Thanks to a high quality finish and some neat detailing, the interior of the Ibiza FR has plenty of appeal. It’s very comfortable thanks to supportive sports seats with plenty of adjustment while the layout of all the main controls and switches is easy to get on with. It’s not especially sporty, but touches such as the chunky steering wheel with its FR badging, sport dials plus red stitching and seat trim help mark it out from a standard Ibiza model.

Quality is good and the stereo and air conditioning controls, with their black gloss finish, look upmarket

It may be a sporty hatchback, but the FR rides quite well – on smooth surfaces. Despite a lower ride height and harder suspension, it’s enjoyable on new tarmac, but it can feel too firm on uneven and bumpy roads. As a result, poor quality roads do it few favours. The twin exhaust on the TSI doesn’t produce an especially gruff note, but it sounds more characterful at higher revs.

Unfortunately, the relatively small 1.4-litre engine often needs to be worked hard to get decent pace and it doesn’t sound particularly good, with a somewhat coarse rather than sporty note. The TDI is better on the motorway and doesn’t need to be revved hard to get meaningful pace. It’s fairly refined, but can sound a little noisy on start-up. Both front passengers get plenty of space and the sports seats offer good support, however the rear space is quite cramped with limited legroom, while the sloping roof in the SC (three-door) model means headroom is tight for taller passengers.