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SEAT Arona FR Limited Edition 1.0 TSI 115PS DSG Review

jimbobcook

What is it?

The FR Limited Edition is the only SEAT Arona available in Graphene Grey, which is perfectly complimented by 18” machined alloy wheels in Cosmos Grey (the Ibiza 40th Anniversary Edition also comes with both these things). As the Ibiza was coming out with something special, I think they got the Arona on the parts bandwagon and tried to catch people in both models. Which one comes out on top, taking the trim spec, cost and styling choices? Read on to find out.

Verdict

When I first saw the Arona back in the day I wasn’t a fan, it felt like it was taking something away from the Ibiza, which I’d always been a fan of, but now it seems it may have the upper hand bar some of the looks that a taller Arona struggles with. This car has a great spec, better than the Ibiza 40th Anniversary Edition in my opinion, with the Ford Fiesta no longer in production I feel that cars like the Arona are going to be taking over.

Our rating

4.5 stars out of 5

What we didn’t like

  • Air Vents
  • Sluggish DSG

Exterior

In my personal opinion, the Arona doesn’t look quite as good up against its smaller sibling, the Ibiza, at least from a photography point of view; I find getting a decent shot of the car is more problematic for some reason (which could be a lack of skill on my part!).

Looking around the car, I notice a blend of sporty lines and aggressive styling with little design elements that seem to pop out, such as the fog lights. I’m still unsure why they exist halfway up the bumper; it makes me think of the 2CV’s lights.

The front end shows off a nice bottom grill with some aggressive flare at the sides, with the little grill lines joining up to the fins, just like the MK3 Leon. I like it; the grill pattern works well with the black and grey accents. The vents on the side of the bumper are not functional and are just for styling. One thing I am happy about is that in this FR Limited edition, they removed the chrome surround on the main grill, which I think looks much better than the 40th Anniversary Edition you get with the Ibiza.

Moving around to the side, we get roughly the same body lines the Ibiza gets. However, at the bottom of the doors, a grey panel sets off the design nicely, following on from the front wheel arches.

Within the arches, we find a nice set of alloys, 18″ Performance Nuclear Grey running 215/45 R18 tyres, the same as the Ibiza 40th Anniversary Edition (you’ll probably find more of these similarities during the review).

Moving around to the rear quarter and rear of the car, we see a nice prominent rear diffuser (if you can call it that) that houses the two fake exhausts. Above this, we’ve got the new style FR badge along with the “Arona” naming with the latest style font; it’s something I’m still getting used to. “Arona” suits it, but I don’t like my “Tarraco” badge.

We no longer see the rear S badge open up the boot; we’re now back down to the normally placed button to the left of the rear camera (something the Ibiza 40th Edition didn’t get). The rear lights have a lot more coverage area than the Ibiza; if I’m honest, I prefer the Ibiza setup in this regard.

I’ve also just noticed that the Arona doesn’t have the bonnet lines the Ibiza has; I feel like I now sit on the fence as to which looks better; after waiting here for a couple of minutes looking at both of them, I think the Ibiza wins.

Last but not least, well, it might be because of how many people look at the roof of a car, me for one, because when you’re 6ft2, that’s what you see as you get in, on the Arona, you don’t get the panoramic roof like the Ibiza has in the 40th Anniversary Edition. Still, it’s not something I would pick anyway. You do get a nice raised roof section about 30cm down from the front window screen, and I like it; you also have some roof mounts available should you need them.

Interior

*Spoiler Alert* I know this may shock you, but some new bits also appear in the Ibiza 40th Anniversary Edition… I know, right?! First off, I will mention my favourite part of the inside, the new seats, described as “Cloth bucket seats in black microsuede with contrasting red stitching provide a supportive yet stylish seating experience” I always thought bucket seats were hard as nails plastic things that you have in race cars, so hard that you get out the car thinking you don’t have a butt attached to you anymore. Anyway, these seats are very comfy and very supportive. I prefer them over the CUPRA-style leather ones because cloth is much better than leather in all weathers unless it’s cloudy and 18 degrees C.

As the picture above shows a couple of things, I may as well cover them individually. Firstly, the air vent: Why did they choose these vents? If you’ve read the Ibiza review, I’m sorry to keep boring you with it; I feel they get in the way and look cheap and tacky. Also, when it’s dark, and you have the interior lighting on, you see the reflection of the air vent right in line with the side mirror. It’s not dangerous, but it’s just weird/annoying. Apparently, on this trim, the vents are grey; they looked white to me, but then again, looking at this image, they look a little grey.

Next up is the steering wheel, which is nothing special, I’m afraid. At least there are no touch buttons, instead, you get good old-fashioned push buttons and one scrollable one,, which is handy for volume control.

We’ve got the tiny paddles if you wanted to do a manual shift (I’m not sure why you would, though) and classic FR red stitching. On the bottom, you have the FR logo decal in a very nice to-hold flat bottom bit of the steering wheel.

