Item: Seat Arona
Rating: 4
Author: What Car? Team

The entry-level engine can feel a bit slow to react as you pull away but quickly improves higher up the rev range, with good performance in the mid and high revs. Officially, it can do 0-62mph in 11.4 seconds, which is slightly slower than the entry-level Volkswagen T-Cross, but you won’t really feel the difference. This is our pick, especially if you mostly drive in and around town.

1.0 TSI

Hatchback

Today, the resurgent Seat brand is selling better cars than at any time in its history.

In large part, that’s because it is one of the brands owned by the VW Group. Underneath, all of the cars it sells are strongly related to similar models sold by Volkswagen itself, or the likes of Skoda and even Audi. If you are buying a Leon, for example, the hardware will be similar to that of the Golf, Octavia and A3.

But while Seat makes the most of this tie-up to offer everything from city, small and family cars, including estates, through to a full range of SUVs, it also adds in its own slice of character, both with its distinctive styling approach and because its engineers generally tune the cars to deliver sportier handling.

While all of its cars are decent, it is the SUVs that stand out. The Arona and Ateca are among the class leaders and have enjoyed triumphs at the What Car? Awards.

SEAT

ARONA

Gets all the standard kit that comes with entry-level SE trim, but adds a much better 9.2in touchscreen infotainment system with sat-nav, voice control, extra USB connectors and wireless charging, plus rear parking sensors. It's our favourite trim.

SE Technology

1.0 TSI SE Technology 5dr

10-tsi-se-technology-5dr

Audi Q2

Citroen C3 Aircross

DS3 Crossback

Fiat 500X

Ford Ecosport

Ford Puma

Honda HR-V

Hyundai Bayon

Hyundai Kona

Jeep Renegade

Kia Stonic

Mini Countryman

Nissan Juke

Peugeot 2008

Renault Captur

Seat Arona

Skoda Kamiq

Ssangyong Tivoli

Suzuki Ignis

Suzuki Jimny

Suzuki Vitara

Toyota Yaris Cross

Vauxhall Crossland

Vauxhall Mokka

Volkswagen T-Cross

Volkswagen T-Roc

The Seat Arona gets off to a good start with doors that open to a pretty wide 66 degrees, while a generous gap of 720mm from the seat cushion to the top of the door aperture means that you won’t have to contort yourself too much when getting in and out.&nbsp;

However, at 430mm above the ground (30mm higher than a Hyundai Kona), the tops of the door sills are quite a long way up, so there’s a bigger step up than with a regular hatchback. There’s also a drop of almost 120mm between the tops of the sills and the floor of the car, which is another obstacle to navigate when exiting the vehicle.&nbsp;

Both front seats are height-adjustable, and in its lowest setting the driver sits 610mm from the ground, so you move across onto the seat as opposed to falling down into it, which makes life easier.

The Arona's 400-litre boot is a match for the Captur's and beats&nbsp;the Hyundai Kona&nbsp;and <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/kia/stonic/estate/review/n116">Kia Stonic</a>&nbsp;for storage. To give you an idea of how much space the Arona gives you, we were able to fit five carry-on suitcases into its boot, the same as the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/volkswagen/golf/hatchback/review/n17371">Volkswagen Golf</a> will take.&nbsp;

If carrying lots of cargo is something you do regularly, you might want to take a look at the champions of the class, the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/ford/puma/hatchback/review/n20838">Ford Puma</a> and Kamiq. They are capable of swallowing up to eight and seven cases respectively below their parcel shelves.

A height-adjustable boot floor comes as standard on all trim levels. In its highest setting, it removes the lip at the boot's entrance and means there’s no annoying step in the floor of the extended load bay when the rear seats are folded down.

The interior of the Arona has improved tenfold since its original launch. <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/make/seat">Seat</a> has replaced&nbsp;hard, scratchy plastics with soft-touch materials and convincing fake-metal trim pieces. It’s a pleasant place to be. That’s not to say there are no scratchy plastics, but you do have to search for them.

