So the hire car at Alicante was a Seat Arona (VW T-Cross) in Black with bright white roof and Door mirrors, which visually takes a bit of getting used to! Its all sharp folds and creases.
It was a
1.0 TSI 81 KW (110 CV) DSG 7-speed X-Perience XM Edition
Front and rear parking sensor with parking assistant + Rear view camera + Wireless charger + Full LED headlights + Adaptive cruise control + Low/high beam assistant + Darkened rear windows + Illuminated air vents
As you can see. Loaded to the gunwhales with tech, some of which worked, some some of the time, and some rarely. It had full wireless Android Auto which was a: a blessing and b: a pain as it takes over your phone, Amazing how you can access all the previous renters phone books as well, none of them secured or wiped it. Took a while to find the settings to change from Spanish to English (fortunately caught a glimpse of the cog wheel icon on one screen).
Typical Seat interior, the plastics have moved on a bit to, rather than being hard and scratchy, they are now soft and bendy. Space inside very good indeed, showing how small cars (this is a polo platform) have become mid range size. Great visibility front and rear and perfect door mirrors.
Ride was compliant and quiet - very good over potholes, but ultimately under damped - at speed -120kmh- on the AP it was up and down floaty fairground Big Dipper over the undulations .
Now the gotcha.
The drive train. Trully Trully dreadful. The 3 pot power plant is rough, noisy, gutless and all round garbage. (makes the ford eco boost seem RR turbine smooth) Add to this a DSG box set to exploit the very worse characteristics of the engine (anywhere below 2.5k revs) and its headshakingly nasty and unpleasant to drive. No flappy paddallos means the box gets slapped into sport mode (ignoring the flashing message imploring you to use eco mode) as it was the only way to drive it. Even in sport the engine dips into a large noisy vibratory flat spot on pulling away. Roundabouts* you sit at in Neutral, revs at 3k, and jam the box into drive to get into the gap with tyres squealing and scrabbling.
Pity, could be a good all round car.
*Spanish roundabouts. The Spanish used to be good at them, highly aggressive but logical predictable and forgiving. Not now, timid on entry, Inside track to take first exit, or outside track to take 4th exit now commonplace. you need eyes everywhere.
The flight easyJet out of Gatwick. Wow what a dream, automated bag drop works well, security fast and efficient, no queues, Flight on time departure, early arrival.
Return? just as quick, not even queues at passport control.
The bad news is we returned with a very very VERY nasty dose of Covid (our first) So nasty that Mrs Z's sats dropped alarmingly at one point and she passed out on me. Improving now, Suspect I will be clear by tomorrow.. (so thats 10 days)
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Seat Arona new
Seat Arona new
