Seat Arona review

The original Seat Arona was the Spanish car maker's second foray into the world of SUVs, launched in the hope of repeating the success of the Ateca (a former What Car? Awards category winner no less). 

So what exactly is an Arona? Well, it's a small SUV based on the Seat Ibiza hatchback and gets its name from a small municipality in Tenerife. It's a bit pricier than some of its peers but still cheaper than the premium models in its class.

In fact it shares lots of parts with two more expensive VW Group models – the Audi Q2 and VW T-Roc – so it looks rather good value. The connection between the three extends to a similar range of petrol engines. The Arona is not available with diesel or hybrid engines.

Is the latest Seat Arona a stronger choice than the best small SUVs out there – which also include the Ford Puma and Skoda Kamiq? Read on to find out...

The Seat Arona engine range kicks off with the 94bhp 1.0-litre TSI 95. It can feel a bit sluggish at low revs but there’s enough power to sit comfortably at motorway speeds. Officially it’ll get from 0-62mph in 11.3 seconds, which is a mere 0.1 seconds slower than the equivalent VW T-Cross but nearly two seconds slower than an entry-level Ford Puma.

The mid-range 113bhp 1.0-litre TSI 115 has enough extra power to make it our recommended engine. It doesn’t cost much more but pulls better from low revs and feels more energetic. With SE or SE Technology trim, it's paired with a dual-clutch automatic gearbox that flicks through the gears quickly and smoothly. Higher trims give you the choice of an auto or manual gearbox.

At the top of the Arona engine range is the 148bhp 1.5-litre TSI 150. Its extra power helps deliver much quicker acceleration than either of the 1.0-litre units, but it pushes the Arona's price into the territory of the VW T-Roc and other larger, more premium SUVs.

The Arona rides well on 17in alloy wheels (the smallest available), confidently soaking up the bumps and potholes you typically find in most towns and cities. It’s more comfortable than, for example, a Citroën C3 Aircross and Kia Stonic. The same can be said when you reach motorway speeds, where the Arona proves to be a settled and comfortable cruiser.

If you opt for FR trim, you get firmer sports suspension, while FR Sport and FR Limited Edition pair the sports suspension with larger 18in alloy wheels. With the larger wheels and stiffer suspension fitted, the Arona is noticeably less settled over craggy roads, although it stops short of being uncomfortable – a Nissan Juke is generally more agitated over all surfaces.

The top-tier Xperience Lux trim gets 18in rims but not sports suspension. As a result it’s a little more settled than the FR versions but still thumps a little over larger abrasions. If comfort is high on your list of priorities, we’d recommend trying the softer Skoda Kamiq or the VW T-Cross.

One of the strengths of the larger Seat Ateca is how fun it is to drive – a rare quality among SUVs, especially at this end of the market. The good news is that, on the whole, Seat hasn’t dropped the ball with the Arona.

In fact, because it’s lighter and a bit lower to the ground than its bigger sibling, the Arona changes direction with a bit more gusto and leans less while doing so. It’s more agile and entertaining than most direct rivals, especially the C3 Aircross and Renault Captur. The Arona isn’t the cornering king of this class though – the Ford Puma undoubtedly takes that title.

The sports suspension you get with FR and FR Sport trims results in even better body composure. Those trims also add a Drive Profile switch that lets you adjust the weight of the steering, although we tend to leave it in Normal mode, which gives a progressive build-up of weight as you turn the wheel. On other versions the steering is a bit too light but still precise.

​​The Arona's 1.0-litre engines are relatively smooth and don’t make too much noise as you cruise. If you work them hard (which you have to to get the best out of them) they become quite thrummy and you’ll feel a few vibrations filtering up through the steering wheel and pedals. The 1.5-litre TSI 150 is the smoothest engine in the range.

Road noise is fairly well contained in all models but you’ll hear more wind noise above 50mph than you would in the T-Roc. 

The Arona's manual gearbox and clutch are not quite as well-weighted as a Puma’s but they’re more precise than those in the C3 Aircross and Juke. The automatic gearbox can be a bit jerky in stop-start situations (not helped by the start-stop system) but shifts through gears smoothly once you're on the move.

