Seat Arona 1.0 TSI 95 SE Technology: Living with it

First Report | Second Report

What is it?

It’s Seat’s first compact SUV which joins the booming segment of trendy family cars.

It might not be the most eye-catching car in the class, that honour goes to the bold Hyundai Kona, but it appeals to those who are looking for something a bit more grownup. Our Seat Arona features a contrasting roof to give this quietly styled SUV a bit of character.

You can read about the complete Seat Arona range in our full review, but we went for the entry-level 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine. It claims promising fuel economy and represents good value, but does this little 94bhp unit have aspirations beyond the city centre?

SE Technology trim is set to be one of the best sellers, so that’s exactly what we’ve opted for. It comes with plenty of kit including wireless phone charging, cruise control and an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay.

What we want to find out?

We already know that compact SUVs are finding plenty of homes, but should you replace your regular hatchback with one? Our Arona will face the rigours of family life with young children as well as find itself trawling the motorway to see if its 1-litre engine can cope with regular commuting.

Seat does offer a couple of diesel options for the Arona, but with many looking for efficient petrol alternatives, this could be the pick of the range. Something else to consider is pricing as this Arona is some £3k more costly than its little Ibiza brother – which isn’t drastically smaller on the inside or the outside.

Competition is tough with just about every manufacturer offering its own take on the baby SUV formula. We’ll be putting the Arona against all of its rivals in one of Motor1’s mega tests, so stay tuned for more on that.

The easiest way to keep up to date with our regular updates on the Arona is to subscribe to our YouTube channel, and sign up to our Facebook page and Twitter feeds and we’ll keep you posted on how we’re getting on. Check back here for regular written updates on our latest longterm test car.