Seat Arona
With mostly unmemorable small crossovers now thicker on the ground than ticks on a sheepdog – Nissan Juke, Hyundai Kona, Peugeot 2008, Kia Stonic, Vauxhall Mokka, Renault Captur, Citroen C3 Aircross, Skoda Kamiq, VW T-Cross and Ford Puma straight off the top of the head, there’s a strong argument for simply choosing the one you find least offensive.
Ok, perhaps offensive is too strong a word; it suggests the presence of sufficient character to linger in the mind, even if only –as a breakfast kipper lurks in the pre-noon belches- for all the wrong reasons. Because what we actually have here is a collection of small cars -the cheapest of which will still set you back over 18 grand- the main claim to fame of which is the ability to keep the rain off four people and some luggage whilst they drive somewhere else.
What then, if anything, sets the freshly face-lifted Arona apart from the pack? Well, effectively an Ibiza in kitten heels, Seat’s baby crossover has at least been sufficiently styled to not be instantly recognisable as such; quite successfully in profile, acceptably so from the front, and not so ably astern.
On board, however, little or no effort has been made to award the Arona its own identity. On this top-of-the-range Xperience Lux variant the dashboard and instrumentation is identical to an Ibiza I sampled the week before, but for a change in hue to the unfortunate, My Little Pony-quality plastics ringing the air vents.
The Arona is actually named after a town on the Spanish island of Tenerife, but there’s absolutely nothing about this cabin that says sun-drenched. Shame that, because the rest of the interior, though somewhat chthonic, is admirably well screwed together, tidily finished and ergonomically sound. The driving position’s first class, there’s plenty of head- and leg room for a pair of six footers in the back, and an acceptable 400 litres of loadspace astern.
Accessed via a large, 9.2-inch touch screen, the infotainment system’s no chore to use, and a deal less irritating than more recent offerings from the VW group. This top spec’ model also boasts wireless phone charging, smartphone connectivity, keyless entry and go, such niceties as adaptive cruise control and LED headlamps, and the predictable litany of some-useful-some-not Euro NCAP-genuflection safety systems.
Powertrain choice is limited to a choice of 1.0 litre, 94 or 108 bhp three-cylinder turbo petrol engines and a 1.5 litre, 147 bhp four-cylinder turbo unit. With no diesel, no hybrids and no all-wheel drive, your options come down to manual or automatic transmission and, er, that’s it.
The marriage of 108 bhp three-pot and a seven-speed DSG gearbox smoother than a freshly buttered bannister works pretty well. The engine’s predictably thrummy, pleasingly eager, and only very mildly emasculated by the automatic transmission.
That having been said, you do need to push the powertrain to get the best out of it and dissuade it of its tendency to change up whenever possible, even when the revs feel a little low and the engine a fraction less than entirely smooth running. Then, of course, fuel economy will suffer. Same as it ever was with small capacity units such as this…
On the whole, the Arona rides admirably. But the family-friendly softer ride and gentle increase in body roll that accompanies the metamorphosis from Ibiza to crossover is somewhat undone here by the fitting of 18-inch wheels as standard. I’d happily sacrifice a grade step to wear higher-walled rubber, not only to smooth some of the nitty-gritty from progress, but also to perhaps reduce road noise on rough surfaces. It should also be mentioned that wind noise at motorway speeds is somewhat intrusive…
The helm is as engaging as any I’ve sampled from the small crossover field; sharp, responsive steering ganging up with fine body control through the bends, and faultless brakes. This, allied to performance far lustier than you’d expect of such a modest power output and a quoted 0-62 mph time of 10.8 seconds, makes the Arona surprisingly pleasing to pedal.
In all, then, the Arona gives little cause for complaint and is a doddle to live with. Thing is, though, Seat’s own Leon hatchback is bigger, better and no more expensive.