SEAT Ibiza tops What Car? awards
16 January 2003: SEAT's Ibiza supermini was last night named Car of the Year 2003 by What Car?, the UK consumer motoring magazine.
The winning model is the 1.2-litre three-cylinder Ibiza, which What Car?’s judges praised for its 'sporting looks and youthful appeal'. The car’s rock-bottom group 2 insurance (in the UK), exceptional fuel economy and four-star rating in Euro NCAP crash tests also found favour with What Car?’s judges.
The Ibiza was one of seven new category winners chosen by the judging panel this year. Others include the latest Vauxhall (Opel in Ireland) Vectra (Family Car), the new Mercedes E-class (Executive Car), the Hyundai Getz (Budget Car), Volvo’s XC90 (4x4), the Volkswagen Beetle (Convertible) and the Mazda 6 in the Estate category.
Renault won the magazine's the Safety award for having three cars which have earned a maximum five-star rating in Euro NCAP crash tests, while Lexus again took the Security award after three models attained 100% scores in the magazine’s annual theft-protection tests.