IT'S almost a misnomer to call the new SEAT Ibiza a supermini because - unlike a lot of its rivals - it boasts so much space.

So when it comes to buying a family car this is one supermini that won't lead to complaints about lack of legroom or even luggage room for that matter.

The new, fifth generation Ibiza, is a good looking, stylish five-seater with a lot of angular design cues.

The headlights, twin exhaust outlets, mirrors and cutouts in the metal all follow the same sharp pattern which tends to give the car a sporting image in true SEAT style.

Inside this is a car which is both smart and functional, with discreet but colourful patterns on the seats and a dashboard that's extremely intuitive.

In the centre of the dashboard in the driver's line of sight is an eight inch touch screen to access nearly all of the onboard features, including satellite navigation.

And this being the FR version it has a more sporting bias with slightly stiffer suspension, seats that hold you well on corners, darkened rear windows and 17-inch alloys.

And the nice thing about this car is you can also alter the driving mode to suit your mood - with a choice which includes comfort, eco and sport - so you can tailor the Ibiza to your style of driving.

Powered by Volkswagen Group's ubiquitous 1.0-litre, three-cylinder engine the 95bhp FR TSI is nippy rather than fast but pulls well even when fully loaded.

Because of the lack of engine size you sometimes have to work the five speed gearbox - and the rev counter - to really make it deliver but deliver it does and in a nice refined manner.

If you feel you need a bit more zip the same 1.0-litre is available with 115bhp.

But even when you hit the red line a few times on the rev counter of the FRV it never seems to affect fuel consumption too seriously. During a week's motoring my average was always in the 55-56 miles per gallon bracket.

The Ibiza is one of those cars which is light and agile to drive and easy to manoeuvre and park, which is one of the reasons it's so popular with first time buyers and young motorists in general.

And as superminis go it's well equipped for carrying a decent amount of luggage, with a deep boot capable of accommodating 355 litres with the rear seatbacks in place. The 60-40 folding rear seat backs allow you to create even more carrying room when you don't have any rear passengers on board.

After more than 30 years of production the Ibiza is still SEAT's best selling model because it offers such good value for money.