What they said when the Seat Cordoba was new… (May 19 2003)
SEAT introduced the new Cordoba to the British public back in the Spring.
It reached UK showrooms on Valentine's day and has since quietly won over a few hearts.
Really a saloon version of the new Ibiza, the Cordoba is available in two specification levels, S or SE and with a choice of one petrol and two diesel engines. Prices start at £9,995 for the 1.4 S version, while you would pay £11,995 for the 1.9 TDi S and £13,995 for the top of the range SE 1.9 TDi.
My test car was the 1.4 S model at a fiver under ten grand, finished in a nice metallic blue colour, one of eight metallics available in a ten colour range.
Standard S specification includes air conditioning, a single slot CD player with good sound quality, electric front windows, remote central locking, digital clock and outside temperature gauge.
The front seats are very comfortable in hard wearing fabric and are height adjustable with height-and-tilt headrests. The rear seats also feature three headrests and three three-point seatbelts. They can also be split and folded if you wish to increase the already huge boot space above its 475 litres, or if you wish to carry awkward objects.
The cabin also features plenty of storage space and the fascia and instrumentation are exactly what you would expect from a company which is part of the VW group.
Twin airbags are standard and power steering, ABS and EBA (emergency brake assist) are also part of the package.
In the S model, the door mirrors have to be adjusted manually, but the more expensive models include electric door mirrors and other extras like alloys, trip computers, electric rear windows, fogs and an alarm.
The new Cordoba is quite a good looking little car with plenty of style for the money. It has curves in all the right places and it now has a much more modern appearance.
There is also much more room inside, as this car is wider and longer than the model it replaced.
The ride and handling are just what you would expect although the 1.4 power plant does not set the heather on fire. It was fine in town and for most other journeys, but I found it underpowered on a long motorway journey.
It cruised along nicely when wound-up but the speed came off too quickly for my liking when you hit a long uphill, and to my mind there was insufficient power for overtaking.
Still it is a good package for the money, but I would strongly urge those considering the Cordoba to opt for the much more powerful diesel model which combines 130mph performance with 50mpg.
Words: John Murdoch
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