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SEAT Mii

The SEAT Mii is the third new city car based on the VW up! and is the brand's first entry into the small car market since the Arosa, so is it any good?

SEAT Mii front tracking

Text: Paul Bond / Photos: Pete Gibson

November 2011

  • Rating:
Completing the VW Group’s trio of compact new city cars is this, the SEAT Mii. Already on sale in Spain, the Mii will arrive in UK showrooms next year, aiming to take on its sister cars the Skoda Citigo and Volkswagen up!, but also more established rivals like the Fiat 500 and Toyota Aygo as well.

To help it standout from the crowd in this rapidly expanding market, the Mii gets SEAT’s own family design language, with a much narrower ‘arrowhead’ grille design and an oversized pair of headlights up front, bespoke bumpers and tweaked rear light clusters all lending it a unique personality.

In the metal it's surpsingly sporty, especially on the optional 15-inch alloys of the top-spec Sport, but the VW Group DNA is clear, and like the understated Skoda Citigo, the Mii uses larger, more rounded rear windows and a metal – rather than glass – tailgate to distinguish itself from the up!

Inside, the rock-solid build quality and reassuringly simple dash layout means drivers will quickly feel comfortable. The only annoyance is that the steering column doesn’t adjust for reach, but the rest of the cabin feels surprisingly airy from behind the wheel, a feeling that’s enhanced by how far back the windscreen is set. 

The large glass surfaces and tall seating position make for excellent all round visibility, and the two-tone plastics in our mid-range car ensure that it doesn’t feel too drab. SEAT is planning to offer a range of personalisation options that will include stickers, decals and unique colour options that will allow customers to put their own touches on the car. The brand is hoping that this, combined with the £300 portable sat-nav system, will give the Mii an edge over its competitors.

Thanks to its impressive 2.4m wheelbase, space in the back is surprisingly good too. Although taller passengers won’t want to spend too much time in the back, the Mii offers the kind of room that city car drivers a decade ago could only dream of. In fact, the Mii’s clever double-layered boot is nearly double the size of the old Arosa’s, at 251 litres, despite the two cars sharing similar exterior dimensions.

That said, the drivetrain has still been built with city streets and efficiency in mind. All versions use the same 1.0-litre, three-cylinder petrol engine. Our test car was fitted with the higher-powered 74bhp version, which covers the 0-62mph sprint in 13.2 seconds. That might sound slow, but around town the Mii rarely feels underpowered, and the engine’s lively off-beat warble as the revs rise gives it real character. The slick five-speed manual is a joy to use, although a five speed automatic will be introduced later

The steering, clutch and gear change are all incredibly light, so it’s a very easy car to drive, but direct enough to inspire confidence, and the tiny footprint makes it a doddle to park too. The softly sprung suspension means that the body rolls quite heavily into corners, but the trade off is a remarkably composed ride, with lumps and bumps in the road well isolated from the cabin.   

Despite its small size, the Mii isn't quite as efficient as you might expect, with the 74bhp version posting a combined figure of 60.1mpg. But a pair of efficient Ecomotive versions will arrive later next year, both of which will use stop-start systems and other fuel saving tech to bring carbon emissions down below the 100g/km threshold. We suspect that might be the model to go for but even in standard guise, the Mii is a highly talented city car - and at around £7,500, it's cheaper than the up! too.

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12 Comments

Arosa facelift?

Sure this is a great city car, but it looks remarkably similar to the mid nineties Arosa, with a shorter bonnet; design progression appears to be very slow here!

VW up! Would be my choice, although still looking forward to the new Panda first drive.

By JFalck on 23 November, 2011, 5:23pm

Dodgy interior

I'm surprised AE said the interior is rock solid. From the pics it just looks low rent and dated already. No way near the VW or Skoda, it will struggle here.

By asmithdesign on 24 November, 2011, 7:44am

Sorry guy's but the Mii looks no more like the old Arosa as the Up or citigo does and the Interior looks fresh and clean, this would be nice choice if I was to go for one of the 3.
Cheaper than the up and better looking than the citigo, I bet SEAT do very well with this.

By brucem on 24 November, 2011, 9:18am

Needs an innovative leasing package

No one will buy this if the story about VW's up! leasing incentive turns out to be true. Every young driver in the country will gravitate to the car that has insurance, road tax and servicing included in a leasing cost that is less than most pay for insurance.

