[dcweather]

My last three cars have come from the VW group. They were:-
1. Skoda Octavia diesel - then noisy engine at low speeds, lots of road noise. Otherwise great.
2. Seat Leon 1.2 TSi, SE, DSG. Excellent looking, quiet, comfortable
3. Audi A3 Sportback 1.0 TSi, DSG, Only changed from Seat because better deal. Comfortable, quality interior but suspension bit hard and bumpy. Fantastic engine.

So I fancied a change after two years to something more SUV like to give me a higher view and easier access. I like the looks of the Arona and of course can get the same gearbox engine combo. However, reading on here I am very put off, although I realise forums usually polarise to the in love with and the fed up with!.
So can anyone give a review of their experience of the car especially from my following priorities and specifying which model they have?

1. Soft or at least comfortable ride
2. Unobtrusive road noise
3. Thigh support on seats (have long legs)
4. Current delivery times (seems to have been a big issue)
5. What you really get Lux wise - i.e folding door mirrors, seat and dash, which seem to be contentious
6. Is it possible to downgrade the Lux to 17" wheels to improve the ride if required?

Thanks for your help.

 

[Stringaa]

Hi,

I've had the Xcellence Lux DSG since May, some of the spec has changed since then!

Ride I find to be comfortable, sits between soft and firm I'd say.

I've read reviews that say wind noise can be rather loud at high speed but can't say I ever particularly notice it, I always have music / radio on anyway.

I find the seats very comfortable and they provide a lot of support. I'm 6 ft on the dot.

Current delivery times I'm not sure on... It was atrocious when I ordered mine though, took nearly 5 months after initially being told 10-12 weeks!

Spec wise I have Alcantara seats, leather dash and wing mirrors are electrically folding and heated. However I know people have had different experiences re this recently! You also get a digital dash now which I don't have in mine.

Wheel wise I think you're stuck with 18's, no option to change those on Xecellence Lux.

Overall I love the car and would recommend, especially at higher spec models where I think you get a lot of car for your money personally.

 

[Snowdaddy]

The lead times have come down considerably, to about 12 weeks

However this 12 weeks is from when factory accept the order, and this can vary from a day to 2-3 months.
Each dealer has a quota of each model, and when they have sold their quota, have to wait to next month (this is to stop dealers hoarding the order book). Unlikely to tell you if they have quota unless you specifically ask

I find the car very comfortable, mine has alcantara / leather, but as post above says, spec has varied.

 

[mickyg2004]

1. Soft or at least comfortable ride

Very comfortable. In between soft and firm is say Also.

2. Unobtrusive road noise.

Little bit of wind noise. Nothing outnof the ordinary I guess.

3. Thigh support on seats (have long legs)

Seem good.

4. Current delivery times (seems to have been a big issue)

Ordered mine in September. Took delivery 18th December. (12 weeks)

I don't have the lux so can't answer 5 or 6. I do have 17" wheels, I think they're perfect for this.

 

[DutchCourage]

1. Comfortable ride, but will 'jump' over narrow bumps at low speeds
2. Road noise is pretty decent (I have the diesel), not as quiet as more premium car (BMW)
3. I'm about 6 foot (181 cm) and find the support good
4. No idea
5. Seat had some issues with some of the specs, mainly the folding mirrors. I have the Tech Lux and it was as ordered, no idea on FR
6. No idea, dealer should know

 

[theforestdweller]

4. Ordered 22/11/2018. Advised on 5/12/2018 a provisional build date of Week 2 2019. Have today 3/1/2019 a confirmed build date of Week 3. Delivery to UK is usually within one month of build I understand, so should be OK for new March registration (and before the chaos of Brexit hits us :roll: ).

 

[Marc]

The Arona is my wife's car, I have a Leon se tech estate, we ordered it mid June 2018 and picked it up mid November 2018 so 5 months wait. The cons I've listed below are best described as penny pinching by SEAT.

SEAT Arona Excellence Lux 1600 tdi 6 speed manual Nevada White with Black roof.

It's a bit hit and miss what you are going to get spec wise with SEAT, at the time of ordering it was Alcantara seats but was told by dealer they were not available but it was Titan cloth heated seats and Beats Audio system instead, which we accepted. At time of build the spec was micro suede seats not heated, digital cockpit and no beats audio. What we actually got was Titan cloth heated seats, beats audio, digital cockpit and white dash so pleased with that anyway. The spec has always included folding mirrors, but it appears that some cars do not have them fitted, when I asked the dealer a couple of days before collection if ours had the folding mirrors he told me yes but another car delivered the same day with the same spec but a different colour had not.