All versions of the Arona come with a leather flat-bottomed steering wheel and a leather gear knob and handbrake, and they all look and feel good.&nbsp;

As a whole, the interior of the Arona 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 kings of quality in the class, the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/audi/q2/estate/review/n120">Audi Q2</a> and Mini Countryman.

<h2>What we're looking for:</h2><ul><li>Running costs that won’t break the bank </li> <li>Generous kit</li> <li>Pokey engine and tidy handling</li> <li>Spacious interior</li> <li>Boot big enough to cope with family life</li></ul>

The car-buying public has fallen in love with small SUVs, or crossovers as they’re often called, with thousands turning away from conventional hatchbacks in favour of something that rides that little bit higher.

The original baby SUV is the Nissan Juke, which remains a popular choice, but there are plenty of better rivals to consider instead. We’d recommend you look at either the Ford Puma or Skoda Kamiq, because they offer&nbsp;a great blend of practicality and value that keeps them&nbsp;clear of the opposition. Equally, if you’ve got more money to spend, the Audi Q2 and Volkswagen T-Roc&nbsp;are both fine choices.&nbsp;

Small SUV

Introduction

Performance & drive

Interior

Passenger & boot space

Accessibility & Motability

Costs & verdict

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 the Arona is that, unlike in the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/ford/puma/hatchback/review/n20838">Ford Puma</a> and <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/volkswagen/t-cross/estate/review/n19039">Volkswagen T-Cross</a>, you can’t have adjustable lumbar support with any trim level.&nbsp;

If you long for a lofty driving position in your <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/category/small-suv">small SUV</a>, the Arona might not be the best car for you. As with the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/skoda/kamiq/hatchback/review/n19999">Skoda Kamiq</a>, you’ll barely feel any higher up in it than you would in a&nbsp;hatchback. If that's a deal-breaker, have a look at the Puma, <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/nissan/juke/hatchback/review/n45">Nissan Juke</a> and T-Cross rivals, which all have you sitting quite a bit higher up.

The Arona’s interior is nicely laid out, with the infotainment system sitting nice and high at the top of the dashboard. Lower down the centre console&nbsp;you’ll find clearly labelled buttons and knobs to control the air conditioning, all of which are angled towards the driver to make them easier to operate on the move.

You have a couple of options if you want an Arona with an automatic gearbox. First up, there’s a 108bhp 1.0-litre three-cylinder engine, which provides comparatively sparkly performance and an official average economy figure of up to 47.9mpg. Not to be sniffed at.&nbsp;If you like to get from here to there in a slightly shorter time, the 1.5-litre four-cylinder produces 148bhp but is a little less economical at up to 44.8mpg.

Even entry-level SE models come with cruise control, hill-hold control and automatic emergency braking. There’s also a small 8.25in touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone mirroring. SE Technology and above adds a larger and easier to read 9.2in screen with in-built sat-nav as well as rear parking sensors. Moving further up the range adds a self-dimming rear-view mirror and automatic lights and wipers.

Range-topping Xperience Lux models also come with a Park Assist system that gives the car the ability to park itself, removing all need for neck-twisting.

OUR PICK

Fuel 

Gearbox

0-62 MPH

http://example.com

10-tsi

If you're looking for a little more power or an automatic gearbox, you'll appreciate the 1.0 TSI 110. With 108bhp, this engine pulls better from low revs and feels more energetic in every situation. You can have a manual gearbox or a DSG automatic, which flicks through the gears quickly and smoothly. If you regularly travel on the motorway with a full car, this engine is well worth considering. 

1.0 TSI 110

10-tsi-110

We're yet to try this engine. 

The 148bhp 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol delivers much nippier acceleration (0-62mph takes just 8.2sec) than either of the 1.0-litre units, but pushes the Arona's price into the territory of bigger, more grown-up cars such as the Volkswagen T-Roc.


1.5 TSI 150

15-tsi-150

At the top of the range sits the 148bhp 1.5 TSI Evo 150. Unsurprisingly, 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 bigger, more grown-up cars, such as the Volkswagen T-Roc.

