The Ibiza badge has suffixed the Seat name for longer than any other and is now in its fifth generation.

Seat, as you will all know, is the Spanish arm of VW’s mighty fiefdom. We are constantly told by those in charge that the brand is aimed more at the young thruster than, say, its worthy Skoda cousin.

Anyway, be you young and thrusty, middle-aged and merely slightly proddy or a stiffly hipped old fossil, here’s a bit of techno stuff that just may excite you - the big deal factor that for now singles out the 2017 Seat Ibiza…

Back in 2012, much of a fandango was made of the then all new MQB platform when it first underpinned the new Golf, then latterly many, many more VW sourced motors. The new Ibiza is the group’s first car to ride on the new MQB - A0, which is, if you like, a shrunken version of the same and will in the fullness of time see duty under the new VW Polo, Skoda Fabia and Audi A1. Is that not exciting?

Confusingly, the A1, when it comes next year, will also be built at Seat’s Martorell plant, though to avoid any siesting and general slacking, I’m sure the Germans will be supervising the tapas breaks.

The new car’s dimensions are a weeny bit smaller all round, but more space has been freed up within. This has been achieved by pushing the wheels further out into their respective corners.

Recent Seats have tended to be easy on the eye. The new Ibiza is no exception, with crisp lines and sharp creases, especially on the bonnet’s outer edges and the double waistline of its flanks. Oddly, all models are 5-door affairs.

Driven here is the 113bhp turbocharged 1.0 litre 3-cylinder version. A normally aspirated 94bhp offering is also available, but life’s too short for that. "My" car is expected to be the best seller of the group here in the UK. It nips hither and yon frugally and efficiently, but show it some hilly stuff and you’ll be working the 6-speed manual with vim and vigour.

Luckily it’s an accurate little ’box. For more grunt and pace, consider the 1.5 Evo, with 184bhp, perhaps?

Torsional rigidity is up by 30% and it shows. It feels like a bigger car than it is: stable and reasonably quiet at motorway speeds and forgiving when pushed hard.

The sporty FR and Xcellence models also benefit from adaptive cruise control and Front Assist automatic braking to stave off those embarrassing rear end shunts. I inadvertently tested this system. It worked, mercifully.

Soon-ish, Ford will be rolling out their new Fiesta, big competition for sure, not to mention offerings from its more expensive Audi and VW cousins.

That stated, the Ibiza is a classy little act and, in my view, a finer car than the new Nissan Micra.

The entry level normally aspirated S will set you back £12,915.00. The car driven here, with sports body kit and suspenders and fancy racy seats comes in at £16,630. Time to test Seat’s scrappage scheme, perhaps?