SEAT Mii FR Line 2016 review
The SEAT Mii FR Line gets sporty look and adds plenty of kit, but is it worth the extra money?
The SEAT Mii has always been good fun to drive, relatively practical and cheap to run, too. This FR Line version doesn’t change any of that, but adds a dash of sporty character to the formula, too. You get a load of equipment for the money, and matches up well with Skoda’s similarly-specced Citigo Monte Carlo. If you’re looking for a smart-looking city car with bags of personality, this could well be it.
The SEAT Mii has been one of our favourite city cars ever since it launched, and now the brand has added this new FR Line model to the line-up.
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It gets a sporty new look, featuring 16-inch alloys, special decals on the sills, FR badges and grey door mirrors. The interior gets an upgrade too, with a red and black glossy finish on the dash, sportier-looking seats and red stitching on the steering wheel.
It does a good job of sprucing up the Mii, which was always the more awkward-looking of its three VW Group siblings. The wheels look good with the black decals along the sides of the car, the new seats are comfortable and the black dash looks slick.
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Cash £18,299There’s plenty of standard equipment, with fog lights, sat-nav, an SD card slot and air-conditioning. The lack of a USB port is a shame on a car like this, especially as there’s Bluetooth connectivity for easy music streaming. Charging your phone will require an adapter for the 12V port.
The only other change for this FR Line model is a slightly stiffer suspension set-up. That means there’s a bit less body roll when cornering, but the trade off is a less comfortable ride on poorly-surfaced roads.
In truth the changes are very minor, and most buyers won’t notice the difference. The standard Mii is already good to drive, and a firmer ride hasn’t changed much. The car’s light weight means it’s great fun to throw into corners.
The slick gear shift, well-weighted steering and characterful three-cylinder engine all add to the deriving experience too. This higher-powered 74bhp model doesn’t feel too much quicker than the entry-level model, so you won’t feel short-changed going for the 59bhp version instead. That said, the £165 premium for the extra horsepower isn’t going to break the bank.
You’ll get a few more miles out of a tank of fuel with the 59bhp car, which returns 62.8mpg compared 61.4mpg in our test car. For many, it’ll be the potential for cheaper insurance that will draw them to the 59bhp car, though.
The Mii FR Line is as practical as ever, with the boxy shape meaning there’s a lot of room inside considering the exterior dimensions. The boot is a decent size at 251 litres, and the rear seats fold down to create a total of 951 litres if you need to get bigger items like suitcases on board.
You get a little bit more kit than in a Skoda Citigo Monte Carlo, but it does cost a bit more to buy. Both cars offer great value for money though, feeling much more grown up than rivals of around the same price. And that’s both in terms of driving experience and interior quality.