Even entry-level SE trim includes 17in alloys, cruise control, air conditioning, a contrasting roof colour and&nbsp;metallic paint. Our favourite trim level is SE Technology, mainly for the better infotainment system and parking sensors we mentioned earlier. SE Technology Lux adds a few more toys and isn’t outlandishly pricey, so that's not a bad choice, either.

The FR and FR Sport trims are the sporty options, with enhanced styling and a few extras, including climate control and power-folding door mirrors. They’re also the only versions come with the firmer sports suspension. The luxury choices are the Xperience and Xperience Lux trims, but we’d steer clear of them unless you find a great deal.

<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/make/seat">Seat</a> doesn’t do options – once you’ve picked your ideal spec, the only other choice to make is what&nbsp;paint colour to go for.

The original Seat Arona was the Spanish car maker's&nbsp;second foray into the world of SUVs, following up on the success of the Ateca – a former What Car? award winner, no less.&nbsp;

The Arona is based on the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/seat/ibiza/hatchback/review/n17359">Seat Ibiza</a>&nbsp;small hatchback and&nbsp;(in case you were wondering) gets its name from a small municipality in Tenerife. This small SUV is roughly the same size as the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/ford/puma/hatchback/review/n20838">Ford Puma</a> and <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/volkswagen/t-roc/hatchback/review/n17376">Volkswagen T-Roc</a>, but a little shorter than the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/skoda/kamiq/hatchback/review/n19999">Skoda Kamiq</a>.

To help keep the Arona relevant, <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/make/seat">Seat</a> has recently facelifted the range. The changes are mostly to the interior, fitting it out with softer materials, a new infotainment system and, in higher trim versions, a 10.25in fully digital cockpit.&nbsp;

It's a bit pricier than some of its peers, but still cheaper than the premium models in the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/category/small-suv">small SUV category</a>, which also includes the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/audi/q2/estate/review/n120">Audi Q2</a>, <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/mini/countryman/hatchback/review/n71">Mini Countryman</a> and T-Roc. The good news is that, being from the Volkswagen Group stable, the Arona has a lot in common with the&nbsp;Q2 and T-Roc, including a similar range of petrol engines.

So are the latest updates enough to equip the Seat Arona with the tools it needs to stack up against its key rivals in this competitive class? That's what this review will tell you.

We'll be comparing&nbsp;it with the&nbsp;Puma,&nbsp;Countryman, T-Roc&nbsp;and other small SUVs you might be considering. We'll also tell you all about its performance, interior quality, running costs and more, and recommending our preferred engine and trim.&nbsp;&nbsp;

When you do buy a new car of any make and model, we can help you find the cheapest price available if you search our free <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/new-car-deals">What Car? New Car Buying service</a>. You could save a small fortune without any haggling with one of the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/make/seat/arona/hatchback/deals">Seat Arona Deals</a> listed there.

Even if you’re well over six feet tall, you won't have 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 some cars from the class above. The <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/volkswagen/t-cross/estate/review/n19039">Volkswagen T-Cross</a> is similarly impressive in this regard, but the bigger <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/volkswagen/t-roc/hatchback/review/n17376">Volkswagen T-Roc</a> will suit you better if you're&nbsp;particularly tall.

The front door bins aren’t the biggest but they do have room for a large water bottle, and there are also two smaller cupholders. In front of the gearlever, you get a cubbyhole that doubles as the area for wireless phone-charging on SE Technology trim and above. There's also a decent-sized glovebox, a small recess for loose change and a large cubby behind the handbrake.&nbsp;

The top-of-the-range Xperience trim gets a Storage pack which adds a central arm rest, a drawer under the driver’s seat, a mounting feature in the luggage compartment and a document holder under the front passenger seat.

One of the strengths of the larger <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/seat/ateca/estate/review/n111">Seat Ateca</a> 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 doing so. It’s more agile and entertaining than most of its direct rivals, including the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/renault/captur/hatchback/review/n20">Renault Captur</a> and Volkswagen T-Cross. The Arona isn’t the cornering king of this class, though. The sweet-handling <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/ford/puma/hatchback/review/n20838">Ford Puma</a> undoubtedly takes that title.

