SEAT has just introduced its latest model, the SEAT Arona . A Compact SUV, positioned below the Ateca, equipped with the best technology available in the Volkswagen group – that is, MQB-A0 platform and state-of-the-art engines.
The new Arona is also the third launch of the Spanish brand in 2017, after the update made to the Leon and the new generation of Ibiza. It is the biggest SEAT product offensive ever, as Luca de Meo reinforced:
Luca de Meo, president of SEATWith our biggest product offensive, and once the big SUV hits the market, SEAT will have had a new vehicle launch rate every six months for two and a half years. SEAT allocated a total of 900 million euros in investment and R&D applicable to Ibiza and Arona. This value represents a part of a total investment of 3.3 billion euros that will be applied in the period between 2015 and 2019.
Taller and longer than the Ibiza
Produced at the well-known SEAT factory in Martorell, Spain, the new Arona is the result of the MQB-A0 platform of the Volkswagen Group, just like the new generation Ibiza. A structure that allows, according to the Spanish brand, to improve the habitability and volume of the luggage compartment – 400 liters of capacity.
In terms of dimensions, the SEAT Arona is 4,138 mm long, 79 mm more than the new Ibiza. But the biggest difference is in the height: the 99mm difference allows for more headroom at the front and rear, while the suspension raised by 15mm ensures greater ground clearance on the SEAT Arona.
Aesthetically, the new SEAT SUV follows the same formula as the Ateca, mainly in the front section. But the Arona is far from being an Ateca baby: the wheel arches take on more curved shapes and the creases on the body sides are quite different, while the black roof (and A and C pillars) gives it a more expressive look. The LED luminous signature is borrowed from the Ibiza.
Inside, similarities to the new Ibiza are all too evident. The raised console concept and somewhat minimalist styling make all controls within easy reach.
In response to the trend for customers to increasingly demand greater customization in their vehicles, the new Arona offers 68 color combinations, with an emphasis on Eclipse orange.
As for the technological package, the SEAT Arona has all the driving assistance and infotainment systems available at SEAT: Adaptive Cruise Control, Hill Hold control, Fatigue Detection, Rain and Light Sensors, Automatic Multi-Collision Braking, Keyless Entry and Start System, high definition rear camera and wireless charger with GSM signal amplifier, among others.
Arrives in Portugal in October
The SEAT Arona arrives on the national market with three gasoline engines: 1.0 TSI tricylindrical with 95 hp, associated with a five-speed manual gearbox, a version of the same engine with 115 hp mated to a six-speed gearbox or a DSG dual-clutch transmission, and the new 1.5 TSI 150 hp, which we already know from the Golf, with active cylinder deactivation technology (associated exclusively with the FR level).
In the Diesel options we find the engine 1.6 TDI with two power levels: 95 or 115 hp. SEAT Arona will have its public presentation at the Frankfurt Motor Show, in September, and at the end of the following month it should reach the national market, with prices still to be revealed.
