Styled by Luc Donckerwolke with a sharp-edged “arrow design” that broke from every Ibiza before it, the fourth generation was the first Volkswagen Group model on the PQ25 platform later shared with the Volkswagen Polo and Audi A1.[1] It launched as a five-door in mid-2008, followed by the three-door SportCoupé and, from 2010, the ST estate. In June 2009 the range gained its performance flagships: the FR, tuned to 150 PS, and the Cupra and limited Bocanegra editions sharing the same 1.4-litre turbocharged engine at 180 PS.
Three trims are recorded here: the mainstream 1.2 TSI, the 1.4 TSI Cupra hot hatch, and the 1.6 TDI diesel. Kerb weight and length are both published only as ranges across engine variants and body styles; the lowest figure in each case is recorded at generation level rather than assigned to a specific trim.