The&nbsp;sports suspension you get as standard with&nbsp;FR versions adds even better body composure. Along with the range-topping Xperience Lux model, they also feature a Drive Profile switch that allows you to adjust the weight of the steering. Even in Normal mode, the steering builds weight progressively as you turn the wheel and is better than the rather light (yet still precise) steering of the regular models.

Every Arona has a touchscreen infotainment system, a DAB radio and wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto smartphone mirroring. We’ve yet to try the 8.25in screen you get with the entry-level SE trim but have used the larger 9.2in screen that comes with all other trim levels, including our favourite, SE Technology. &nbsp;

The 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 do get a couple of touch-sensitive shortcut buttons on the side of the screen but it’s predominantly touchscreen, which does make it&nbsp;more distracting to use while you're driving than the rotary-dial iDrive system that you’ll find in the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/mini/countryman/hatchback/review/n71">Mini Countryman</a>.&nbsp;

Unfortunately, you don’t get a built-in sat-nav unless you opt for SE Technology trim or above, but the smartphone mirroring on all trims lets you use a navigation app on your phone through&nbsp;the car's touchscreen.

The Seat Arona engine range kicks off with&nbsp;the 94bhp 1.0 TSI EVO 95. As you set off, it can feel a tad slow to react, but performance is good once you reach mid&nbsp;and high revs. Officially, it’ll get from 0-62mph in 11.4 seconds, which is slightly slower than the entry-level <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/volkswagen/t-cross/estate/review/n19039">Volkswagen T-Cross</a>, but you won’t really feel the difference. This is our preferred engine, especially for town driving.&nbsp;

For a little more power, the 1.0 TSI 110 offers&nbsp;108bhp. It pulls better from low revs and feels more energetic in every situation. It also adds the option of a DSG automatic gearbox, which flicks through the gears quickly and smoothly. If you regularly travel on the motorway with a full car, this engine is well worth considering.&nbsp;

At the top of the range is the 148bhp 1.5 TSI Evo 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 <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/volkswagen/t-roc/hatchback/review/n17376">Volkswagen T-Roc</a>&nbsp;and other larger, more grown-up cars.

Good to drive, roomy inside and fairly affordable to own

Yes, the Arona is a <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/category/small-suv">small SUV</a>,&nbsp;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 there is in the back of the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/citroen/c3-aircross/hatchback/review/n17381">Citroën C3 Aircross</a> and <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/hyundai/kona/hatchback/review/n17377">Hyundai Kona</a>&nbsp;for example, so a couple of six-footers will fit. The T-Cross has even more leg room, while the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/skoda/kamiq/hatchback/review/n19999">Skoda Kamiq</a> is better still, with greater leg room than some larger <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/category/family-suv">family SUVs</a>.

Carrying three people in the back of the Arona is, perhaps unsurprisingly, a bit of a squeeze for all concerned. If you’ll regularly need to do that, the wider T-Roc is a slightly better bet.

The Arona's 1.0-litre TSI engines all have three cylinders and send a few vibrations up through the pedals, especially when you work the engine hard. Upgrading from the entry-level TSI 95 means that you can have a six-speed manual gearbox instead of the five-speed manual. The six-speed helps&nbsp;you keep revs lower for more relaxed cruising. The four-cylinder 1.5 TSI 150 is the smoothest engine in the range, but none of the petrol engines are annoyingly vocal.&nbsp;

When you work the 1.0-litre engines hard, they produce a fair amount of noise, but you’ll seldom notice them during normal driving. Road noise is fairly well contained, but you’ll hear more wind noise above 50mph than you would in a T-Cross or T-Roc.&nbsp;

The Puma’s gear lever and clutch have an even more satisfying feel, but the Arona's gears, clutch and brakes are still very good compared with most rivals, especially the C3 Aircross. That makes the Arona an easy car to drive smoothly.

