THE old Ibiza started to show its age long before Seat announced it was going to get an overhaul.

Now, like an ageing model after a visit to the plastic surgeon, the new Ibiza has hit the streets and while it’s not quite a million dollars, it’s certainly a million miles from the version it has replaced.

While it has retained its distinctive bull nose, from the bonnet backwards there has been some serious remodelling.

Its angled flanks lead neatly to a sharply-styled rear end and while you could pass the old Ibiza by without really noticing, I doubt many will with its replacement.

The coupe benefits most from the reworking due to its absence of rear doors.

Calling it sporty might be stretching it a little far, despite being styled by a man who has penned Lamborghinis, but it’s certainly not a run-of-the-mill run-around.

The SC is lower and shorter than the five-door and a range of colours not offered to its brethren make it stand out even more.

The interior has been freshened up as well.

The dash is bright, there are user-friendly plastics, some made to look as if they are fashioned in chrome, and it all feels well built and sturdy, not that you’d expect anything less from a car that is part of the VAG group.

Our test car came with the optional satellite navigation system, which docks handily on top of the dash and is simple enough to detach and engage at will, and a panoramic sunroof, which made the interior feel light and airy.

The front seats were comfortable and supportive and I could imagine travelling substantial distances without them causing a problem.

Space is more restricted in the rear, thanks to a combination of the car’s roofline and tight legroom. But that said, we still managed to get two child seats in without the usual problems of feet scuffing the front seats.

Getting the kids into those rear seats was the main problem encountered, but then, if I was buying an Ibiza, I would have taken that into account and bought the more practical five-door.

There’s plenty of room in the boot as well, enough to swallow the usual family trappings.

Our car was powered by a 1.4-litre petrol unit and, from what I have read, it would seem the engine of choice, the smaller 1.2 option running out of puff when you need it most and the larger 1.6 litre not a bigger enough improvement to make it worthwhile.

The Ibiza drives well and rides well. It’s not class-leading, but I had very few complaints.

It grips when you need it most, there’s little in the way of lean and while you can feel the undulations on some of our less well-maintained roads, overall, it more than adequately soaks up the surfaces.

Prices are more than competitive, in fact they are a veritable bargain, with our range-topping model coming in at shade under £10,300 on the road.

What’s more, they retain their value better than some others and are cheap to maintain and run.

The Ibiza’s makeover may have been overdue, but it has been worth the wait.