at the front axle and 48mm at the rear axle, while the distance between the axles is 2,564 millimetres, a 95mm increase. The result is that the Ibiza is both roomier on the inside and larger on the outside. For example, leg room in the back seats has increased by 35mm, while head room has gone up by 24 mm in the front seats and 17mm in the rear. The seats are 42mm wider too, making the new Ibiza one of the best in its class in this area according to Seat. The boot has also been enlarged by 63 litres, bringing its total capacity to 355 litres. The loading height has also been lowered.

All of the engines available on the new Ibiza comply with the Euro6 emissions standards. The 1.6 TDI diesel engine options will come in 79 bhp and 94 bhp guises in the UK. A manual five-speed transmission is available for the 94 bhp and lower engines, alongside a seven-speed dual-clutch DSG-auto gearbox.

Seat says the car’s dynamic behaviour, ride quality and driving comfort are exceptional, thanks to the new MQB A0 platform and 30% greater torsional stiffness. The new car will be solely offered with five doors, with a new design intended to offer the sportier look of a three-door model. The company also says there have been advances in terms of noise control, vibrations and ride harshness, allowing the new Ibiza to offer the quality of much larger and luxurious cars.

The new Ibiza will be offered in four trim levels at UK launch: S, SE, FR, plus, a new XCELLENCE version.

The FR trim comes with a rear diffuser, exclusive front bumper and exterior black pack, plus, sport suspension. The FR trim includes a stiffer suspension and offers four mode settings, Comfort, Eco, Sport and Individual, to adapt to the driver’s preferences or to the conditions on the road. The XCELLENCE trim will also offer this possibility later on, with a softer setting.

The new XCELLENCE trim meanwhile has, according to Seat, been designed to appeal to customers looking for comfort, elegance and intelligent technology.

The interior ambient LED lighting for the FR and XCELLENCE versions comes in two colours, red and white. The LEDs are intended to offer much higher quality lighting while saving energy, thus yielding improved fuel economy. The full LED lights on the latest Ibiza (headlights, dashboard, indicators and rear fog lights) are new in its class.

Driving assistance systems include are Front Assist, Adaptive Cruise Control, Keyless Entry System with heartbeat engine start button, a new generation of front and rear parking sensors and a rear view camera with a higher quality and precision reflected in a eight-inch touchscreen.

Inside, there’s a wireless charger with GSM amplifier. In terms of connectivity, the Ibiza offers seamless links to Apple Car Play, Android Auto and Mirror Link. There is also the option of a Beats audio sound system using a digital signal processor (DSP), seven premium speakers and an eight-channel with 300W amplifier.

Seat says the latest technology from the Volkswagen Group, the MQB platform (Modular Quer Baukasten), allows higher manufacturing flexibility and robust implementation, as it supports different models. It also permits different body types within the same segment and different wheelbase configurations to be achieved from the same base platform. Seat’s investments and R&D expenditure in recent years were partially allocated to adapt Line One at its Martorell factory to the new MQB A0 platform, allowing it to be the first Volkswagen Group brand to use this technology.