We may as well discuss the area of Infotainment and Digital dash, although we will go through this in a little more detail later on. The Digital dash is one of those things I refused to give into coming from an analogue dial setup in the MK2 Leon; something didn’t feel right, but when I got the MK3 Leon with the digital dash, I gave it a go. Now, when I chose the Tarraco, it seemed silly not to have it; I get to show loads of info as well as change the layout, yes you do lose a bit of a connection, I think because it’s inherently fake instead of actual dials but I now like it.

The SEAT infotainment system has had its limelight previously, be it for the wrong reasons, software glitches, or turning itself off automatically if it was having an off day.

I must say that to date, I haven’t had any issues with it on my Tarraco, and I much prefer the looks of this style over the inbuilt version on the MK3 Leon. As I only really use Android Auto, I assume others use that or Apple Car Play, and the central system doesn’t get much use apart from turning it on.

Staying within the central centre console, we go under the Infotainment to find the air circulation/aircon unit (we won’t talk about the air vent surround that doesn’t light up); I’m happy to say that it’s still using push buttons, no touch screen buttons, something so small makes me so happy in terms of daily use.

No issues with cold air. The car got much colder much quicker than the Tarraco, but that’s down to cabin size, one assumes, as they probably have similar internals. It’s also worth noting that the Arona comes with a wireless phone charger just under the USB-C charging ports, something again, not on the Ibiza 40th Anniversary Edition.

Moving into the back of the car, you’ll find the three standard seats; they’re functional but nothing special. You’ve got ISOfix on both outer seats but no pull-down in the middle for an armrest.

As someone a little taller than some (6ft2), I do like to see if I can sit behind myself if the driver’s seat is in my normal position. Unfortunately, with this and the Ibiza, I struggled, but I wasn’t expecting anything less; this is inherently a small car, so no points lost, just something to be aware of if you need more room in the back for tall adults.

You get a nice photo looking at the steering wheel from the rear seat through the new seat holes… this is purely down to my personal choice; no one needs to see this ha ha not sure who would stop me; well Scott might… I’ll know when it’s posted! (Editor’s note: fine I’ll leave the picture in)

Oh, I forgot to mention, this car doesn’t have an armrest, I don’t think I need to say anymore; I think in this day and age, an armrest should be available in the first place without hesitation. Instead, you get a disappointing storage tray.

The Arona has 45 litres more boot space than the Ibiza, but I’m pretty sure that’s only upward space and not usable space for everyday things. It’s a decent-sized boot for the size of the car; I wouldn’t be able to take the mother-in-law shopping as usual as we would be spilling out onto the rear seats, but it’s completely acceptable.

Engine and sound

As I’ve always said about the Ibiza, I love the little 1.0L engine. It’s great around town and a hoot to drive on lower-speed roads; I wouldn’t class this car as a cruiser or anything that would be on a drag strip or ripping up the back roads; it just does its thing well.

I want to note that I would love for all cars to have an engine cover on; they just look better, even the new rubbery ones they used on the MK3 Leon; it just looks like a mess, a neat mess, mind you.

As for sound, when driving, the 18s give little sound back into the cabin, nothing compared to my 20s on the Tarraco; the engine itself loves the low-down power and the off-the-mark speed in towns, etc; the DSG does hamper it a little, I think as like the Ibiza.

The manual is unusually quicker on the 0-60 than the automatic by 0.2 seconds. Now, that shouldn’t be the case in any other car I’ve driven with DSG. It’s almost like it feels lazy; after having the manual in the Ibiza and the DSG in this Arona, I would pick the manual if I knew I wouldn’t be stuck in traffic all my life; that’s a personal call you will all have to make.

As for economy driving vs sport, I did some runs on the same road (Ibiza and Arona) to get some figures; the first was in ECO mode and not overtaking; on the way back, I used sport and overtook (within the speed limits when possible, mainly dual lane uphill).

The ECO drive came out with this

Then, on the way back in Sport mode, I got

Strangely enough, both cars got the same time driving and pretty much (bar 1mph) the same average speed; the Arona got less mpg in both tests, which would make sense to me as with a manual, you can prep the car way easier for hills than an auto.

On the road

Being on the road in the Arona doesn’t make me feel as cool as the Ibiza, but it does offer the same great engine. I admittedly didn’t have as much fun as I did with the manual Ibiza, but the DSG does give you that relaxing feel if you’ve had a tough day or if you fancy it a more racing driver feel with the manual shifting with the paddles.

Driving around the back roads, the Arona didn’t feel as planted as the Ibiza, it felt a little more grown-up.

I had no issues with traction in any scenario (I didn’t do a burnout, so that’s fine). One thing I did find strange was that I still had a manual handbrake even though I had an auto; I’ve not seen that hybrid mix yet; I would rather have DSG with the electronic handbrake because your arm isn’t naturally near the gear stick to use the handbrake as much when it’s an auto.

Overall, the car is much like the Ibiza; it’s got purpose thanks to the great little engine, it’s comfy because of the great seats, and you’ve got the same annoyances like Lane assist.

