UNTIL very recently the best supermini on the market was generally considered to be the SEAT Ibiza.
That accolade now goes to the latest incarnation of the Renault Clio, which is the new European Car of the Year.
It is a constantly changing scenario, with new cars leap-frogging over established favourites as they are updated with the latest technology.
Obviously it does not mean that the Ibiza is suddenly a sub-standard supermini, simply that some aspects of the new Clio are superior.
For example, until recently a small car with twin front air bags was considered to be well equipped in terms of safety.
This is what the Ibiza has - but the Clio adds not only side air bags but curtain air bags to its standard specification too.
The Clio has a five star Euro NCAP crash test score in comparison to a four-star rating for the Ibiza and so it goes on.
However, compare the Ibiza three-door 1.4 Sport at £8,800 with the Clio 1.4 Expression at £9,950 and that is quite a price difference.
Also, as the Ibiza has been around for a while and the Clio is brand new, the SEAT is more likely to be discounted than the Renault, which opens up an even greater price differential.
The Ibiza used to be just about the roomiest car in its class but now that accolade, too, goes to the Clio, with nine centimetres more leg room in the rear than the Ibiza, for example.
Nonetheless the Ibiza is an excellent package and a rewarding driver's car.
On the model tested the standard equipment included alloy wheels (£500 more on the Clio), air conditioning, a single CD player, remote central locking, three rear three-point seat belts and electric operation of the front windows.
The most obvious omission is the curious absence of electrically-operated heated door mirrors.
Although the car is given the Sport moniker there is actually a bias towards economy rather than performance, with the engine producing a relatively modest 75bhp at a lowly 5,000rpm.
By way of comparison the equivalent 1.4-litre 16-valve Clio boasts a power output of 98bhp but has to work much harder all the way up to 5,750rpm to achieve it.
The Ibiza takes 13.2 seconds to reach 62mph and runs out of steam at 108mph in comparison to a 0-60mph time of 12.6 seconds and a top speed of 115mph for the Clio.
The slight payoff is that the Ibiza is fractionally more economical overall, although not around town.
However, because the Clio has a usefully larger tank it has a range of 520 miles between fill-ups in comparison to 430 miles for the Ibiza.
Both cars fall into insurance group two and the Ibiza has an overall running cost of 27.7 pence per mile in comparison to three pence per mile more for the Clio.
Forget the specifics though and the Ibiza remains a great supermini, not just a good one.
It costs less than most of its rivals in the class and offers a reasonable amount of room inside.
The engine is good but unexceptional by latest standards but the car is still fun to drive.
It is a safe buy because the residual values are solid and it comes with an excellent record for reliability and durability.
FAST FACTS
SEAT Ibiza 1.4 Sport 3dr
Price: £8,800
Mechanical: 75bhp, 1,390cc, 4cyl petrol engine driving front wheels via 5spd manual gearbox
Max speed: 108mph
0-62mph: 13.2 secs
Combined mpg: 43.5
Insurance group: 4
CO2 emissions: 158g/km
BiK rating: 18%
Warranty: 3yrs/ 60,000 miles; 1yr paint; 12yrs anti-rust