By snappyuk on 24 November, 2011, 9:28am

Nice little car

I think it's cool. I would buy this over the Up...it's better looking.

By badboyrocco on 24 November, 2011, 12:25pm

Not as nice as the Kia Picanto

We recently purchased a Kia Picanto (2011 shape). The interior and exterior looks far superior for the Kia in my opinion. This car is unimaginitive and the interior looks very low rent and dated indeed.

By brooky_agb on 24 November, 2011, 4:08pm

Mii

All three VW-group cars seem good, and the styling is clean and simple. I do think they've missed a trick by not getting them under 100 g/Km, though. Like brooky_agb, I think my new 2011 Picanto 1.0 Air 3-door looks better. It also has a 7-year warranty, gets better fuel economy and free tax/ no London congestion charge, and that's without stop-start...

By ujoni08 on 24 November, 2011, 6:24pm

Arosa / Mii

I'll stick by my opinion of the 1997 Arosa, compare these two pics with the new Mii and there's really not a lot in, nearly 15 years separates these cars. Design-wise at least, it's not moved the game on a lot!

front three quarter view:
http://www.chcekupicauto.pl/seat-arosa-10-50km-1997-3790/foto1/

rear three quarter view:
http://www.carexpert.ru/models/foto/seatar/4.htm

By JFalck on 24 November, 2011, 9:38pm

Arosa's natural successor?

It's about time Seat, and indeed Skoda were given a small car to sell. When the Arosa appeared in 1997, I was just about to buy when the local dealership closed. In fact from then until the Arosa was withdrawn, it was pretty difficult to find a Seat dealer, although there are a lot more now. The Arosa and the VW Lupo were super city cars, but the decision to stop making them meant that the Aygo, C1 and 107, for example, were given a fairly clear field. The fact that VW didn't let Skoda or Seat make a version of the Fox is to their credit. Never was such a dull car conceived in recent years. Not even reasonable emission levels to make it a cheap car to run.

By n50pap on 27 November, 2011, 10:05am

Too simple

Why not dare to put something distinctive on it? This is a very basic design. I m sure it will be a very nice car but I don't anticipate to see it.

By PAAdam on 28 November, 2011, 5:38am

It looks like a great little car, and SEAT really do deserve a bigger percentage of the market, if only they didn't keep rebadging VW's and Audis (Exeo, Alhambra etc) and weren't so behind every other manufacturer.
At least Skoda are using VW chassis's but going back to the drawing board.
Still rather this than an overpriced VW or a rubbish korean car.

By balcstar on 29 November, 2011, 10:46am

It looks like a great little car, and SEAT really do deserve a bigger percentage of the market, if only they didn't keep rebadging VW's and Audis (Exeo, Alhambra etc) and weren't so behind every other manufacturer.
At least Skoda are using VW chassis's but going back to the drawing board.
Still rather this than an overpriced VW or a rubbish korean car.

By balcstar on 29 November, 2011, 10:50am

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Pictures

SEAT Mii front tracking
SEAT Mii rear tracking
SEAT Mii dash
SEAT Mii badge
SEAT Mii panning
SEAT Mii sat-nav
SEAT Mii front three-quarters
SEAT Mii driving
SEAT Mii rear seats
SEAT Mii boot

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FIRST OPINION

    The Mii is a likeable, useful little city car with a lot to offer young and older buyers alike. The keen styling, peppy engine and low price tag give it strong appeal, and it should definitely help SEAT attract new customers to the brand. The forthcoming five-door model will be a genuine alternative to conventional superminis too, but the Mii might struggle to differentiate itself from its sister cars, as the VW and Skoda could prove to be its fiercest competiton.

 

AT A GLANCE

    Price: £7,500 (est)
    Engine: 1.0-litre 3cyl petrol
    Power/torque: 74bhp/95Nm
    Transmission: Five-speed manual, front-wheel drive
    0-62/top spd: 13.2secs/106mph 
    Economy/CO2: 60.1mpg/108g/km
    Equipment: 14-inch alloy wheels, air-conditioning, MP3 CD player, multifunction steering wheel, electric windows, seven airbags, ESP, 60/40 spilt folding rear seats, 
    On sale: January
     
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