Small SUVs are a high priority for the Spanish Seat brand

SEAT ARONA
Price range: $ 29,900 – $ 33,900
Power Train: 1-liter turbo-petrol three-cylinder (85kW / 200Nm). Seven-speed automatic dual-clutch transmission (DSG), FWD. Economy combined 5.0 liters per 100km, 0-100kmh 10.0 seconds
Body: SUV five doors
For sale: Now.

Now there are two: Volkswagen Group's Spanish headquarters The brand was launched in New Zealand at the end of last year with the average Ateca SUV, but now its Kiwi-crossover rankings have doubled with the addition of compact Arona.

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DAVID LINKLATER / STUFF

Seat Arona is the rival of the Spanish brand for the Hyundai Kona, Mazda CX-3 and Suzuki Vitara.

Compact SUVs are a big deal in New Zealand: the genre has gone from 1,000 sales in 2010 to 12,000 in 2010.

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* Questions that Kiwis could ask about Seat [19659009] Arona will be a niche player because Seat is a brand new brand for NZ (and there's only one "Kiwi" Store, in Auckland), but in a broad sense, it thinks of a rival for the Hyundai Kona, Mitsubishi ASX , Mazda CX-3 and Suzuki Vitara

DAVID LINKLATER / STUFF

A single engine without considering the specs: a turbo 1.0 liter

There is only one power train offered in New Zealand: a three-cylinder 1.0 liter with c a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox (identical to that found in the Ibiza sedan) that drives the front wheels. But the Arona comes in two specifications: the entry-level style and the FR on the sports theme

It's built on a VW platform, though what's interesting, this is 39, is that none of the other brands of the Group has a direct equivalent. VW does not have SUVs the size of a pint in New Zealand at the moment, Skoda and Audi are not a bit more upscale (although its Q2 is built in the same factory as it is in the UK). # 39; Arona.)

Arona Beats Edition (there is already a VW Polo Beats, which we like) with a colorful finish and a dull sound; you can already have Beats audio alone as an Arona option for $ 1000.

In the longer term, we could also see an Arona performance brand of Seat's Cupra with an engine of more than 140 kW.

SUPPLIED

Later in the year, we will see the rest of the third SUV of Seat, the seven-seater Tarraco.

too far from the subject, later this year, the seven-seater Tarraco (competitor VW Tiguan Allspace and Skoda Kodiaq) will be launched, bringing to three the number of SUVs of Seat. But for now, back to Arona

Where did you go?

DAVID LINKLATER / STUFF

Aronas in Matakana: FRs on the outside, Style in the middle. Ignore the Australian thing.

From the Seat Store in central Auckland across the city and then well out of the comfort zone of Arona, on winding country roads north of Matakana. All-up: a first glimpse of about 200km of varied driving.

It's fun in urban driving: the direction is urban but still accurate, the three-cylinder engine is thrummy and energetic, the seven-speed gearbox shifts sharply (especially in Sport mode) and the Driving position is rather straight – which will give a lot of the SUV feel that they are looking for.

But Arona is not necessarily out of his depth on the country roads either. This is not fast, but full of points for the enthusiasm and sobriety of the chassis.

DAVID LINKLATER / STUFF

This is a city SUV, but not out of its depth on the open road.

The steering does not look sporty but it is consistent across tough turns and the suspension does not seem to be disturbed by rapid changes of direction.

All this in reason, of course. It's a shopping SUV, not a sporty model.

This relatively lively sensation is at the expense of a certain driving comfort: it is not difficult but it feels firm at speed. However, to be honest, our road driving was done in an FR with optional 18-inch wheels (Style has 16-inch wheels, while 17-inch is standard for FR).

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