Facelifted SEAT Arona goes on sale with prices from £19,260
SEAT has given the Arona a tough-looking makeover and a choice of new infotainment systems
The facelifted SEAT Arona is available to order in the UK now, priced from £19,260. The Spanish brand’s smallest crossover receives some rugged exterior styling tweaks and a redesigned interior, with the aim of keeping it competitive against rival small SUVs like the revised Hyundai Kona.
The updated SEAT Arona line-up is separated into six trim-levels. There’s the entry-level SE and SE Technology models; the sporty FR and FR Sport variants, and the comfort-focussed Xperience and Xperience Lux specifications.
As standard, the entry-level SEAT Arona SE comes with 17-inch alloy wheels, LED headlamps, electrically adjustable door mirrors, a tailgate spoiler and safety equipment such as autonomous emergency braking, cruise control and lane assist. Buyers also get metallic paint and a contrasting black roof.
Inside, there’s a flat-bottomed sports steering wheel, a leather gear knob, air conditioning, an auto-dimming rear-view mirror and a new floating 8.25-inch infotainment system which replaces the old car’s 6.5-inch unit mounted in the centre of the dashboard.
Stepping up a rung, the Arona SE Technology is priced from £20,155. As the nameplate suggests, it comes with more technology, including rear parking sensors, a larger 9.2-inch infotainment system and a 12-month subscription to SEAT’s built-in live traffic information, map updates and petrol station locator.
The sporty Arona FR is priced from £22,570. Upgrades over the SE Technology model include dedicated 17-inch alloy wheels, upgraded LED headlamps, LED tail lights and a range of styling tweaks such as chrome roof rails, chrome window surrounds and fake twin-exit exhaust tips.
Inside, FR models get sports seats, a perforated leather steering wheel with red stitching, dual-zone climate control, an auto-dimming rear view mirror and black headlining. DSG models also come with paddle shifters on the steering wheel, and every model comes with interior ambient lights for the footwells, centre console and door cards.
The FR Sport gets a few tweaks over the standard FR, such as 18-inch alloy wheels, heated front seats, microsuede upholstery, a couple of storage pockets on the front seat backs and a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster. Prices start from £23,640.
SEAT’s comfort-biased Arona Xperience drops the wheel size back down to 17 inches and adds a host of handy storage bins for the cabin, including a front centre armrest, a drawer under the driver’s seat, a document tray under the passenger seat and tie-down loops for the boot. There’s some extra technology too, such as adaptive cruise control, keyless go and blind spot monitoring. It’s priced from £23,290.
The range-topping Xperience Lux variant starts from £24,795. It adds 18-inch alloy wheels, front parking sensors and a rear-view camera. Park assist is also included, which can automatically park the car for the driver.
New 2021 SEAT Arona: engine range
The updated Arona’s engine range is broadly the same as the previous model’s. The cheapest option is a turbocharged 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol with 94bhp and 175Nm of torque, which is mated to a five-speed manual gearbox as standard.
Above that, there’s a slightly detuned version of the old car’s 113bhp 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol engine, priced from £20,540. The unit now generates 108bhp and 200Nm of torque, and it’s available with either a six-speed manual or seven-speed automatic gearbox.
The most potent engine on offer is a turbocharged 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol, with 148bhp and 250Nm of torque. It’s only available on the FR and FR Sport models with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox and, like the rest of the engines in the Arona line-up, it sends drive to the front wheels.
Fuel economy stands between 48.7 and 52.3mpg for the entry-level engine and from 44.1 to 47.9mpg for the 108bhp unit. The 1.5-litre model manages figures between 42.8 and 45.6mpg depending on the specification, while emissions for the line-up range between 121 and 140g/km of CO2.
New 2021 SEAT Arona: facelift updates
Styling revisions for the new SEAT Arona include a new front grille, a tweaked front bumper with a larger lower intake and some new fog lamps mounted either side of the number plate. The SUV’s black bumper trim has also been swapped for silver.
Like the revised SEAT Ibiza, every model in the Arona line-up also now comes with LED headlamps as standard. SE and SE Technology variants feature the brand’s Eco LED units, while FR models and up get higher performance full LED units.
At the rear, SEAT has fitted a new diffuser, a slightly reshaped spoiler and a two-tone SEAT badge. The old car’s model badge has also been swapped for a fresh one, which uses the same handwritten script as the latest Leon and the updated Ibiza.
Inside, the Arona’s mid-life facelift introduces a completely new dashboard design, with the outgoing car’s central infotainment system getting switched for a larger display mounted on top of the dashboard. The larger 9.2-inch system in higher spec cars can also be paired with a new 10.25-inch digital gauge cluster.
There’s a new multifunction steering wheel along with some extra lighting around the car’s air vents. The Arona’s ambient lighting is also now trim-level specific, with FR models getting red LEDs and Xperience cars receiving green lights.
As part of the technology upgrade, the Arona now supports SEAT Connect, which grants owners access to a range of connected services, such as real-time traffic information. The system also pairs with a smartphone app, allowing the driver to remotely lock and unlock the car’s doors, check the vehicle’s fuel level and set speed alerts.
The app also comes with a function that activates the Arona’s horn and hazard lights, which SEAT says can be used to find the car more easily in a crowded car park.
Unsure whether a crossover is right for you? Read all the latest news on the updated SEAT Ibiza supermini here…
