The Admirable SEAT Arona Comes As Gamechanger For Volkswagen

VW Changes The Game With SEAT Arona

The VW Group has been observably slow to climb on the small crossover bandwagon. Yet, city streets were getting flooded with the likes of Nissan Jukes, Renault Capturs, Peugeot 2008s, Fiat 500Xs and Jeep Renegades.

In the beginning, the VW Group had nothing smaller than a Yeti. Now the Seat Arona sits squarely in the middle of the second wave of rivals: Hyundai Kona, Kia Stonic, and Citroen C3 Aircross.

The Arona has several pickings and contradictions with some established crossover brands. To some extent,you seem to be sitting slightly higher than a supermini but less so than many rivals. But it is enough extra height to gain cabin and boot space in a smallish and parkable overall size. Wheel size is bigger than the Ibiza’s too – it goes up to 18s – which helps comfort and ground clearance.

Power is granted by a 1.0 TSI petrol in 95 PS and 115 PS guises, plus a 1.6 TDI 95 PS diesel. The lower powered 1.0 TSI 95PS has a five-speed manual gearbox as standard, while the 115PS can be had with a six-speed manual or seven-speed DSG twin-clutch gearbox.

The 1.6 TDI has either a five-speed manual or a seven-speed DSG. All cars are front-wheel drive – there’s no option of 4DRIVE four-wheel drive as found on the larger Ateca, and no special traction control system like you’ll find on the C3 Aircross or 2008.

To help you switch between various features on the dashboard, you get some handy shortcut buttons beside the central display. There’s plenty of adjustment in the seats to make sure you can reach them easily and the SEAT Arona’s raised ride height gives you a good view out over the road ahead, too.

By all standard, the SEAT Arona is poised to continue doing very well for itself with a host of adjustments that makes it an admirable gem.