SEAT Arona 2022 Review - Should You Buy One?

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The Arona is SEAT's idea of a small sporty SUV and it's likely to continue to find favour with the increasing number of buyers who would once have simply bought another supermini but now feel the need to get themselves something more interesting and lifestyle-orientated. It's good looking, safe, well connected and very personalisable, especially in this usefully improved form. If this is the kind of car that appeals to you, then an Arona may well tick a lot of boxes.

Driving Experience

As expected, the Arona shares the engine line-up used in SEAT's Ibiza supermini, which means that all of the powerplants on offer have direct injection and a turbo. There are various different petrol units to choose from, the headline emphasis being on the usual Volkswagen Group three-cylinder 1.0 TSI petrol unit, available in 95PS form with a five-speed manual gearbox or in 110PS guise with dual-clutch seven-speed DSG auto transmission or a six-speed 'box. The final petrol choice is a 1.5-litre four-cylinder 150PS EcoTSI unit with active cylinder deactivation technology, which is exclusive to the 'FR' trims and is connected to DSG auto transmission.

Go for the sporty 'FR' trims and you get the 'SEAT Drive Profile' that allows you to alter the steering, throttle response and suspension feel via four modes: 'Normal', 'Sport', 'Eco' and 'Individual'. There are now no diesel options. All Arona models are front-driven: there's not much appetite in this segment for 4WD.

If you happen to be familiar with rivals in the small SUV segment, you may well notice that the steering here is more direct, the corner turn-in's more precise and that body roll is rather better controlled. That's not to say that it feels in any way really sporty: no car in this segment is. SEAT's preference has been to set the Arona up for the low speed, traffic-jinking needs of the urban jungle and sure enough, it feels right at home in that environment, with its great all-round sight lines and tight turning circle.

Design and Build

The changes to this updated Arona are subtle but you might well notice the new LED headlights, the restyled bumper and the smarter 'hot stamped' front grille design. At the rear, there's a new spoiler and diffuser and the Arona badge now gets a hand-written font. As before, this car sits on the same MQB-A0 platform as its Ibiza supermini stablemate and, like its rivals in the segment for small SUVs, this car is trying to give the feel of being a sturdy car for everyday life for the urban jungle. Hence the strong protection in the bumpers, the wheel arches and the dark coloured rubber side skirts, as well as the roof rack and the aluminium look-like protection at the bottom of the bumpers.

In terms of its dimensions, the Arona remains compact, 4,138mm long, which is 79mm more than an Ibiza. However, the real difference lies in its height, as the Arona is 99mm taller. As a result, this SUV offers not only higher ground clearance for any off-road adventures, but also more front and rear headroom, and, above all, a larger boot, with a 400-litre capacity. Another important feature is the seat cushion, which is 52mm higher and gives a dual advantage. Firstly, a higher driving position for raised view of the road ahead. And secondly, it makes it much easier to get in and out of the car. The passenger seats are also 62mm higher than they would be in an Ibiza, while headroom is 37mm greater in the front and 33mm in the rear. The suspension height has been increased by 15mm and the windscreen is slightly more vertical for a roomier interior.

Interior changes with this improved model include a new soft-touch dashboard with a larger central screen, either 8.25 or 9.2-inches in size, depending on trim. Top models now get a 10.25-inch Digital Cockpit instrument binnacle screen too.

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