Pros.
Adaptive Cruise Control.
Blind Spot Assist.
Digital Cockpit, I really like this.
Comfortable easy to drive car.
Good infotainment system.

Cons. (Bearing in mind this is a top of the range car).
No light in the glove box.
No lights in the vanity mirrors.
No courtesy light for the rear passengers. (You would have thought they should have given us a free torch).
The head and tail lights are LED, however the front fog lights are halogen, this gives a yellow glow mixed in with the white LED headlights and is best described as odd, It's the same on my Leon
No rear arm rest.
Front arm rest not height adjustable and is too low, I'm 6ft 1 inch so may be okay for others. (Front arm rest in the Leon is height adjustable on a ratchet).
No grab handles inside the car above the doors.
No driver or passenger lumber support, I do find the seats comfortable though.
No electric handbrake.

Hope this helps with you decision.

 

[dcweather]

Thank you for the comments all of which are helpful and I would say generally positive for what I have in mind.

 

[dcweather]

The Arona is my wife's car, I have a Leon se tech estate, we ordered it mid June 2018 and picked it up mid November 2018 so 5 months wait. The cons I've listed below are best described as penny pinching by SEAT.

SEAT Arona Excellence Lux 1600 tdi 6 speed manual Nevada White with Black roof.

I

Thanks Marc. I had a Seat Leon before my current Audi A3 Sportback and to be honest I think the Leon had the edge. Just wondered how road (tyre) noise compared when cruising between the Arona and the Leon?
Dave

 

[Marc]

The Arona is my wife's car, I have a Leon se tech estate, we ordered it mid June 2018 and picked it up mid November 2018 so 5 months wait. The cons I've listed below are best described as penny pinching by SEAT.

SEAT Arona Excellence Lux 1600 tdi 6 speed manual Nevada White with Black roof.

I

Thanks Marc. I had a Seat Leon before my current Audi A3 Sportback and to be honest I think the Leon had the edge. Just wondered how road (tyre) noise compared when cruising between the Arona and the Leon?
Dave

I don't think there is much in it to the point that I could not pick the quieter. Both cars have the same 1600 diesel engine and 6 speed manual gearbox. Others have mentioned wind noise around the mirrors but I haven't noticed it, my wife had a SEAT Ibiza before the Arona, it was the model before the current one, 1200 petrol 5 speed manual gearbox and that was noticeably noisier.

I really like the Arona and prefer to drive it than the Leon and I'm pleased with the Leon. I think the Arona is more comfortable but bear in mind the Arona is top of the range and the Leon is middle of the range. Also being tall and having a dodgy knee the Arona is easier to get in and out of. It might be an idea to see if you can get an Arona out on a test drive before committing yourself.

 

[Snowdaddy]

Tyre - Road noise is very subjective, and different people are more sensitive to different frequencies

I would say the Arona is fairly quiet, some roads cannot be heard at all, however there are some very corse sections where can get quite a rumble. The worst I have encountered are the bare concrete sections of M3 (J 8-9) and M25 (J 8-9) which rumble

The noise is slightly poorer when cold as the factory fit summer tyres become hard when cold. But longer term I will change them to all seasons, and will pick quieter tyres.

I would say the car is quiet, I have never noticed any wind noise from mirrors either.

 

[dcweather]

Thanks Marc. I forgot to ask about the getting in and out but that is one of the main reasons for getting an SUV! if you want help on knees I'm your man. After 40 years of problems I've had two complete replacements in the last two years - big improvement
Dave

 

[edtrotter]

Hi all, we are looking at getting an Arona but have a slightly strange requirement...

We have recently bought an AxKid Rearfacing carseat which fits by looping a 'tether strap' underneath the driver/passenger seat rail in front like so:

. Unsurprisingly, the review videos and pictures don't tend to show the underside of the drivers seat! Is anyone able to help?

 

[MotorMan]

The video appears to show alternative fixing methods. The Arona's front seat rails are bolted flat to the floor so it is not possible to pass a strap underneath and around the seat runner. The front seat has 4 support legs which run in the rails but these supports are rather sharp, square-edged steel. I wouldn't have thought it very wise to place straps around these supports as the sharp edges could potentially fray the webbing. If it's a popular child's seat hopefully someone on here will have more info to help you. If in doubt get a garage to advise you as you can't take chances with safety gear.

 

[Janwal]

Why not pop into a dealers. Take the seat with you and ask them to let you see if it fits. If a sale depends on it I'm sure they would oblige.