Seat Arona review

Prices start from £21,695 for the 1.0-litre 94bhp turbo three-cylinder, rising to £22,980 for the same engine in 109bhp tune, and £26,475 for the 1.5-litre 148bhp turbo four-cylinder, which requires you to step up to FR/FR Sport trim level. More on those trim levels below.

On lease, you’re looking at £278, £300 and £353 respectively, on a four-year agreement with a £2.5k down payment and 10,000 yearly mileage allowance, through Seat’s own finance scheme.

To give you some perspective there, a Citroen C3 Aircross, a Kia Stonic and Nissan Juke are all cheaper, while the Renault Captur, Peugeot 2008, Ford Puma and Vauxhall Mokka are more expensive.

What’s the kit list like?

Seat says it has attempted to simplify the buying process by removing most options: instead you can choose from a line of take-it-or-leave-it trims. That kicks off with SE, which gets 17-inch wheels, LED lights, a contrast colour roof and cruise control. Not bad at all.

Up from that is the SE Technology. That adds the larger infotainment screen with 3D navigation and voice control, wireless phone charging and rear parking sensors.

The range then splits into two, with a couple of sportier looking options in the form of the FR and FR Sport. The former gets 17-inch wheels, tinted rear windows, full LED headlights and front sports seats, and the latter 18s, digital dials, and heated front seats. As mentioned above, it's worth noting that only the FR and FR Sport can be combined with the most powerful 1.5-litre four-cylinder.

Then there are the more equipment-heavy Xperience and Xperience Lux trims. Xperience models get 17-inch alloys, LED headlights, adaptive cruise control and keyless start and entry, while Xperience Lux cars get 18s, digital dials and park assist.

What’s the best spec?

We’d be tempted by the 1.0-litre 94bhp turbo three-cylinder in 109bhp tune, which brings a healthy dose of extra power without inflating the price too much, in SE Technology trim. 

That brings with it some extra goodies including the bigger infotainment screen and parking sensors. You don’t need the sportier looks or fully loaded packages of the trims above in a car like this. 

Specced as such, you’re looking at £24,010, or £316 on lease.