Seat Ibiza Bocanegra Adds Style, Odd Name

Seat's subcompact Ibiza, which slots below the Leon in the Spanish VW subsidiary's lineup, is adding another variant to the range. Based on the high-performance Cupra model, the new version called the Bocanegra, is a rather attractive - and mildly aggressive - appearance package.

The production Bocanegra follows closely behind last year's concept Bocanegra SportsCoupe, which was the unofficial debut of the new Ibiza.  It looked like this:

Like most production versions of concept cars, the real thing is a slight let-down compared to the shiny show car.  Still, for a mass-production rendition of a concept car, the Ibiza Bocanegra looks quite mean.

The car is dressed up with a full-width black front grille (since "Bocanegra" means "black mouth" - of course!  makes perfect sense.) and large, fake air ducts with neatly integrated foglights.  Around back there's a smart-looking integrated center-exit exhaust and more cute fake air ducts.  The Bocanegra has hints of quite a few cars in my eyes - Alfa Romeo Mito, BMW 1-series, Hyundai Tiburon, Audi RS4... it all adds up to one rather exciting-looking small car.  Which isn't something that can normally said about cars the Ibiza's size, if I'm honest.

The car also gets some special 17" alloy wheels (called "Sira") and AP Racing brake calipers in the front.  Necessitating those are the Bocanegra's two engines: VW's fantastic 1.4L TSI "Twin-Charged" I4 in both 150bhp and 180bhp variants.  The DSG twin-clutch automated manual gearbox is standard equipment, and it comes with some nifty flappy paddles for your spirited mid-corner gearchanges.  Speaking of gear paddles, check out this interior:

Why can't we have small, attractive cars with classy and original interior designs like this in the United States?  It boggles the mind; I'd LOVE to have one of these things.  Inside, the Bocanegra gets fancy gloss-black trim, aluminum pedals, and a lot of red B's to remind you which one you bought.  It'll be for sale later this year, in any color you want as long as it's white or red.  Oh, and as long as you don't live the US.  As usual.