Technology

What to start with, what to start with… I’d like to show you the differences between the Ibiza 40th Anniversary Edition and the Arona FR Limited Edition; the list shows enough options for me to potentially change my mind on what I’d buy if I were in the market for it after driving both cars back to back I found that the Arona was better equipped for my personal needs, admittedly it’s more expensive (by just over £3k) but here’s a break down of the two trims (Ibiza 40th Anniversary and Arona FR Limited Edition).

Ibiza:

Cloth bucket seats, Beats audio, rear sensors, 18” alloys.

Arona:

Cloth bucket seats, Beats audio, 18” alloys, rear camera, parking sensors, wireless phone charging, heated front seats.

The last three things on the Arona are pretty much all the options I’d want in my car if I were getting a high-spec’d trim; it’s not like they wouldn’t just fit in the Ibiza or anything, same seats, same centre dash, and just add the camera button option on the boot (I know the Lux Ibiza has some of these bits and considering that’s only £560 more expensive over the 40th edition they could have gone all out and made it slightly more costly to have the best version of the model as a celebratory edition.

In the end, the Arona wins for me; in fact, the Arona wins most other things, except the exterior styling and a little bit of a handling difference.

So, the smaller bits first, wireless charging, the lifeblood for your phone on long journeys. I found it to be most helpful due to using Android Auto wireless most times when in the car; if I was low on juice, I just put it on the deck and left it there, with no heat issues. It charged quickly whilst not moving around due to some nice raised edges.

Next up is the Sound system; while not on everyone’s radar, this sort of thing hits high up on the checklist for me. Other people have coffee and tea when they wake up to get the buzz for the day, and well, I have music. The Beats system, which is the same in the Ibiza, shows some promise but does lack punch. I remember the original SEAT Sound upgrade in the MK3 Leon that sounded awesome, and I’m not sure about the setup of that, but this Beats version seems to lack punch.

It’s okay for music with loads of deep bass, and it amplifies it nicely. Still, for those who listen to metal, it’s not much of a benefit unless you turn up the sub (in the boot) in the equaliser. I was a little bit underwhelmed, but still, as it’s in the trim without being an extra I wouldn’t be mad I didn’t have access to it.

Heated seats, I love them. Now I must confess I’m adding this in because it was in the spec sheet, but as I had the review car in summer when the car is hot, it makes testing the heated seats tough without melting, so I didn’t try them out. Anyway, here’s an image from the website confirming it has them installed.

So then we start going into the car tech that comes with safety packs, etc; I’ll reel them off as I don’t have an image of me driving into the centre of the road without indicating so I can explain lane assist, etc; you get the point.

I may as well start with lane assist as that’s now fresh on my mind; as in every other review I’ve done, I don’t like Lane assist; even now, my wife is complaining about it in my Tarraco, always saying drive in the middle of the road when it’s clear I am.

Lane assist gets more of a telling-off than my twin girls just about to hit terrible twos. I get its purpose, but it just thinks it knows more than anyone else.

As for the speed warning using the onboard sign detection software and camera, things are a little hazy. I did get some issues when the system hadn’t caught up with actually passing a new speed sign, so I got told off for accelerating; apart from that, it didn’t have any issues knowing what was going on, it did, however, have an issue when starting up one day that the car told me it wasn’t available for me to use, which is fine by me but after my trip I turned it off and on again then things came back to life.

What’s it like to live with?

Running Costs

The Arona has an economical engine; if you choose the DSG, you will find reduced mpg but nothing to be alarmed about insurance I think it is 1 level lower than the Ibiza, so that’s always handy, tyres would be more expensive than most other Arona trims as 18-inch wheels that run relatively low profile tend to be more money out of your wallet—great little car to keep around.

Rating – 6/10

Comfort

Much like the Ibiza, everything is comfy thanks to the new seats, and the ride is good even with 18’s; I mean, it’s not a Range Rover, but for the price point, it’s solid, in a good way.

Rating – 7/10

Power

I’m not trying to get a lap record around the Nürburgring; this is an easygoing motor that shows lots of promise when in and around town; it’s fine up to 50-60mph, then it doesn’t seem to be in its sweet spot so charging down the motorway isn’t its thing.

Rating – 8/10

Cost

At just over £28,000, this Arona is a pretty good price; it’s got a good spec with everything I would pick if I had the choice (no real extra options in the builder). The Arona is slightly more expensive than the Ibiza, but that’s down to a slightly bigger car and better spec, I imagine.

Rating – 8/10

Styling

This one’s always going to be per person; what I might like, you may hate. I feel the Arona is missing something,, like it’s not quite got its full identity yet. Styling choice the Ibiza would win hands down every time, taking photos of the Arona proved harder for sure.

Rating – 8/10

Tech

Excellent level of tech for the size of the car, no matrix headlights, but I assume the price doesn’t warrant all the big stuff you’d see on new CUPRA cars; if I was going to hand pick a spec, it would be very close to this.

Rating – 9/10

Would I buy one?

Unfortunately, due to the styling, I probably wouldn’t, which is a shame, It’s great car once you’re inside; I don’t think you’d be disappointed if you got one, but if you’re not like me and you love how it looks this car and trim is for you.

Spec Sheet information

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