by: Susan Roberts

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Less than six months after its launch, the new Ibiza range has expanded with the arrival of two new versions that combine distinct sports character with the commitment to environmental sustainability. In the first, innovative design and technology join character and exclusivity in the Ibiza Cupra.

At SEAT, they believe that a car should move the driver in more ways than one. The sportier new Ibiza is an adventure in power, comfort and technology.

The 0 to 62 mph time is an entirely respectable 7.5 seconds and the top speed cracks three figures - 135 mph to be precise. On paper the petrol engine has the edge on top speed and acceleration but such comparisons can be misleading because the diesel engine gets a six-speed manual 'box while the petrol makes do with five cogs.

This combines suspension settings tuned for the keen driver with an intelligent power steering system that not only adjusts the amount of assistance according to driving speed nothing particularly novel there but also considers the position of the wheels and how quickly the steering wheel is being turned.

Mated to a five-speed manual gearbox, the three cylinder 1.2 petrol delivers a decidedly 'green' 42 mpg on the combined cycle, producing just 149 g/km of CO2. SEAT's new ECOmotive variant is one of only two cars eligible for the Group A tax band - the other being VW's Polo Bluemotion.

With more torque than a Boxster S, SEAT's new Ibiza Cupra is a convincing hot hatch. SEAT offers a 1.8-litre 20v turbocharged petrol engine in the Cupra which has more power (176bhp to the 1.9-litre TDI's 158bhp) but less wallop (181lb ft at 2000rpm).

The attractive looks of the Seat Ibiza Cupra come to life in its unmistakeable compact silhouette, which provides a perfect synergy between a fiery sporty nature and the functionality, roominess and highest safety standards required to adapt to any need. Also the interior conveys the sporty looks that are typical of all the Seat models. At the wheel of the new Seat Ibiza Cupra, the driver immediately knows it is not just another car, but a distinctly race-minded vehicle.

The instrument panel has two newly-designed dials and includes a screen between the two containing Bluetooth telephone functions. Calls are handled by controls on the steering column, optimising driver-vehicle connectivity.

The interior features a red, white and black colour scheme, with the trim all black, the instruments picked out in white with red highlighting on the air vents, indicators, and stitching on the wheel, seats, headrests, gear lever and hand brake. The seats themselves feature the Cupra logo writ large into the sculpted backrest and the Cupra logo also features on the sports steering wheel. SEAT couldn't resist the inclusion of the ubiquitous metal capped pedals.

Overall, the Seat Ibiza Cupra is a stylish and desirable hot hatch - no matter what fuel it runs on.

The new sporty Ibiza Cupra with its 180HP 1.4-liter turbocharged and supercharged four-pot isn't due to arrive in U.K. showrooms for a while yet, but those interested can take a virtual spin of the car with a racing game that is available for iPhone and iPod touch owners. SEAT claims that in the three weeks that the game has been made available online, more than a quarter of a million people downloaded it to their iPhones and iPods. The company also said that in the summer, it will release an updated version of the Ibiza Cupra game with more cars, circuits and competition models.


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by: Thomas Ajava

i


Car insurance is a funny thing. Most people can't stand paying for it. Only when they need it are they really happy that they did. While everyone complains about the amount they pay in premiums, the truth is you can do a lot to lower those amounts. In this article, we take a look at the issue of how filing claims against the insurance policies will affect your car insurance rates.

There are two very distinct views when it comes to car insurance. Some people view their policy as a pool of money that they can access whenever they need to. Others view it as a financial tool that should be used only as last resort. Your attitude toward your car insurance goes along way to establishing how much you're going to pay in premiums. For some reason, this is a big surprise to most people. It should not be. Let's take a closer look at how this works.

Let's say you're fresh out of college and you have a job. You living in an apartment in a decent part of town. Unfortunately, you don't have a garage. You come out of your house one morning to drive to work and noticed a dent in the side of your door. The dent isn't too bad, but it's clear that the paint is scraped and the door is dinged in. What do you do? You really have two options. The first is to take it to a repair shop and get it repaired with your own money. The second is to take it to your insurance company and have them deal with it. The first option is going to cost you more in the short term, but the second option may cost you in the long-term.

The more often you file claims under insurance policies, the higher your premium rates are going to go. Why is this? Well, think it through. The more often there are claims on the policy, the more money the insurance company has to spend. You can bet the insurance company is going to be paying close attention to how much money they're spending on your policies. Once they realize that they're spending more and more money, they're going to do one of two things. The first is to raise your premium rates the next time you renew your insurance. If you really go nuts with your claims, they will simply cancel your policy.

So, how do you know if you're making too many claims under policy? The average for all insured motorists in the United States is one claim approximately every 11 years. Yes, 11 years! Once your insurance premium rates start going up because of excessive claims, it can be very difficult to get them to come back down. As a result, you want to be really careful of making claims.

You buy car insurance for a reason. It is important that you figure out what that reason is. If you hate paying high premiums, take care of small repairs on your own. If you don't really care how large your premiums are, then you can make as many claims as you like. It is up to you.



About The Author
Thomas Ajava writes about auto insurance for http://www.autoownersinsurancecompanies.com - where you can find auto insurance companies across the country.