Daily News Egypt test drives Seat Arona

The car's sharp design will instantly attract you, as is the case with most of Seat's other models. In terms of the design, the car has a sporty look.

The design
Arona car is the embodiment of the design outlines that Seat is committed to in its vehicles regardless their different categories, whether hatchback, sedan, or crossover.
The car's sharp design will instantly attract you, as is the case with most of Seat's other models. In terms of the design, the car has a sporty look.
The sporting identity is enhanced by LED daytime running lights and taillights, along with three different tire types that come in 16-inch and 17-inch.
Safety
Arona got five stars in the European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP) automotive safety tests, but what really distinguishes the car in the Egyptian market is the provision of most safety and security factors in its three categories.
It comes with driver and front passenger cushions, side airbags, hill climbing system, tire pressure monitoring, driver fatigue alarm system, and speed limiter.
It also comes with an electronic stability programme (ESP) control supported by anti-lock braking system (ABS), electronic brakeforce distribution (EBD), and emergency brake assist (EBA).
Finally, Arona is equipped with an XDS electronic differential lock which maintains the vehicle's balance and gives the driver more control at sharp and fast turns.
Power and performance
All Arona's models in Egypt are based on a four-cylinder, 1.6-liter, 110-horsepower engine, at 5,800 rpm and 155 Nm of torque. Meters at 3800-4000 rpm, connected to a six-speed automatic gearbox, at a top speed of 240 km/h.
The engine can provide Arona with enough power to accelerate, but it will not be enough to satisfy the enthusiasm of those who love the acceleration of Seat cars that comes with all the small models such as Ibiza. The car accelerates from zero to 100 km/h in 11.5 seconds.
The engine has enough torque. Yet, the drawback is the gearbox that delays the shifting of gears in the automatic mode, but when changed to manual mode, the acceleration of the car changes noticeably.
Arona is a car that is suitable for relatively small families, young people who don't like speedy cars, or older people who love relatively high cars that are slightly above the ground.
Car dimensions
The Arona really typifies how tightly knit car manufacturers' ranges are these days. It's 4,138mm long, 1,780mm wide (including mirrors) and 1,543mm tall – which makes it longer than an Ibiza and considerably taller than a Leon.
However, the car's wheelbase – always a good guide to how much interior space there's going to be – is 2,566mm. That's only a couple of millimetres more than a five-door Ibiza's, showing that, despite the increase in length, there's not actually that much extra knee or legroom over the Arona's supermini cousin.
From our point of view, the relatively small wheelbase has caused low stability in sharp turns at high speeds.
Cabin
The Arona cabin is not considered boring at all because it offers all ways of entertainment, starting from the D-shaped versatile steering wheel that lets you control the computer and entertainment system. Head and shoulder room is very generous in the back of an Arona, but passengers may complain about leg and knee room.