The Seat Ibiza ST estate goes on sale in UK showrooms today, priced from £12,070.

The introduction of an ST estate takes the Ibiza range up to three bodystyles, alongside the 5-door and sporty 3-door SC variants.

The front is identical to the Seat Ibiza supermini, but from the windscreen back it’s all change with a higher roof and a much longer rear overhang. The result is an increase in boot space over the hatchback from 292 litres to 430 litres with the seats up.

Five engines are available from launch, including the new three-cylinder 1.2 TDI diesel and a 105bhp 1.2 TSI petrol engine. The latter option can accelerate from 0-62mph in 10.1 seconds and has a top speed of 118mph.

An Ecomotive version is also available, powered by the 1.2-litre TDI. It is capable of returning 80.7mpg and emitting just 92g/km of CO2, which makes it free to tax.

The excellent 7-speed, twin-clutch DSG gearbox is available as an option.

Full gallery: Seat Ibiza ST

Available to order now, the new Seat Ibiza ST is available in three trim levels: S A/C, SE and Sport. Standard equipment includes air conditioning, ABS, roof rails, steering column-mounted audio controls and a four-speaker stereo system with MP3 connectivity.

Prices range from £12,070 for the entry-level 1.4-litre 16V S A/C and rise to £14,910 for the Ibiza ST 1.2 TDI CR Ecomotive in SE spec.

The Ibiza ST will go head-to-head with two other supermini-based estates – the Skoda Fabia Estate and the Renault Clio Sport Tourer.

By Rhian Angharad Jones