Seat launch new Arona

Published on 28 November, 2017

SEAT give us exactly what we have come to expect of them with new Arona - sporty styling on reliable VW underpinnings, at a price that undercuts most of the market.

Overview

Overview

First, there was the SUV. The original ‘Sports Utility Vehicle’ tag denoted a car that was as capable as the name suggests, could take on any terrain and be fit for whatever purpose you could throw at it.

Then, there was the crossover. A car that looked like it could do all that, but most of the time, couldn’t. But it looked the part, had a bit more space than your average hatchback, and that raised driving position stole the hearts of the nation.

So much so, that there wasn’t really any going back. We’re now at the point where even a supermini driver wants that ‘bit of extra height’, and rugged look of an SUV. And so we enter into the third phase of SUVization (when there isn’t a word, we invent one) with the age of the compact crossover.

And if you think turning a supermini into an SUV is new, well think again – Mitsubishi had the Pajero Mini back in the mid-1990s when many of the potential customers were still in nappies. Although, truth be told, this car is as likely to be bought by a middle-aged professional as it is by the much coveted, but automotive apathetic millennials.

Anyway, we digress. The latest contender is the new SEAT Arona. After the huge success of their first foray into the SUV market with the Ateca, the have quickly followed up with (just to get this out of the way from the start), another total banker.

It doesn’t occupy much more space on the pavement than its closely related, but slightly shorter sibling, the Ibiza. Yet the extra height means it offers more cabin and boot space. So it’s not all about the looks. But they certainly help. It’s a very striking machine, particularly when specced with the contrasting roof and personalisation options that have become another stalwart of this baby SUV movement.

So what’s different about this one to the many, many other competitors who have jumped on this trend recently? The first thing that will prick ears is the price. The entry point of €18,995 puts it in a very good place in the market, undercutting the majority of its rivals, including the Renault Captur, Nissan Juke, and even the already keenly priced Peugeot 2008.

Ah but what’s included for that entry price we hear you ask? The answer is quite a lot actually. All Aronas will come with a five inch touch screen as standard. Not all manufacturers are so kind in this regard. We’re looking at you, Kia and Nissan. Other nifty features include roof rails, automatic lights, front assist, and air con. So it’s not exactly a windy-down window job. Still though, they only expect to sell five per cent of this ‘S’ trim.

The majority will take the €2,000 price walk to SE. On the styling side, this will add 16 inch alloy wheels, LED daytime running lights and front fogs, a leather steering wheel, colour-coded dashboard, interior chrome pack and ambient lighting in the cabin. The multimedia system gets upgraded to an eight inch display complete with voice control, and safety gear is expanded with cruise control and a tiredness warning system.

The trim levels then go into a Y formation, with a choice to upgrade once more to the ‘Xcellence’ with its Alcantara interior, reversing camera, ‘hotstamping’ on the grille and chrome roofrails, or, to the sporty ‘FR’ which gets more or less the same but with a meaner set of 17 inch alloys and tinted windows.

In another sign of the times, SEAT tell us the Arona will be mainly petrol powered. Engines available from launch will be the punchy 1.0l turbo petrol, and a 1.6l diesel. Both are available in either a 95 or 115hp guise. SEAT expect roughly 56 per cent of customers to take the 1.0l petrol option. A 1.5l 150hp TSI EVO is to follow in the new year.

We had a spin in the 1.0l 115hp Xcellence model and were impressed with its plucky handling. Our test route took us down some roads in County Laois which usually wouldn’t be wise in a two wheel drive car (sensibly, there is no 4WD option), but that extra ground clearance gave us the courage to plough on through the mucky bends, and the constant supply of gutsy power made it hard to believe we were in a one-litre. This feeling was aided and abetted by decisive steering and a finely tuned chassis, which was only rankled by the very worst of potholes. Back on public roads, we could very well have been in an Ibiza, which can only be a good thing. Except somehow, you feel bigger, more capable.

The 400 litre boot is far from class leading, but it is considerably larger than the Ibiza (355l), and the cabin dimensions are pretty similar to the supermini it’s based on, except for a bit more headroom. That’s where it’s going to sit, essentially, as a slightly funner version of the Ateca, or a slightly more family-friendly Ibiza. Either way it’s sure to mop up plenty of that spill between the two, and at this price point, probably lots from its rivals ‘inbetweener’ market too.

Stay tuned for a full video review and test drive coming soon to CarsIreland.ie

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Sinead McCann

Sinéad is our resident car tester who has the unenviable (-ok, slightly enviable) task of reviewing all the latest new cars to hit the market. You can follow her on Twitter @smcani and on Instagram @whatshedrives