The Arona ranked 12th out of 20 in the small SUV class in our 2021 <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/news/2021-what-car-reliability-survey-brands/n23418">What Car? Reliability Survey</a>. That’s ahead of the Ford Puma and Nissan Juke, but behind the Audi Q2, Citroen C3 Aircross and Mini Countryman. <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/make/seat">Seat</a> as a brand ranked 17th out of 30 manufacturers. That's below Hyundai, Kia, Mini and Skoda, but above Nissan, Peugeot and Volkswagen.

All versions of the Arona come with a three-year warranty that covers you up to 60,000 miles. That’s pretty average for the market, and certainly not as impressive as the seven-year warranty you get with the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/kia/stonic/estate/review/n116">Kia Stonic</a>.

Europe-wide breakdown cover is included for two years, and you can pay extra to have your warranty extended if you plan to keep your Arona for longer.

The Arona rides well on&nbsp;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 the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/citroen/c3-aircross/hatchback/review/n17381">Citroën C3 Aircross</a>, <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/kia/stonic/estate/review/n116">Kia Stonic</a> and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/mini/countryman/hatchback/review/n71">Mini Countryman</a>. The same can be said when you reach motorway speeds, and the Arona is a settled and comfortable cruiser.&nbsp;

If you opt&nbsp;for FR or FR Sport trim, <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/make/seat">Seat</a> gives you&nbsp;firmer sports suspension. FR Sport&nbsp;also gets&nbsp;18in alloy wheels, which do affect the ride. With the larger wheels, the Arona&nbsp;is&nbsp;less settled over craggy roads. The same can be said for the top-tier Xperience Lux trim, which gets the 18in rims but not the suspension upgrade.

Regardless of trim, the Arona is never an uncomfortable car, but&nbsp;if comfort is high on your list of priorities, there are even better options in the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/category/small-suv">small SUV category</a> that you might want to consider. The T-Roc is more supple in every situation and the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/skoda/kamiq/hatchback/review/n19999">Skoda Kamiq</a>&nbsp;wafts along fairly well, too.

The Seat Arona is a bit more expensive to buy than some of its direct rivals, including the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/nissan/juke/hatchback/review/n45">Nissan Juke</a> and <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/renault/captur/hatchback/review/n20">Renault Captur</a>, but that's balanced by the fact that&nbsp;even the entry-level SE trim&nbsp;is reasonably equipped. While&nbsp;the Arona doesn’t depreciate as quickly as the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/citroen/c3-aircross/hatchback/review/n17381">Citroën C3 Aircross</a>, most key rivals do hold on to more of their value over three years, with the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/ford/puma/hatchback/review/n20838">Ford Puma</a> and <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/skoda/kamiq/hatchback/review/n19999">Skoda Kamiq</a> proving particularly impressive in this&nbsp;respect.

That said, most buyers won’t be buying with cash – they’ll be signing up to a PCP finance deal&nbsp;– and the Arona offers competitive monthly repayments, although these will vary as manufacturer' promotions come and go. To find out how cheap&nbsp;the Arona is to finance or buy after our Target Price discounts, take a look at the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/make/seat/arona/hatchback/deals">Seat Arona deals</a> on our New Car Buying pages.

Fuel economy is good, too. The 1.0 TSI 95 (our pick of the range) averaged a very credible 45.9mpg in our real-world <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/news/true-mpg-most-and-least-efficient-cars-revealed/n14356">True MPG</a> tests and the more powerful petrols don’t drink like fishes, either. The mild-hybrid petrol engines in the Puma are generally even more fuel efficient, though. Official CO2 emissions are comparable with those of the Puma, <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/skoda/karoq/estate/review/n118">Skoda Karoq</a> and <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/volkswagen/t-cross/estate/review/n19039">Volkswagen T-Cross</a>, which is useful to know if you will be paying <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/advice/owning/company-car-tax-bands/n1255">company car tax</a>.

Every Arona comes with automatic emergency braking <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/news/what-is-aeb-and-how-does-it-work/n3283">(AEB)</a> and tyre-pressure monitoring, while upgrading to Xperience trim gets you blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert.

