Seat Arona review

The Arona’s previous pitfall was its cheap, black plastic-filled interior. Like with the updated Ibiza though, this was largely addressed by the facelift and it’s now a more premium place to sit. There are still some scratchy plastics lower down and cost-saving measures like blank buttons on lower spec versions, but you do get the comfy, supportive seats from the Ibiza and the same splashes of colour around the air vents and across the dash. 

What's the tech like?

The infotainment screen also grew in size as part of the facelift, now 8.25 inches on base-spec models and 9.2 inches on all other trim levels. All come with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, and the screen itself has been raised to be more in the driver’s eyeline.

We’re still not sold on Seat’s current homescreen – it can be a little confusing to navigate – but at least you still get a separate panel for your climate controls. FR Sport and top-spec Xperience Lux models also get digital dials. 

Even with the extra colour and bigger screens though, the Arona’s interior is still a little bland. There's no special crossover versatility either. Rivals have double gloveboxes or sliding rear seats or clever console storage. The Citroen C3 Aircross fields an MPV's worth of canny adaptability. There's absolutely none of that here other than a drawer under the driver’s seat if you spec something called the ‘Storage Pack’. Hmmm.

Anything else to note?

The driver’s seating position is low, though, so don’t expect that full SUV feeling of road superiority. And rear seat passengers might feel a little short changed when it comes to space. Further back you get a 400-litre boot seats up, and 823 litres with the seats down. That’s 50 litres more than you get in an Ibiza, FYI.

For reference, with the seats up you get more room in the back here than in a Vauxhall Mokka, Kia Stonic or Hyundai Kona, but less than you'll find in a Citroen C3 Aircross, Renault Captur, Nissan Juke, Peugeot 2008, or Ford Puma.