"The Arona is not the best small SUV for body control but it has communicative, responsive steering and I found it more enjoyable than rivals to drive along a snaking road." – Will Nightingale, Reviews Editor

You shouldn’t find it difficult to get comfortable in the Seat Arona. The driver’s seat has plenty of adjustment and the steering wheel can be moved up, down, in and out. The only demerit we’d give is that, unlike in the Ford Puma and VW T-Roc, you don't get adjustable lumbar support on any version.

If you long for a lofty driving position in your small SUV the Arona might not be the best car for you. As with the Skoda Kamiq you’ll barely feel any higher up in it than you would in a hatchback. If that's a deal-breaker, have a look at the Puma, the Nissan Juke or the VW T-Cross – they all have you sitting quite a bit higher up.

The Arona’s interior is well laid out, with the infotainment touchscreen sitting high up on the dashboard. Digital instruments are standard across the range, replacing traditional dials with either an 8in or 10in driver display that can show full-screen navigation maps and other information. Lower down the centre console you’ll find clearly labelled buttons and knobs to control the air-con, all angled towards the driver to make them easier to operate.

The Arona’s eye-catching looks haven’t come at the expense of forward visibility. The windscreen pillars don’t obstruct your view too much – even when you're pulling out of junctions – and it’s easy to judge where the car’s extremities are, certainly compared with the challenge of doing so from the more enclosed interior of the Peugeot 2008.

The Arona’s heavily styled rear end does make it trickier to see out of the back when parking, but to help you out every trim includes rear parking sensors. Stepping up to FR Limited Edition or range-topping Xperience Lux trim adds sensors at the front of the car, a rear-view camera and parking assist.

All versions of the Arona come with automatic LED headlights but the power varies depending on whether you go for the entry-level SE and SE Technology trims, which both get Eco LED headlights, or FR and above, which get full LEDs. Regardless of trim, all are bright enough to give great visibility at night.

Every Arona has an infotainment touchscreen, DAB radio, and wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring. We’ve yet to try the 8.25in touchscreen you get with entry-level SE trim but we have used the 9.2in screen that comes with all other trims.

The larger display is crisp and bright, and responds quickly to your prods. In fact, it’s one of the better systems out there, keeping everything simple with a small number of menus. You get some touch-sensitive shortcut buttons to the left of the screen but as in most small SUVs it’s mostly touchscreen-controlled, which does make it distracting to use when you're driving.

SE trim misses out on built-in sat-nav but the standard smartphone mirroring lets you use a navigation app on your phone through the car's touchscreen. SE Technology and above get sat-nav as standard.

The interior of the Arona has improved tenfold since its original launch. Many of the hard, scratchy plastics across the dashboard have been replaced with soft-touch materials and convincing fake-metal trim to make it a far more pleasant place to be. That’s not to say there are no cheap-feeling plastics but you have to search lower down in the interior to find them.

All versions of the Arona come with a leather steering wheel, a leather gear knob and handbrake, and they all look and feel good. 

As a whole, the interior feels well screwed together and is a step up in quality compared with older versions. Even so, it still doesn’t quite live up to the best small SUVs in this respect, namely the Audi Q2, the Mazda CX-30 and the Lexus LBX. 

"The Arona's air-conditioning controls are quite low down, but I found them easy to use. Visibility is good by class standards, plus you get rear parking sensors." – Neil Winn, Deputy Reviews Editor

Even if you’re well over six feet tall, you won't feel your hair brushing the Seat Arona’s high roof lining and the seats slide back far enough to accommodate anyone with long legs. Shoulder room is good too, making the Arona feel as spacious as a few family SUVs. The VW Taigo is similarly impressive space wise but the bigger VW T-Roc will suit you better if you're very tall.

The front door bins are not the biggest but do have room for a water bottle. In front of the gearlever you get a cubbyhole, and on SE Technology trim or higher it has a wireless phone-charger built in. There's also a decent-sized glovebox, a small recess for loose change and a large cubby behind the handbrake.

The top-of-the-range Xperience and Xperience Lux trims get a Storage pack that adds a central armrest, a drawer under the driver’s seat, a mounting feature in the boot and a document holder under the front passenger seat.

Yes, the Arona is a small SUV but you might be surprised how roomy it is in the back – especially considering Seat’s history of prioritising chiselled looks over practicality.

There's more leg room than in the back of a Citroën C3 Aircross or Hyundai Kona for example, so a couple of six-footers will fit. That said, the VW T-Cross has even more space, while the Skoda Kamiq is cavernous, with more leg room than some family SUVs.

