Seat Ibiza TGI - doesn't play dirty

Robert Markowski

source: Seat

Added on: 18.02.2018

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Seat Ibiza TGI - doesn't play dirty

Following months of vague announcements, the methane-powered variant of the latest Seat Ibiza – the first B-segment supermini from the VW Group using CNG as fuel – is finally officially here. And it's as clean as a car with a combustion engine can get.

The CNG refueling valve is under the petrol filler flap for convenience of use

On first glance, a 1,0 TSI like any other

Limited running costs, limited cargo space - there's nothing for free

With the addition of the Ibiza, Seat's TGI line-up now comprises four models. Well, in fact three and a half

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The diesel killer

The new Ibiza TGI is all about economy and eco-friendliness – according to Seat, driving it is cheaper than comparable petrol- and diesel-powered cars as well as non plug-in hybrids. As far as the supermini's environmental record is concerned, nitrogen oxides emissions are slashed by a staggering 85% and those of CO₂ by a respectable 25%, presumably compared to diesel. We'd call that impressive.

Common engine with uncommon mods

As previously announced, the car features Volkswagen Group's 1-litre TSI three-cylinder engine, already used in a number of models across Seat's, Volkswagen's and Skoda's ranges, but the unit has been specifically tweaked and modified for use with natural gas. The pistons are chrome-nickel covered, the valve seats are hardened, the intake valves are raised for improved fuel circulation and the turbocharger is lighter for better engine response. In CNG guise, the engine generates 90 PS of power and 160 Nm of torque.

Seat Ibiza TGI - CNG tanks under the boot floor

Super frugal

As you probably expect, the Ibiza is a bi-fuel car that doesn't ditch petrol altogether. There's still a 40-litre tank for the conventional fuel, but of course the idea is to primarily use the CNG pressure vessels capable of holding 13 kg of compressed methane. With fuel economy in CNG mode of 3,3 kg/100 km, range is nearly 400 km, so let's realistically expect 350 km per refueling. Petrol is said to provide another 800 km.

CNG for all!

As far as the Ibiza's environmental record is concerned, average CO₂ emissions are declared at 88 g/km, making the TGI version the cleanest Ibiza of them all. Ever. The methane option will be available across the entire range, including the FR (Formula Racing). And should you prefer a crossover instead a regular city car, a TGI variant of the Arona, using the same technological underpinnings, will debut later in 2018. Stay tuned!