Like many rivals, the Arona was awarded five stars (out of five) when it was tested for safety by <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/news/the-safest-cars-on-sale-today/n19724">Euro NCAP</a>&nbsp;in 2017. The tests have become more stringent since then so five-star cars that were tested more recently, such as the Ford Puma, may keep you safer.&nbsp;

Disappointingly,&nbsp;you have to upgrade to FR trim or above to get an alarm, which is standard fit on many of the Arona's rivals.

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The Arona doesn’t have any clever practicality tricks up its sleeve, such as sliding rear seats or a folding front passenger’s seat. Both are available with some rivals: the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/renault/captur/hatchback/review/n20">Renault Captur</a> and T-Cross get a sliding rear bench, and the rear seats in the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/mini/countryman/hatchback/review/n71">Mini Countryman</a>&nbsp;slide and recline.

The Arona's rear bench folds down in a 60/40 split, but there are no release handles in the boot to make this 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.

The front passenger seat is height adjustable on all trims.

The boot in the Arona is of the Ronseal variety, in that it offers a decent 400 litres of space, but without anything flash to back that up. So it is more than capable of carrying a folded-up wheelchair with the rear seats in place, and if you fold the back seat down flat, it will accommodate an unfolded wheelchair.&nbsp;

There’s also an adjustable-height floor, which makes the load area entirely flat when it’s in its highest position, and which also means you don’t have to lift heavy items over a lip to get them into and out of the load bay.

It’s a bit of an irritation that you can’t fold down the rear seats from the boot, and the door pockets aren’t terribly big, but at least there are other storage areas dotted around the interior. However, if you choose an Xperience-trimmed model, it comes with a storage pack, which includes a drawer under the front passenger seat, enhancing practicality.

Entry-level SE trim gets you 17in alloys, cruise control, air conditioning, basic ambient interior lighting, automatic headlights, a height-adjustable boot floor, front fog lights, a 6.5in colour touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, a contrasting roof colour and metallic paint. We’d still recommend upgrading to SE Technology, which gets you a much better infotainment system as well as rear parking sensors.

se-technology

FR Red Edition

fr-red-edition

FR trim adds a sportier feel to the Arona, upgrading the suspension to firmer sports suspension. You also get automatic full LED headlights, electrically adjustable door mirrors, twin exhaust pipe styling, sports front seats, dual-zone climate control, rain-sensing wipers and switchable driving seat profiles. 

Xperience adds chrome roof rails and window trims, plus keyless entry, rain-sensing wipers, climate control, LED headlights and adaptive cruise control. An alarm, front centre armrest and additional interior storage are also handy additions, but cheaper Aronas make more financial sense.

XPERIENCE

xperience

FR Sport gets all the same kit as FR trim but upgrades the alloy wheels to 18in, and adds a 10.25in digital instrument panel plus heated front seats with back storage pockets.

FR Sport

fr-sport

Top-tier Xperience Lux trim gets all the upmarket extras you get with the normal Xperience trim but also adds 18in alloy wheels, the 10.25in digital instrument panel, front and rear parking sensors, a rear-view camera and Park Assist, which will park the car for you. As with Xperience, we wouldn’t recommend this trim level unless you find a great deal.

XPERIENCE Lux

xperience-lux

The Arona remains a great choice in the small SUV class, and one that undercuts many of its rivals on price. It'll prove spacious enough inside for most people and is one of the more enjoyable cars in this class to drive, too. The Ford Puma is even better to drive, though, and the Skoda Kamiq is roomier, more comfortable and plusher inside.

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 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 cockpit of the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/peugeot/2008/estate/review/n110">Peugeot 2008</a>.

The Arona’s heavily styled rear end does make it trickier to see out of the back when parking. However, all trim levels, apart from entry-level SE, come with rear parking sensors, while range-topping Xperience Lux models also get 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 LED headlights. Regardless of trim, all are bright and offer great forward visibility at night.

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Seat Arona review

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