Item: Used Seat Arosa Hatchback 1997 - 2004
Rating: 3
Author: What Car? Team

What is it like?

Ownership cost

Advice for buyers

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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

AROSA

The Seat Arosa offers decent quality and a strong image at a decent price

Used Seat Arosa Hatchback 1997 - 2004

The Arosa isn't the cheapest city car by any means - similar-sized offerings from Daewoo or <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/make/hyundai">Hyundai</a> will cost you a lot less. However, these cars can't get anywhere near the Arosa for quality, and the only car that can, the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/volkswagen/lupo/hatchback/used-review/n714">VW Lupo</a>, will cost you more than an Arosa.

Filling it up with fuel won't bankrupt you, either. The 1.0-litre will return an average of 48.7mpg, the 1.4 will give you either 37.7mpg or 42.2mpg depending on the power output you choose, and the later 1.4 diesel will give you 64.2mpg.

Servicing costs will be pretty good, too. At 10,000 miles, the Arosa has fairly reasonable service intervals, and the bills won't amount to much more than the class average, even if the Arosa isn't really any cheaper to service than the Lupo.

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The Seat Arosa offers decent quality and a strong image at a decent price

Early Arosas came with a choice of four engines - a 50bhp 1.0-litre, 60bhp and 100bhp 1.4 engines, and a 60bhp 1.7-litre diesel - and the 1.0-litre is our pick. It's a bit short of power on the open road, but it's fine around town, and it's the cheapest to buy and run.

The smaller 1.4 is pointless because it's barely any stronger than the 1.0, but the more powerful 1.4 provides some useful extra punch. Don't bother with the diesel, though - it's too sluggish.

The Arosa was facelifted in 2001, and the diesel was replaced with a new, much better 75bhp 1.4-litre unit. This is worth considering, but it is the most expensive version.

You only get a choice of trim level with the 1.0-litre - either standard or S. Standard is basic, but S is much better and won't cost much more. You'll get alloys, power steering, a driver's airbag and electric windows. The other engines only come individually trimmed.

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<h2>What we're looking for:</h2><ul><li>Spacious enough for four adults to sit comfortably</li> <li>Logically laid-out interior that doesn’t</li> <li>feel too cheap</li> <li>Mature driving manners </li> <li>Decent-sized boot</li> <li>Competitive buying and running costs</li></ul>

Small cars, or superminis as they’re also known, used to be bought by single people or couples with no children – but the likes of the Ford Fiesta, Seat Ibiza and Volkswagen&nbsp;Polo have grown to the point where they can be considered all-round family transport, albeit with the odd compromise.

The Fiesta remains a star of the class, thanks to its strong Ecoboost petrol engines and suspension settings that are beautifully judged for British roads. However, the latest Volkswagen offers even more practicality, decent performance and a classy interior that has the edge on the Ford’s for quality.

Any of these models will be a competent commuter car – especially if fitted with one of the increasingly popular small turbocharged petrol engines – but just remember that while you’ll be able to carry two adults and two children, it might still be a struggle to get all of their luggage into the boot.

Small

Seat might make its cars with <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/make/volkswagen">Volkswagen</a> bits, but the Spaniards have a better reliability record than VW. Although its overall placings in our reliability surveys have dropped in recent years, Seat usually manages to outperform its parent company.

Seat can't seem to match VW on customer satisfaction, though. The Arosa came bottom of its class in the 2005 JD Power survey because of customers' concerns over high repair costs - and rightly so.

A new clutch costs over £500, and a cambelt change on the 1.0-litre will cost you more than £400. So, if you're buying a used car, try and find one that's already had the cambelt changed.

There are also a few particular points to look out for, including rattles from the suspension, which usually means that new bushes are required. And, on later cars, electrical gripes are the biggest complaint, so make sure all your gadgets work properly and don't show any signs of weird behaviour.

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The Seat Arosa is an intriguing mix of abilities and limitations. On the plus side, it has all the style, image and quality of its VW Lupo half-brother, but costs slightly less to buy. It's also cheap to run and cheap to insure.

The best thing, though, is that it's exceedingly refined for a city car, with wind and road noise kept well in check. The engines are pretty hushed, too, and all versions are quite well equipped.

On the downside, the ride is too choppy when you're travelling at motorway speeds. Also, kneeroom in the back is cramped, and as one of the more expensive city cars, the Arosa should have been better in this respect. It's no worse than other city cars, but it's no better, either.

It should be more fun to drive, too. Don't get us wrong, it isn't bad, but it's nowhere near as entertaining as a <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/ford/ka/hatchback/review/n171">Ford Ka</a>, for example.

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Used Seat Arosa Hatchback 1997 - 2004 review

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Advice for buyers

What should I look for in a used Seat Arosa hatchback?