Seat Arosa Hatchback 1997 - 2004

As with most of the Seat range the Arosa represents great value for money, but unlike many this is achieved more through the price than the quality of the product.  Based on the VW Lupo it’s cheap little runaround that will give plenty of cost effective miles.  Firmly at home in town and not on the motorway the Arosa is modern and nicely finished, if a little small.

On the inside there is an almost funky feel to the car and while the legroom is small the headroom is open and spacious.  You can’t help feel that if the car was squashed so that it lost a little height but gained a little length it would be a bonus.  Lack of boot space means that is you want to take off for the weekend you’ll have to do it with the rear seats down or you’ll get no luggage in the boot.  Power steering is standard on all models as are split fold seats and a radio cassette.  Alloys, central locking and electric front windows are options.

The 1.0L engine is alright for town driving but soon exposed on the motorway.  The 1.4 petrol and diesel options are both more sensible offering better performance, the diesel certainly has more guile while still returning 45 mpg.  Better still on the economy front is the 1.7 SDi which weighs in with 64 mpg, although with a 0 – 60 sprint of 16.3 seconds you’d want some payback.

Good to drive with light, easy steering and bouncy suspension.  It can suffer with understeer and the ride does tend to be somewhat frantic when pushed.  The 1.4 Sport is that in name only.

If you’re looking for a cheap runaround the Arosa could be the model for you.  It’s a lightweight package that’s cheap to run but if you want any fun you may be disappointed.  Good value on the used market but insist on FSH.

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