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Seat reveals new Arona SUV

The small SUV class is growing all the time, and Seat is the latest to join the battle for buyers, with a smaller brother for the Ateca that offers huge scope for personalisation

  • New SUV is smaller than Ateca; rivals Nissan Juke
  • Seen in public for first time at Frankfurt Show in September
  • Available to order from October
Seat has joined the small-SUV party by revealing its new Arona, a rival to the likes of the Nissan Juke, Vauxhall Mokka X and recently unveiled Kia Stonic.
From the front, you can certainly tell the Arona is part of the Seat range - and, in particular, closely related to the Ateca, its bigger brother. There’s LED triangular headlights at the front, and LED tail lights, with a robust bumper, wheelarches, and rubber side skirts. There’s also plenty of scope for colour personalisation. Buyers can choose from a grey, black, orange or body-coloured roof, and the paint palette includes Eclipse Orange. In total, there are 68 possible colour combinations.
Interior
Compared to Seat's Ford Fiesta-rivalling Ibiza, the Arona is 79mm longer, and 99mm taller. It’s also got extra ground clearance, and the windscreen is set at a more vertical angle, which helps to give more interior space. Overall, there is more headroom in both the front and rear, while the higher-set seats make it easier to get in and out of the car, and the boot will take up to 400 litres.
Inside the cabin, there’s an 8.0-inch black-panel touch-screen, and a connectivity hub with wireless phone charger and signal amplifier. The car also comes with Apple Car Play, Android Auto, and Mirror Link connectivity. All the instruments are orientated towards the driver, with everything in easy reach and view to minimise distraction. The various fabrics, shades and colours are exclusive to the Arona, and buyers can opt for dual-coloured ambient LED lights, as well as dual-zone climate control and an 'aircare' filter system.
Engines and tech
The engine range starts with a three-cylinder, 1.0-litre petrol engine with 93bhp, paired with a five-speed manual gearbox. Beyond that is a 113bhp version of the same engine with 113bhp - available with either a six-speed manual gearbox or dual-clutch seven-speed automatic gearbox - and a new four-cylinder, 1.4-litre, 148bhp petrol engine with cylinder deactivation technology and a six-speed manual gearbox. This latter unit comes only in the sporty FR model, but like all the engines in the range, it features a stop/start system.
On the diesel side, there’s a 1.6-litre engine with 93bhp, paired with a five-speed manual or seven-speed automatic gearbox, or the same engine with 113bhp and a six-speed gearbox. On top of that are all the usual driver-assistance systems (including Front Assist, Adaptive Cruise Control, Hill Hold Control, Tiredness Recognition System, automatic lights and wipers, Multi-Collision Braking, Keyless Entry and Start, and a rear camera) as standard. Rear Traffic Alert, Blind Spot Detection, and Park Assistance System, for both parallel and angled parking, are available as options. The new Arona will make its public debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September, and will be available to order in the UK from 3 October, before hitting showrooms from 17 November. As yet, there’s no official word on prices, but we expect the Arona to cost from around £14,000.