SEAT Arona SUV (2021 - ) review

You can pick up an Arona for less than a Volkswagen T-Cross or Skoda Kamiq, but the entry-level S trim is rather light on equipment, so you’ll likely want to upgrade a level or two. Even so, the Arona is still keenly priced against its rivals. All Aronas are petrol powered but engine and gearbox options vary by trim. A 1.0-litre engine provides either 95 horsepower through a manual gearbox or 115 horsepower with a choice of manual or automatic. Sportier models gain an additional 1.5-litre 150 horsepower automatic option. Officially, each should be capable of around 50mpg, and our 115-horsepower automatic test car claimed to be doing 47mpg. This is not bad given there’s no mild-hybrid system to improve efficiency. However, for company car buyers the Arona will incur higher Benefit In Kind due to the lack of hybridisation and resulting poor CO2 figures.

The Arona comes straight out of the VW Group playbook and by sharing many of its parts with the VW T-Cross and Skoda Kamiq you can be rest assured the Arona is built on tried-and-tested foundations. Seat offers a standard three-year/60,000-mile warranty, which looks a little stingy compared to the Kia Stonic’s seven-year cover, though you can buy an extended warranty for the Arona if you wish. As the model has been around for a while, any initial faults have likely been ironed out by now, so it should be a reasonably solid bet.

The hearty thud as you close the doors not only sounds satisfying but makes the Arona feel reassuringly solid. It comes with the usual suite of safety equipment as standard, including driver drowsiness detection, lane keeping assistance, emergency braking, traffic sign recognition, a speed limiter and rear parking sensors. From SE upwards you’ll also get cruise control. The two highest trims – Xperience and Xperience Lux – have adaptive cruise control as standard and it can be specified as part of the Safety and Driving Pack (M) on FR and FR Sport models. Meanwhile front fog lights are the preserve of FR grade or above. We didn’t find the safety systems to be intrusive, but the layout of the steering wheel makes it fiddly to switch between the speed limiter and cruise control. There are two ISOFIX points on the outer rear seats and six airbags to protect you should the worse happen.

The Arona has plenty of space upfront with decent door bins and two cupholders in the centre console. However, the space in the back isn’t as generous and three adults will feel like sardines. The middle seat is particularly small and there’s a large transmission tunnel which impedes legroom. That said, two rear passengers should be perfectly happy. The boot is larger than rivals such as the VW T-Cross or Jeep Avenger and the adjustable floor height adds flexibility. While the seats in our FR trim test car weren’t super padded, it was easy to find a comfortable driving position and we liked how the lower stance made for a more engaging driving experience compared to rivals such as the Renault Captur. For those looking for extra comfort the FR Sport and Xperience Lux models get heated seats in the front with microsuede upholstery. Out on the road we found our FR Arona was a quite jiggly over rough road surfaces and a bit noisy at motorway speeds, but this wasn’t enough to detract from the well thought out interior.

The layout of the Arona is decidedly old-school, however it covers the fundamentals nicely and we like its use of physical dials and buttons. There are eight trim levels: S, SE, SE Technology, FR, FR Limited Edition, FR Sport, Xperience and Xperience Lux. Lower-level cars get an 8.25-inch central screen while from SE Technology up you’ll get a larger 9.2-inch screen with built in sat-nav, plus a wireless phone charger. The infotainment system is responsive with bright but simple graphics – though you’ll be using wireless Android Auto or Apple CarPlay anyway. Most cars get an eight-inch digital driver display expect for FR Sport and Xperience Lux cars which get a slightly bigger one. We liked the simple black and red graphics in our FR car, which gave it a sporty feel.

Our test car had the 1.0-litre 115 horsepower engine paired with a seven-speed automatic gearbox and, while those numbers look small on paper, we didn’t feel shortchanged out on the road. Granted, the engine has to work to get up to motorway speeds, but there is still enough power to comfortably overtake. The Arona’s sharp steering makes it a delight to chuck around country lanes and our car’s sporty FR trim came with multiple driving modes and gearshift paddles nestled behind the thin, flat-bottomed steering wheel. We particularly enjoyed working our way through the gears in Sport mode which made for a surprisingly engaging driving experience. Meanwhile in Normal and Eco mode the Arona takes on a more easy-going persona completing the well-rounded package.