Just one short year ago SEAT was blazing a colour-coded trail through the UK's drab street scenes with its phenomenally successful Leon Cupra K1 – one of the trend-setting cars of the last 12 months and especially striking in what has quickly become its trademark hue, Candy White.

Today, the Spaniards are once again leading the way on car colours.  This time, it's the turn of the new special edition Ibiza Black to turn heads.

Based on the already elegant Ibiza 5dr 1.4 Sport the limited edition newcomer – in showrooms now and strictly limited to just 150 examples nationwide – adds a raft of smart extras to the standard supermini's chic shape.

The extensive styling extras include unique front and rear bumpers, side skirts, striking tailgate roof spoiler and arch-filling 17" alloys.  There are also dark tinted rear windows and, of course, that eye-catching paint job: Black Magic metallic, to be precise.

Add discrete but effective tailgate badging and the car's smart credentials are clear for all to see.

Priced at £12,345 RRP, the limited edition Ibiza Black of course sports the same top notch quality, practicality, safety and equipment as the standard Ibiza 5dr Sport – meaning a class-leading package of value, as well as style.

Air conditioning, sports seats, electric windows all round, six-speaker radio/MP3-compatible CD with steering column-mounted remote controls and Aux-in socket, leather steering wheel and gearknob, body-coloured heated and electrically adjustable door mirrors, trip computer and integrated front fog lights with cornering function: these are just a selection of the Ibiza Black's standard fit kit.

Seat Ibiza 5dr Black Special Edition (2009)
Seat Ibiza 5dr Black Special Edition (2009) - picture 1 of 2
Seat Ibiza 5dr Black Special Edition (2009) - picture 2 of 2

Driver and front passenger airbags plus head-thorax front side airbags, front passenger airbag disconnection, seatbelt reminder chimes, rear seat ISOFIX child seat points with Top Tether anchoring and remote central locking keep the SEAT and its occupants safe and secure.

The limited edition offering has the ‘go' to match its ‘show' courtesy of a free-revving 1.4-litre 85 PS petrol engine mated to a smooth and precise five-speed manual gearbox.  A top speed of 108 mph and 0-62 mph time of 12.2 seconds sits alongside combined CO2 emissions of just 149 g/km and impressive combined fuel economy of 45.6 mpg.

Combine that with a particularly low insurance group – 3E – and it's easy to see why SEAT is confident the Ibiza Black will appeal to the head, as much as the heart, of today's cost-conscious new car buyers.

Andy McGregor, SEAT UK's Ibiza Product Manager, said of the high fashion newcomer: ‘Building on the great lines of the existing Ibiza 5dr with the addition of a sporty body kit and larger alloy wheels has allowed us to create a very impressive offering.

‘The obvious appeal, particularly for younger buyers who want to keep a lid on insurance costs but don't want to sacrifice style, means I expect the Ibiza Black won't be around in showrooms for long!'