Theoretically, SUVs are more practical, more versatile and more spacious than conventional cars. But because theory is sometimes contradicted by practice, I took advantage of a weekend full of physical activity and long road trips to test, in «practice», the skills of the SEAT Arona 1.6 TDI FR.
And in practice, after more than 1,000 km covered on roads, highways and some roads that we can only call roads with a lot of good will, the SEAT Arona passed with distinction. All considerations in the next lines and briefly here as well.
The Diesel issue
I confess that in the SEAT Arona range, my preference goes to the versions equipped with the 1.0 TSI 115 hp engine. It's a spare, expedited, affordable and smooth engine. But when it comes to making miles out of sight, without losing sight of fuel economy, the 115hp SEAT Arona 1.6 TDI FR has its say.
As economical as the 1.0 TSI engine can be (which it is…), the 1.6 TDI engine always manages to be more economical. With four adults, their luggage (400 l of capacity) and no major restrictions on travel (except for legal limits) I got 5.4 l/100 km of average at the end of 1000 km of road . I found it remarkable.
It is not exactly a “full of life” engine — the scaling of the box favors consumption — but it still has more than enough availability to overcome the climbs and overtake confidently on national roads. It also has a discreet operation. So discreet that one of my friends asked me “this is gasoline, isn't it?”.
The MQB platform never disappoints
The «skeleton» that gives shape to the SEAT Arona is the same one found in models like the T-Roc or Ateca, that is, the MQB platform, but here in its A0 version, the most compact of all, which also fits the Volkswagen Polo and the SEAT Ibiza.
More compact, but equally competent. The chassis features criticism-proof torsional rigidity and the suspension work places the SEAT Arona as one of the segment's benchmarks in dynamic terms. A segment where only the Mazda CX-3, Hyundai Kauai and Ford Ecosport have arguments to try to counter it.
In terms of comfort, it doesn't disappoint either. An opinion shared by both those who traveled in the front and those who traveled in the back seats. These words are valid for a capacity of four people, because with five people on board the conversation would be different…
Well presented interior
The quality of the interior would not be the strong point of our SEAT Arona 1.6 TDI FR if the only criteria were the softness of the materials. This is because the overwhelming majority of plastics that make up the interior of the SEAT Arona are hard to the touch.
Plastics are mostly hard, but the rigor of assembly and the robustness of the surfaces and controls are not in doubt. The SEAT Arona is well built, and the most degraded floors make a point of putting this mounting rigor to the test. It's a solid product.
As for the level of equipment, it is quite extensive — which in part justifies the price that SEAT asks for this model. The infotainment system, for example, is the best we can find in this segment in terms of functions, screen definition and functionality.
As for the sound quality, the Beats sound system (which we used very often) also received very positive reviews from all occupants. Moving on to active safety systems, the SEAT Arona can include technologies such as adaptive cruise-control, automatic emergency braking, lane maintenance assistant, engine angle detection and automatic parking.
Gasoline or Diesel?
In terms of price, what separates the Arona 1.6 TDI from the equivalent version equipped with the 1.0 TSI engine, is 4205 euros. That's a lot of money, no doubt. Therefore, the option for the Arona 1.6 TDI as far as I am concerned, will only be justified, if they do many kilometers and trips. There is nothing wrong with Arona 1.6 TDI, only 1.0 TSI is getting better…