Carrying three people in the back of the Arona is a bit of a squeeze for all concerned. If you’ll regularly need to do that, the wider VW T-Roc is a slightly better bet.

Don’t expect the Arona to have any clever practicality tricks up its sleeve, such as sliding rear seats or a folding front passenger’s seat. Both are available on some rivals: the Renault Captur and VW T-Cross get a sliding rear bench allowing you to prioritise rear leg room or boot space.

The Arona's rear bench folds down in a 60/40 split but there are no release handles in the boot to make the process easier. Instead, you have to open the rear doors and press a button next to the rear head restraints – a bit of a faff.

Regardless of which trim you go for, both front seats are height adjustable. If you go for FR Sport or Xperience Lux trim they’re heated too.

The Arona's 400 litres of boot volume is a match for the Captur's and beats the Kona and the Kia Stonic for storage. To give you an idea of how much space the Arona gives you, we were able to fit five carry-on suitcases in its boot, the same as the VW Golf took. 

Even so, if carrying lots of cargo is something you do regularly, you might want to take a look at the champions of the class – the Ford Puma and Skoda Kamiq. They're capable of swallowing up to eight and seven carry-on cases respectively below their parcel shelves.

A height-adjustable boot floor comes as standard on all Arona trim levels. In its highest setting it removes the lip at the boot entrance so there’s no annoying step in the floor of the extended load bay when the rear seats are folded down.

"The Arona has a tall boot and, like most rivals, a height adjustable boot floor, which I find useful. It’s also the car six-footers would choose to sit in the back of because rear head room is excellent." – Darren Moss, Deputy Digital Editor

The entry-level Seat Arona is at the more affordable end of the small SUV spectrum, costing slightly more than the Renault Captur but less than the majority of its other rivals, including the Ford Puma, the Nissan Juke and the Skoda Kamiq. The downside is that it’s expected to depreciate quickly, losing its value faster than all those rivals.

That fast depreciation can increase the amount you have to pay each month on a PCP agreement although you can usually find competitive offers by searching our new Seat deals page.

Fuel economy is good. The 1.0 TSI 95 averaged 45.9mpg in our Real MPG testing and the more powerful petrols don’t drink like fishes either. The mild-hybrid petrol engine in the Puma is generally even more fuel efficient though. Official CO2 emissions for the Arona are comparable with those of the Skoda Karoq and VW T-Cross (which is useful to know if you're a company car user because it affects the BIK tax rate).

Entry-level SE trim includes 17in alloys, cruise control, air-conditioning, a contrasting roof colour and metallic paint. Our favourite trim level is SE Technology, because of the better infotainment system. It’s very disappointing that neither of these trims come with an alarm, though.

The FR and FR Sport trims are the sporty options, with enhanced styling, firmer sports suspension and a few extras, including climate control and power-folding door mirrors. You can also get the FR Limited Edition, which pairs the sportiness with loads of extra kit – 18in wheels, an upgraded Beats Audio stereo system and keyless entry and start are among the upgrades.

The two luxury choices, Xperience and Xperience Lux, add some fancier details like the Storage Pack and high-beam assist (and the additional parking sensors on Xperience Lux) but we’d avoid them because of their high prices.

The Arona ranked seventh out of 22 small SUVs in our 2023 What Car? Reliability Survey. That’s behind the Audi Q2 (fourth) and Ford Puma (sixth) but ahead of VW T-Cross (eighth) and Skoda Kamiq (20th). Seat as a brand placed 18th out of the 32 car makers ranked, just below Skoda and Ford but above Volkswagen.

All versions of the Arona come with a three-year warranty that covers you up to 60,000 miles. That’s similar to most rivals but no match for the seven-year cover you get with a Kia Stonic.

Seat gives you Europe-wide breakdown cover for two years and you can pay extra to have your warranty extended if you plan to keep your car for longer.

Every Arona comes with automatic emergency braking (AEB) and tyre-pressure monitoring. Upgrading to Xperience trim gets you blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert.

The Arona was tested for safety by Euro NCAP in 2022 and scored the full five stars – better than the Ford Puma, which only got four stars. The main reason is that the Arona has an emergency call system (which the Puma doesn’t) and does a better job at safeguarding against neck injuries.

"I find it disappointing that you have to upgrade to FR trim or above to get an alarm, which is standard fit on many of the Arona's rivals." – Dan Jones, Reviewer

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