In-depth reviews
SEAT Arona owner reviews
"The compact SEAT Arona offers the brand's typical stylish looks and sporty feel in a practical shape"
Carbuyer Rating
4.0 out of 5
Owners Rating
4.2 out of 5
Price
£19,995 - £29,260
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Reviews
Owner Reviews
- 5 out of 5
- 4 out of 5
- 3 out of 5
- 2 out of 5
- 1 out of 5
83%of people would recommend this car to a friendCommon Problems
- Engine, Other (1 case)
Review 1 of 6
5 out of 5
Car Details
Model
1.5 FR
Year
2018
Avg annual mileage
10,000 – 14,999
Owned
1 - 2 years
Bought Car
Used
Typical MPG
45
Tell us what you think about your car?
Originally chose this as my company car to replace an Audi A3, and although the badge doesn't have quite the same snob value, it's just as capable, refined and good to drive/own as its predecessor. I now own it outright, having bought it off the leasing company when I changed jobs.
We went for a mini SUV mainly for ease of entry - me and my wife are no spring chickens unfortunately. It's plenty big enough for the 2 of us plus the dog, and we don't need 4wd.
Might have considered the top spec trim if it was available with the 1.5 engine, but it isn't, and coming from the 1.4 150ps A3 I couldn't drop down to the 1.0. Ok it's no ball of fire, but it is relatively quick for this class of car. And the FR trim is fine - would have paid more for a reversing camera, but that's pretty much it. LED headlights are good. Ride seems fine, and handling is much sharper than a Golf 1.5 GT I had a test drive in before the Arona.
So yes - very happy with it, and think I made the right choice.
Would you recommend the car to a friend?
Yes
5 out of 5
Car Details
Model
1.5 FR
Year
2018
Avg annual mileage
5,000 – 9,999
Owned
Less than a year
Bought Car
Used
Typical MPG
55
Tell us what you think about your car?
After reading 'expert' reviews, my own opinion leaves me at odds with their points of view.
My last two cars, both bought new, were BMW diesels, a 5 Series, and then a 2 Series. The Arona FR 150bhp petrol compares very favourably by comparison.
50mpg around town, and 61 mpg on a longer run, means I remain in diesel territory, whilst performance is clearly on a par. Drop into 3rd for an overtake, and the Arona comes alive. The Beemer' s were good, but I never feel let down by the Arona.
Comfort is excellent, with a smooth and quiet power delivery, with adequate boot space for a car of this size.
For me I have BMW comfort and performance, but without the cost. A bit of a no brainer really.
Would you recommend the car to a friend?
Yes
4 out of 5
Car Details
Model
Fr
Year
2017
Avg annual mileage
5,000 – 9,999
Owned
1 - 2 years
Bought Car
Used
Typical MPG
43
Tell us what you think about your car?
Our first automatic and it is a delight to drive very responsive good steering and reasonable fuel economy. We need a car that is easy to access yet not a big vehicle and rarely has rear passengers so roomy enough for 2.
It has a few minor niggles the heating controls are like an afterthought as if forgotten when dash designed and the front pockets in door almost impossible to get things out of not enough room between pull and pocket.
Overall it's reliable apart from vandal damage no faults or problems.
Would you recommend the car to a friend?
Yes
2 out of 5
Car Details
Model
1.5
Year
2019
Bought Car
New
Tell us what you think about your car?
Had this as a hire car for work for a 4 hour round trip, believe it was the 1.5 manual version.
Positives:
+ Great all round driver view, very rare to be this good in modern cars
+ Lots of storage, good boot, cup holders etc.
+ Looks great
+ Good sound system
+ All the controls are in the right place, done right
+ Real handbrake
+ Ridiculously powerful headlights - it feels like full beam all the time
+ Engine has decent power output
Negatives:
- Engine response is pathetically slow, takes somewhere around a second to get to the actual power demand. Very noticeable when you change gears.
- Ridiculously powerful headlights - everyone else on the road thinks you have full beam on all the time, you'll get flashed a lot and people will put on their hazards at you (and be very surprised when you actually do flash main beam back so they know you don't have them on and you can't do anything about it)
- Not very confident handling, has a lot of body roll and very light steering that takes some getting used to (and I say that as someone who used to drive an original land rover discovery)
- Full screen dashboard warnings will pop up telling you off for not driving too long not in the gear it thinks you should be (which if your trip is mostly country roads, you will be in the gear it thinks you should not be all the time). Not just a "change gear icon" I mean a full screen message telling you to read the driving tips in the manual. Very insulting and it did this 6 or 7 times over the whole trip.
So would I recommend? No unfortunately. My first 15 minutes with the car I loved it and quickly after learned to really dislike its negatives. A few minor changes (like removing that insulting driver warning screen, having slightly lower power and position headlights so you aren't blinding every motorist, and fixing poor engine response) would make this a fairly nice car. As it is though, a definite no.
Would you recommend the car to a friend?
No 
4 out of 5
Car Details
Model
1.0 TSI FR 115 petrol
Year
18
Avg annual mileage
5,000 – 9,999
Owned
Less than a year
Bought Car
Used
Typical MPG
44
Tell us what you think about your car?
FR trim level gets you the six speed manual and a more able 115 hp engine. Yes the steering is overly light but choosing Driver Profile Individual allows you to opt for Sports setting for the steering and Economy for engine and air con.
Much better ground clearance than the old Ibiza model, with a better view of the road at junctions. I't's fairly easily achieved mid 40s mpg and better still at sub-motorway speeds. This will probably improve as the car is run in. It has a great 8-inch screen for Sat Nav with a summary of its display visible between the rev counter and speedometer. It's cheap on a PCP plan with big discounts available too.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder but sharp lines and two tone roof and body tick my boxes and ownership costs are pretty decent too, as FR versions have an alarm so insurance virtually identical to an old 1.4-litre petrol Ibiza. Its dual zone climate control will be welcome if summer ever arrives.
Would you recommend the car to a friend?
Yes
5 out of 5
Car Details
Model
1.5 FR
Year
2018
Avg annual mileage
5,000 – 9,999
Owned
Less than a year
Bought Car
Used
Typical MPG
54
Tell us what you think about your car?
Quite a stunning car to drive. My SEAT Arona is extremely quiet and easily achieves 50mpg plus on a run. Well-equipped, and very quick when necessary. I tested all models and engines before choosing the 148bhp 1.5-litre engine, and the latter was easily the better option for family use. Based on price and dealer help, SEAT was head and shoulders above all other makes.
Would you recommend the car to a friend?
Yes
