Seat Arona review

The Arona’s previous pitfall was its cheap, black plastic-filled interior. Like with the updated Ibiza though, that has largely been addressed with this 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 iterations, 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. 

The infotainment screen has also grown in size, with an 8.25-inch unit on the base spec SE and a 9.2-incher 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.

Other points of note? There is good space in the rear seats (although it is a little spartan-feeling) and the boot offers 50-litres more space than an Ibiza’s. Not massive, but enough to convince some. The driver’s seating position is low, though, so don’t expect that full SUV feeling of power…