Seat Arona test (2021). More style for the small SUV

Arrived on the market in 2017, the Seat Arona has quickly become a real pillar of the Seat range. Moreover, although the Ibiza has passed it again for the first half of 2021, it is indeed the urban SUV that has dominated the sales of the Spanish brand on the French market for the past three years. Thus, for the mid-career of its model, Seat preferred not to upset the look and rather focus on the interior, which for its part had already aged. In the same way as the Ibiza, the Arona therefore gets an entirely new dashboard, thinner and better presented, thanks to more valuable materials as well as to a new central “floating” screen of larger size (up to 9.2 inches).

On the outside, there are still some small changes, which will make this restyled Arona identifiable compared to its predecessor, unlike the new Ibiza. The small SUV is indeed equipped with a new front bumper embellished with fog lights under the optics, which visually brings it closer to the Cupra Formentor. We also note the arrival of new alloy rims, while at the rear the name Arona now appears in handwritten letters, as on the Leon and Ateca. And for those who would not find this fake Skoda Yeti look to their liking, Seat offers the “Streamline” design, which is more sober and does not receive the fog lights (in opposition to the “Adventure” design), but blow loses a little of its new appearance.

Seat Arona price

Following the discontinuation of diesel last year, the Arona range consists solely of petrol engines, offering between 95 and 150 hp, and is still being supplemented by the 90 hp CNG version. Prices for the restyled small SUV now start at € 17,990 in the 1.0 TSI 95 hp version with the Reference finish. Regarding the “big” 1.5 TSI 150 hp engine, it claims a minimum of 27,660 € in Xperience finish, while the FR sports panoply of our test model adds another 1,000 € to the bill (28,660 €). This version is then subject to a penalty ranging from € 210 to € 310 depending on the endowment.

The equipment is particularly provided on the Arona FR, including in particular the 17-inch alloy wheels, the Digital Cockpit, the reversing camera, full LED headlamps, dual-zone automatic air conditioning, Park Assist with front and rear parking assistance, or even the Drive Profile with driving modes . It is still necessary to tap into the options for the black suede upholstery (€ 300), the 18-inch rims (€ 450), the 300 W BeatsAudio sound system (€ 500), as well as the adaptive cruise control, the intelligent high beams and traffic sign recognition (Drive Assist Pack at 390 €).

Driving

With 150 hp drawn from a four-cylinder 1.5, which one could almost consider nowadays as a “big displacement” for the category, our Arona FR suggests an energetic temperament, able to satisfy the sporty drivers. Flexible in low revs and offering good length, this block actually turns out to be rather voluntary and allows frank acceleration, with a 0 to 100 km / h announced in 8.2 s. If overtaking on expressways is therefore a simple formality, the small SUV is much less at ease on the small winding roads of our test route, all the more so if we try to increase the pace. Blame it on the seven-speed DSG gearbox, to which the 1.5 TSI is now necessarily coupled.

This transmission, which appears ideal in town, here seems to always have a set of delay to adapt to the instructions of the driver and gives the unpleasant feeling of never being in the right gear. You might think that Sport mode would solve this problem except that, as is often the case with this type of driving mode, it tends to drag on at high revs, causing the engine to roar and quickly becoming annoying. Fortunately, the steering wheel paddles (standard on the FR finish) allow you to regain control and make dynamic driving much more pleasant and efficient. Thus, we would rather recommend this TSI 150 version of the Arona to heavy rollers, who mostly use the main axes, while driving enthusiasts may find more their account with the TSI 110 associated with the manual gearbox.

Chassis side, this Arona FR is generally up to its performance. Although it seems a little more clumsy than the Ibiza with which it shares its technical base, in particular because of its higher center of gravity or even more flexible suspensions, its road behavior appears rigorous, but can also show some agility in the series of curves. Unfortunately, these fine skills were wasted during our test by the a priori unsuitable pneumatic mounting of our model (Hankook Ventus Prime in 215/45 R18), significantly degrading road holding and causing screeching and slight loss of grip. slightest turn approached a little enthusiastically.

On board

Competetion

The urban SUV segment is clearly one of the most fashionable currently on our market and as much to say that there is no shortage of competitors facing this Arona. Despite everything, with 4.15 m long, the Seat model remains one of the shortest, while the stars of the category such as the Peugeot 2008 and the Renault Captur have clearly gained weight in their recent second generations, the 2008 even seeming to be eyeing the upper segment (4.30 m). The Arona primarily targets the smaller models, most of which emphasize their attractive looks, such as the Opel Mokka, the Ford Puma, the Toyota Yaris Cross, the Citroën C3 Aircross, the Nissan Juke or even cousin Volkswagen T-Cross.

Faced with these very many competitors, it has a certain advantage in terms of pricing, by being one of the few to start below € 20,000 at the entry level. Regarding our TSI 150 DSG7 version (from € 27,660), it is especially challenged by the Ford Puma Ecoboost 155 mHEV DCT (from € 26,550) or the recent TCe 160 EDC version of the Renault Captur (from € 29,300).

Discover the results of the test, the technical sheet and the options of the Seat Arona 2021 on the following page.