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The Seat Arona is one of the best compact SUVs around. It gives you a lot of interior space and lots of equipment included as standard. It’s enjoyable to drive and there are lots of versions, each one representing excellent value for money.
The Seat Arona has been sold new in the UK since 2017, slotting into the Seat range below the larger Ateca SUV. The Arona was updated in 2021, with the most noticeable changes being chunkier bumpers, additional round lights below the headlights and round – rather than rectangular – air vents on the inside. The interior also gained upgraded materials and a larger infotainment screen.
There’s a large range of trim levels available, from the value-focused SE to the very generously equipped Xperience. The great-value SE Technology and sporty-looking FR trim levels are the most popular.
Engine choices include 1.0 and 1.5 petrol engines (Seat calls these TSI), and a 1.6 diesel that Seat calls TDI. Even the least powerful, 93bhp petrol and diesel engines provide quite nippy acceleration. However, the 113bhp petrol and diesel models are a better bet if you regularly do long journeys: they’re better able to cruise at 70mph and still give you excellent fuel economy. The most powerful 148bhp petrol engine is much quicker but not as efficient.
Most Aronas have a manual gearbox that feels light and responsive, but models with a DSG automatic gearbox are available, if that’s what you prefer.
Every Arona model has a touchscreen media system, DAB radio, Bluetooth, air con, cruise control and front and rear electric windows, among a generous helping of features included as standard. The popular SE Technology model has an upgraded infotainment system with a larger screen, built-in sat nav, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support, a wireless charging pad and two USB input ports.
Higher-spec models including the FR, Xcellence and Xperience add features such as LED headlights, dual-zone climate control, keyless entry, adaptive cruise control, front and rear parking sensors and a rear-view camera.
It’s also worth noting that the Arona is available in some bold colour schemes with bright colours for the body and a contrasting black roof, and jazzy interior trim.
You might notice some variation in the fuel economy and carbon dioxide (CO2) emission figures between apparently identical examples of the Arona. That’s because the way those figures are calculated has changed to better reflect real world driving, which has had the effect of lowering the emission figures.
Either way, every Arona is very fuel-efficient. According to the official figures, petrol models can give average fuel economy of 42mpg to 57mpg, and diesels can give more than 60mpg. Emissions of CO2 range between 111g/km and 142g/km, depending on the model. That means annual your car tax is no more than £165. Other running costs like insurance and servicing are low, so the Arona is great value for money overall.
Other small SUVs you might want to consider include the Ford Puma, the Citroen C3 Aircross, the Renault Captur and the Peugeot 2008. Among their talents, the Ford feels great to drive, the Citroen is extremely spacious, the Renault is stylish and the Peugeot is very efficient. The Arona ticks all those boxes – it’s a great all-rounder.
With distinctive looks and agile handling, the Arona is a stylish and practical family car. It’s also great value and packed with useful technology.
There’s a surprisingly generous amount of space inside the Arona. The front seats have enough room for someone over six feet tall to sit comfortably, though it might feel tight if you’re particularly broad-shouldered.
In the back seats, there’s space for an average-height adult to sit behind someone of similar size, but legroom is reduced significantly if anyone super-tall is in the front and slides their seat back. Still, a typical family of four should have sufficient room. There’s two sets of Isofix mounts on the back seat and the back doors open quite wide, so it’s relatively easy to install a child seat and lift little ones in and out.
The Arona’s boot isn’t the biggest you’ll find in a small SUV, but its capacity of 400 litres (to the load cover) is very competitive and it’s more than you find in a Ford Focus or a Volkswagen Golf hatchback. A pushchair plus a few shopping or school bags can be chucked in without any hassle, though you might need to pack more carefully for a family holiday. If you need to carry anything really big and bulky, the back seats fold down to create much more space.
The Arona is the smallest SUV that Seat makes. The mid-size Ateca gives you useful extra interior space, while the large Tarraco has even more, as well as the option of seven seats. Compared with Seat’s hatchback cars, the Arona is 10cm longer than the small Ibiza and 20cm shorter than the mid-size Leon.
Safety organisation Euro NCAP awarded a full five-star safety rating to the Arona, indicating that it protects occupants very well in the event of a crash and has a number of driver safety features as standard including automatic emergency braking, driver-attention monitoring and a speed limiter.