All-new Seat Ibiza SportCoupe - first pics

As the all-new Seat Ibiza SportCoupe three-door supermini steps out from the shadows of its five-door sibling, we ask is the latest Ibiza offspring as Bocanegra-influenced as hoped for, or simply a filtered interpretation that will do little to trouble the BMW Mini Cooper and its hardcore posse?

So, the truth about the all-new Seat SportCoupe is out there. One of the most hyped automotive X-Files of recent times has come to light, and it’s fair to say it makes for a case even sceptics would find difficult to argue against.

That's probably more to do with the underlying fact that they've kinda seen it all before. A few months back. Only a bit bigger. And with a couple more doors.

You see Seat – like a host of leading car manufacturers – don't seem to have the faith in its model convictions to stay true to initial sketches, which is a shame when those doodles are as bold and exciting as the Seat Bocanegra is.

Luc Donkerwolke's original 'arrow design' is now more alkaline than acidic as he intended, and, as hinted above, not that far removed from its supposedly more sensible five-door Ibiza sibling.

Let's not dwell on this though, and instead address the positives, of which there are plenty.

The SportCoupe has had its roofline lowered by 17mm, which makes its stance that much more aggressive. Also its headlights are sported lower down and a newly-juxtaposed grille give it a more hunkered down frontal aesthetic.

With the only real visual stimuli above and beyond the five-door Ibiza dispersed with, the Seat SportCoupe keeps pace with its big brother by utilizing the same seven-speed DSG transmission alignment. Well, as an option on the 104bhp 1.6-litre model anyhow. Yet even in this box-ticking format, provides a world first seven-speed, double-clutch gearbox to be found in the supermini segment.

The final word on power plants for the bulk of the SportCoupe range haven't had its T's crossed or i's dotted as yet – waiting on numbers as opposed to letters, this is understandable – but sources close to the Spanish car manufacturer expect the same units found in the larger model, with 70bhp 1.2-litre three-cylinder and 85bhp 1.4-litre four-pot petrol options likely to feature prominently.

Diesels will extol the virtues of common-rail set-ups, with a 80bhp 1.4-litre and 90bhp 1.9-litre TDI version available from launch. Emission-defying and fuel-efficient Ecomotion variants are set to follow in its wake.

Significant trim and pricing whispers, remain just that. Caffeine-injected FR and Cupra variants of the new Ibiza will certainly masquerade in the SportCoupe undergarments when revealed in coming months, although we live in hope that it's outer layers do a tad more to raise the blood pressure and take it back toward the full-strength Bocanegra Seat continue to tease us with.

The all-new Seat Ibiza SportCoupe will free itself from its dust-sheet at next months British International Motor Show, with a view to proposed UK sales commencing early in 2009.