Test Drive Seat Arona 1.0 TSI: Skillful Balance
The Seat Arona receives a subtle facelift. Targeted small changes enhance the strengths of the B-segment crossover.
The Seat Arona 1.0 TSI shows no significant weaknesses after the facelift. Those who want to drive an internal combustion engine will still get a lot of car for their money from 2026 onwards.
(Image: Seat)
- Wolfgang Gomoll
In the past, small cars like the VW Polo, Skoda Fabia, Renault Clio, or Peugeot 208 almost exclusively fought for market share in the B-segment. Today, small SUVs such as the Kia Stonic, Renault Captur, VW T-Cross, Skoda Kamiq, and Seat Arona are also competing. The latter has now undergone a facelift. We drove the most opulent three-cylinder version with the 7-speed DSG; only the 1.5-liter four-cylinder 1.5 TSI with 110 kW is positioned above it. As an entry-level option, Seat also offers the 1.0 TSI with 70 kW and a 5-speed manual transmission.
More Light and Assistance
The facelift brings narrower headlights, now standard in full LED, thus with a stronger light beam, a larger, hexagonal grille, new wheel designs (two in 16-inch, two in 18-inch), and three new exterior colors with the word-acrobatic names Liminal, Oniric, and Hypnotic. Liminal is a bright, almost milky pastel shade, Oniric shifts from a soft violet-grey to a slightly shimmering blue with a pearlescent effect, and Hypnotic is an intense blue-green. New is the Travel Assist system for semi-automated driving, adaptive cruise control, and lane keeping assist.
Seat Arona 1.0 TSI Exterieur (5 Bilder)
Seat
)The hard plastic that characterizes the interior is cleanly assembled; nothing rattles or clatters when we rumble over a pothole. Various surfaces on the dashboard, fabric inserts in the doors, and the new seat upholstery visually enhance the interior. The seats offer decent comfort, even long-distance-suitable sports seats are available, but in the base variants, they should offer a bit more lateral support.
Intuitive to Operate
In the cockpit, the free-standing 8.25- or 9.2-inch display with its thick plastic frame and the classic handbrake exude a touch of retro charm. Classic buttons and a comprehensible menu structure instead of touchscreen fetishism make operation easy, even for non-digital natives. Those who don't want to do without the familiar environment of their smartphone can use Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. Although the inductive charging tray is cooled, we prefer to connect the phone to the infotainment system via cable.
There is more space in the 4.16-meter-long Arona than is usual in the segment. Even in the rear, an adult over 1.80 meters tall can sit comfortably. The trunk has a volume of 400 liters, which is more than acceptable in comparison. Folding down the rear seatbacks increases the capacity to 1280 liters. The trunk's load floor can be locked at two heights and noticeably facilitates loading the luggage compartment when the upper position is selected. Also useful are the four metal hooks for securely fixing bags.
Seat Arona 1.0 TSI Interieur (5 Bilder)
Seat
)The Usual, but Well Done
The chassis with MacPherson front suspension and torsion beam rear axle is, in a way, the usual for the segment. The careful tuning of the suspension is one of the known strengths of many models from the VW Group that are built on this technical basis. The small Seat SUV absorbs transverse bumps calmly without rattling, but remains stiff enough to dart precisely through corners. The crossover model also handles country roads with agility, neutrality, and predictability. The steering is direct enough for brisk cornering and remains stable on the highway. Overall, the Arona maintains its skillful balance of comfort and control.
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Unexcited-Elastic Drive
It's not a disadvantage that the springs and dampers can do more than the one-liter three-cylinder with direct injection and 85 kW, delivering a maximum torque of 200 Nm. Chassis reserves contribute to comfort. As long as you take it easy, the interplay between the small-displacement, turbocharged combustion engine and the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission works smoothly and unexcitedly. Only when you push the Seat Arona 1.0 TSI to its limits does the drive combination betray the effort. However, this doesn't mean you're always driving with restrained foam. Quite the opposite: from a standstill, the Arona reaches country road speed after 9.9 seconds and is capable of up to 195 km/h. The Seat doesn't turn into a gas guzzler: after our test drive, the on-board computer reported 6.5 l/100 km – only about ten percent more than stated in the data sheet. Likely due to a cost-benefit analysis, Seat still refrains from hybridization for the Arona.
Even with a price increase to at least 25,400 instead of the previous 22,520 euros, the Seat Arona remains a solid offering in its class. With the facelift, it retains its proven strengths even with the 2026 model year. The market launch is planned for January 2026.
(fpi)