When you see a modern, stylish car with a list price of at least £600 less than its immediate rivals you are bound to sit up and take notice.
After that, the next thought ought to be: is the cheaper product as good as the pricier models?
In the case of the SEAT, the Spanish car company now controlled by Germany's Volkswagen group, the answer is: nearly but not quite.
The SEAT competes in the same category as the South Korean-made Hyundai Pony.
Both ranges provide cars midway in size between Ford's Fiesta and Escort, with asking prices undercutting these models by margins of between £600 and £1,000.
Examine the latest SEAT, for example. This is the Ibiza 1.5GL five-door, a pretty little job which looks remarkably good value for £5,668, and it is.
Both SEAT and Hyundai are compromise cars. You can't have everything, can you?
I particularly like the SEAT. Apart from being an attractive car, it is a very competent all-rounder with a distinctly sporty feel.
It is well made, comfortably furnished and its equipment is up to par.
Furthermore, its engine is a beauty most of the time. The SEAT's heart is a power unit designed and developed by the consultancy arm of the famed West German sports car firm, Porsche.
It's not exactly the smoothest-running engine of its type, but the 1,461 cc power plant not only turns out an 85bph but is also tuned to produce its power at low speeds.
It is this characteristic that makes the front-driven Ibiza an undemanding drive. The engine delivers lots of meaty pull and the car will easily accelerate away from corners in a gear higher than most others.
It serves up punchy acceleration and a 109mph top speed, but it does become somewhat noisy if you ask it to flex all its muscles. Fast cruising sets up a drone that becomes tiring.
The car handles well with a definite Latin feel about it.
The disc-drum braking system is reassuring but the squeal fron the front during light use in traffic was a source of annoyance on the test vehicle.
The Ibiza is a roomy car for its 11ft 9ins and access to all seats is excellent.
