It has been a very wet start to the year, but also a very busy one for the motoring trade. Car companies are anxious to show Irish motorists some of the new models that will be available for Irish motorists to buy later this year.
We had an impressive presentation from the VW group as they celebrate 75 years in Ireland, new cars from Citroen, Kia, MG, Leap and BYD plus brief looks at a version of the new Polestar 5 which will cost just over €130k.
There have also been revamps of old reliables, like the Seat Ibiza and Seat Arona and the new revamped version of the latter is this week’s test car.
Seat are based in Martorell in the hills above Barcelona and they have sold over 700,000 units of this compact SUV since 2017. The Arona is the smallest crossover SUV in Seat’s range, and it slots in below the Ateca compact model and Tarraco seven-seater.
There are slight changes/improvements to the new version, but you would probably need to be wearing your Seat Anorak to spot them all. But believe me they are there.
At the front you now get much stronger headlights and the grille has gotten a slight tweak. Likewise at the back, just a tweak to the rear lights.
Naturally the interior has also got a revamp. But the dash is not over complicated, and all the controls are easy to use, and you get physical buttons for the air con. One of the first items I noticed inside the car, was a good old-fashioned solid handbrake. I realise that you have to trust the automatic handbrakes in electric cars as they activate when you leave the car, but there is definitely something re-assuring about engaging the handbrake yourself.
The interior is a bit dark, but bright colouring on the seats certainly brightens the overall interior décor. I drove a lovely grey coloured model with black roof, and it looked very attractive. The official colours were Oniric Grey with a Midnight Black roof.
In the back seat you can accommodate three adults at a squeeze, but of course much it’s more comfortable with just two adults in the back.
The boot is 400 litres, which is good for a small car. It’s very deep and the repair kit provided seems to be wasted in there. If buying new I would suggest taking out the repair kit and haggle with your dealer for a proper spare wheel.
In a world where most new cars I get to test are fully electric, it was good to sit into a neat petrol car and not worry about where I was going to charge the car.
Prices start at €28,175 for the 1.0-litre version. But of course, the more goodies you want in your new car the higher price will rise. In the past, Seat offered seven different trims: now just three trims available in this new model.
Journalists tend to get the most expensive versions with lots of goodies like front bucket seats. The 115-brake horsepower FR version that that I drove, will cost you €36,146. And if you want more power under the bonnet, a 150-brake horsepower version is also available. And we are told that be a mild hybrid version will be available in 2027.
For first time buyers the Arona offers very good value for money.
