Car test

April 1999

See also R9824

R9920A

Seat Arosa
Featuring 1.0 MPi

SCORECARD
Overtaking / pulling power Fuel economy Handling / steering Comfort / ease of control Interior space / practicality Accident / injury avoidance Costs in service Depreciation prospects

HE AROSA, SPAINS LITTLE SUB-FIESTA city car, impressed us in 1.4-litre guise when we tested both the manual and automatic models last year (see R9824). This time we look at the one-litre version, also available as a Seat in Wolfsburg clothing the VW Lupo. We say that its Spanish, but in fact the Arosa is more pumpernickel than paella, because its based on the Polo and is actually built in the same VW factory in Germany. You wouldnt expect dynamic performance from cars qualifying for the reduced road fund duty, and you dont get it with the Arosa. It is, however, the nippiest car through the gears in the under-one-litre class (except for the enthusiastic Yaris) and short, close-ratio gears keep it peppy in town. The downside is that the low gearing makes the engine busy at motorway speeds and it does no favours to the fuel consumption, which is the highest of all the little uns. It takes a poorly surfaced road to fluster the otherwise compliant suspension, but the Arosa rolls noticeably when cornering briskly, so dont expect sporty responses
Engine Revs at 30-70mph cap/power 70mph through (cyl/cc/bhp) (rpm) gears (sec)

on the open road. This is, after all, town transport, and has wheel-twirlingly light steering, nip and tuck handling and excellent all-round vision to prove the point. The driving position is commendable, as well enhanced in our test cars case by an optional Comfort Pack, which includes seat-height adjustment to go with the height-adjustable wheel. Small may be beautiful for parking, but rear passengers feel the pinch at knee level. Getting in and out isnt too bad, though (big doors), and the seat itself is reasonably comfortable. Travel light if possible, because the boot is tiny. Sensibly, though, the 50/50 split back seats fold to provide additional luggage space. The Arosa is stylistically unadventurous and offers nothing special in terms of fuel economy and relaxed out-of-town cruising. To its credit, however, its refined little one-litre engine gives nippy performance to match the nimble handling, and the car feels mature and soundly built.

HOW THE AROSA COMPARES

SEAT AROSA 1.0MPi Daewoo Matiz Ford Ka Hyundai Atoz Toyota Yaris Vauxhall Corsa 1.0 12v

30-70mph Fuel Brakes Maximum Typical leg/ Steering in 5th/4th economy best stop legroom - kneeroom - turns/ (p) gears (sec) (mpg) (m/kg) front (cm) rear (cm) circle (m)

Overall length (cm)

4/999/50 3/796/50 4/1229/60 4/999/55 4/998/68 3//973/55

4100 4300 3490 4000 3850 3820

18.5 21.8 17.3 18.9 14.8 19.4

29.6/22.3 45.0/29.0 31.0/21.4 33.9/25.4 32.5/23.3 38.5/26.6

43 44 42 44 47 50

30/16 25/27 28/22 28/18 26/12 27/16

105 105 105 99 105 104

93/62 101/66 92/67 101/62 102/70 99/67

2.9/10.0 (p) 354 3.2/9.3 (p) 3.0/9.6 (p) 4.1/9.8 350 350 373 2.8/10.1 (p) 362 3.3/10.1 (p) 362 (p) power assisted

PERFORMANCE Acceleration time in seconds

mph THROUGH THE GEARS IN 5TH GEAR IN 4TH GEAR 30
2.8
Pedal feel

BRAKES
Behaviour in an emergency Handbrake

40

50
6.5

60
11.4

70
18.5

Dry road stopping distance from 50mph (no ABS) (A good-to-average best stop is about 28m at 20-30kg pedal load)
10kg
_________________

46m

Pedal load

14kg 16kg 17kg

_________________

_________________

35m

6.7

13.4

20.5

29.6

30m (.84g best stop - front wheels just locking) 31m (front wheels locked)

_________________

5.0

9.8

15.4

22.3
Distance

10m

20m

30m

40m

50m

60m

20 mph 5TH/4TH SPEED RANGES

30
13.6/10.

40

50
13.8/10. 13.4/9.8

60

70

Fade test: pedal load required for a moderate (34m/.75g) stop: 14kg at start of test, 19kg at end of test (Ideal brakes show no change)

MEASUREMENTS
16.2/12. Centimetres Three-door hatchback

Maximum speeds
REVS PER MINUTE 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th

1
24 5500 5570 40

3
58

5
95
79-105 46
(inner sill)

( no sunroof )

95-102

5500*

92 62 53 45 86 68

19

* for best acceleration

Gearing gives 17.1mph per 1000rpm in top gear = 4100rpm at 70mph

76

mph

146

93
T

13

36 354

(outer sill)

FUEL CONSUMPTION
Fuel grade: unleaded Premium, 95 octane petrol Type of use - air conditioning not fitted* In the city - heavy traffic In the country - quiet driving Typical mpg overall Realistic tank range miles 28 litres/265 mpg 28 55 43
189*

T: typical back seat space behind medium-sized front occupants

128 164 149 126

95 95-108 28-47

*with air conditioning switched on, consumption will increase by 24% in winter and 48% in summer

* 170 with mirrors folded

The Automobile Association 1999