1998 SEAT Cordoba Vario 1.6L 5MT RWD (100 HP)

Vehicle Overview

Seat introduced the first generation of Cordoba in 1993, and three years later, it was available as a station-wagon version, named Vario.

After successfully launching the second generation of the Ibiza lineup, the Spanish carmaker introduced a three-box version named Cordoba. They shared the same platform with the Polo. But the German carmaker, who already owned the Spanish brand, decided to postpone the station-wagon version and launch it in 1996 along with the facelifted version for the entire Cordoba range.

On the outside, the small-segment wagon featured Polo-like horizontal headlights and a grille that looked like a smile. It was their way to show a car that could improve people’s life. The time of station-wagons was not past due, and a vehicle with enough interior room as a compact-sized vehicle was good news. While the front of the car was similar to the three-box Cordoba, after the B-pillar, the designers made a more extended roof and, behind the C-pillars, they placed a set of squared windows. It was hardly a very imaginative work of art. More like a “let’s put a backpack on this thing” job. In the rear, the station-wagon featured a red strip that connected the vertically mounted taillights.

Inside, there was a straightforward dashboard design, with a center stack that dropped toward the floor and a small, rounded, instrument cluster with slightly redesigned VW Polo dials. Its front seats were simple and mounted low on the base to create a sporty feeling. In the back, the folding bench was suitable for two adult-sized passengers.

Under the hood, the most notorious Cordoba Vario was fitted with the new, 1.9-liter diesel engine, turbocharged or not, from Volkswagen’s parts bin. Apart from that, the carmaker offered the Cordoba Vario with a choice of three gasoline engines.