Picked up our Arona on Thursday after a very smooth and quick order with just under two weeks from order to delivery. Coming from an 18 Plate 1.2 TSi SE Dynamic Leon there is a notch down interior quality wise but the media system especially the display is much improved. Shame you don't get the colour MFD of the Leon in the Arona just the monochrome. No soft touch dash or door cards. However, the Arona has quickly become one of my favourite cars! Why? A mixture of tidy handling, very comfortable, BEAT's audio is very good and just an overall feelgood and fun factor driving it, which I never felt about the Leon. The looks have grown on me and the black contrast roof makes it look more special and interesting than the Leon. Love the silver and black contrast roof.
Engine wise the 1.6 115 diesel is smooth and reasonably refined. Not has hushed as the 1.2 TSi in the Leon but not that far behind either. The extra engine weight does give a meatier and more solid feel to both the steering and the overall car. The torque can certainly give it a very good level of overtaking pace or quickly building up speed on a slip road. It is interesting to note that SEAT have put the residual value of the diesel models higher than the petrol. I suppose lower demand means less about and hence a residual increase as the 'devils fuel' monika slowly fades over the next few years with less of them about and higher Co2 from petrol engines becomes the next focus... Or better still all the brake and tyre dust which particulate matter wise is often higher than the particulate matter coming out of a derv or petrol engine!
Engine wise the 1.6 115 diesel is smooth and reasonably refined. Not has hushed as the 1.2 TSi in the Leon but not that far behind either. The extra engine weight does give a meatier and more solid feel to both the steering and the overall car. The torque can certainly give it a very good level of overtaking pace or quickly building up speed on a slip road. It is interesting to note that SEAT have put the residual value of the diesel models higher than the petrol. I suppose lower demand means less about and hence a residual increase as the 'devils fuel' monika slowly fades over the next few years with less of them about and higher Co2 from petrol engines becomes the next focus... Or better still all the brake and tyre dust which particulate matter wise is often higher than the particulate matter coming out of a derv or petrol engine!
