Arona out to grab slice of the market

MEET the Arona, which SEAT says is designed for “drivers looking for a sense of excitement, distinction and functionality”.

It’s a small sporty SUV that looks likely to find favour with buyers who would once have simply bought another supermini but now feel the need to get themselves something interesting and lifestyle-orientated.

It’s also a good looking, safe, well connected and very personalisable car that targets the compact crossover segment, which has increased four-fold in size since 2015.

The Arona has 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 three different petrol units to choose from, the headline emphasis being on the usual VW Group three-cylinder 95PS 1.0 TSI petrol unit, available in 95PS form with a five-speed manual gearbox or in 115PS guise with either a six-speed box or dual-clutch seven-speed DSG auto transmission.

The third petrol choice is a 1.5-litre four-cylinder 150PS TSI unit with active cylinder deactivation technology, which is exclusive to the FR trim and is connected to a six-speed manual gearbox. Go for that sporty FR trim and you get dual-mode suspension and the SEAT Drive Profile that allows you to alter the steering, throttle response and suspension feel via four modes — Normal, Sport, Eco and Individual. As for diesel options, the efficient and reliable 1.6 TDI unit is available with 95 and 115PS.

The Arona sits on the same hi-tech MQB platform that underpins the latest Ibiza supermini and its styling follows the same structure as that used in the brand’s slightly larger Ateca SUV. Arona prices start at £16,500 but expect most variants to sell in the same kind of £18,000£24,000 bracket common to the two leading small SUVs — Nissan’s Juke and Renault’s Captur.

SEAT knows the extent to which buyers will be able to personalise the Arona and make it their own will be important. Colour-wise, the car is divided into two — the lower body on one hand, and the roof (plus A and C-pillars) on the other. The roof can be grey, black, orange or the same colour as the body. Globally, there are 68 possible colour combinations.

Safety spec will also be crucial to sales interest in this car, so the Arona gets all the latest camera-driven tech, including the brand’s Front Assist autonomous braking system, Blind Spot Detection (which stops you from pulling out to overtake when there’s a vehicle in your blindspot) and Rear Traffic Alert (which warns of approaching vehicles if you’re reversing out from a space).