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Car #1
Make
Model
Variant
Engine
Car #2
Make
Model
Variant
Engine

compare selected cars
1998. - 2005.
A - Micro car
hatchback, 3 door
front
Badges
Production
Vehicle class
Body style
Wheel drive
Safety
1997. - 2001.
A - Micro car
hatchback, 3 door
front

Marketing

Dimensons & Outlines

3527 mm
1639 mm
1460 mm
130 liters
830 liters
34 liters
Length
Width
Height
Boot (min)
Boot (max)
Fuel tank
3537 mm
1639 mm
1460 mm
131 liters
790 liters
35 liters
1998 Volkswagen Lupo
1997 Seat Arosa

Engine

Volkswagen
1.7 SDI AHB
Diesel
4 - Inline, 2 valves per cylinder
Nat. Asp.
1716 cc
60 hp
115 Nm
Engine
Fuel
Configuration
Aspiration
Displacement
Power
Torque
Volkswagen
1.7 SDI AHB
Diesel
4 - Inline, 2 valves per cylinder
Nat. Asp.
1716 cc
60 hp
115 Nm

Performance (manual gearbox)

manual gearbox - 5 gears
943 kg
16.8 s
157 km/h
5.9 l/100km
3.6 l/100km
4.4 l/100km
119 g/km
Gearbox type
Vehicle weight
Acc. 0-100
Top speed
Cons. (urban)
Cons. (highway)
Cons. (average)
CO2 emissions
manual gearbox - 5 gears
935 kg
16.8 s
157 km/h
5.9 l/100km
3.6 l/100km
4.4 l/100km
118 g/km

Performance (automatic gearbox)

automatic - 5 gears
803 kg
14.5 s
165 km/h
3.6 l/100km
2.7 l/100km
3.0 l/100km
81 g/km
Gearbox type
Vehicle weight
Acc. 0-100
Top speed
Cons. (urban)
Cons. (highway)
Cons. (average)
CO2 emissions
 
kg
s
km/h
l/100km
l/100km
l/100km
g/km

Expenses

1000 EUR
Price from
950 EUR

Virtual Adviser's™ opinion

Overview

Well, these are two pretty similar cars we have here! It's only details that could potentially make the difference. Not only that they both belong to the micro car segment and utilize the same 3-door hatchback body style, they are even powered by the same Volkswagen-developed diesel engine! There is not much there to point us towards one vehicle or the other. Or is it?

Safety

The fact that the Volkswagen got tested by the European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP), while the other contender didn't, offers a slight advantage, as the 4-star rating is better than none. That aside, let's consider some other aspects which affect safety. Both vehicles belong to the micro car segment, which is generally a misfortune safety-wise, but that fact doesn't break the tie between the two cars. Furthermore, taking kerb weight as an important factor into account, the German car offers a marginal difference of 1% more metal.

Reliability

Manufacturers have been building their reliability reputation for decades now and, generally speaking, it appears that both brands display similar results in faults and breakdowns, when all the models are taken into account. That's the official data, while our visitors describe reliability of Volkswagen with an average rating of 4.2, and models under the Seat badge with 4.4 out of 5. The same official information place Lupo as average reliability-wise, and Arosa is more or less at the same level.That apart, owners of different cars powered by the same engine as these two vehicles rank it on average as 3.0 out of 5.

Performance & Fuel economy

Both of the cars accelerate exactly the same, so we couldn't put one above the other. Car No. 1 reaches top speed of 157 kilometers per hour, exactly the same as the other car does. When it comes to fuel economy things look pretty much the same for both cars, averaging around 4.4 liters of fuel per 100 kilometers (64 mpg), in combined cycle.


Verdict

Seat appears just a bit more reliable, although the difference is truly marginal. The most important thing when deciding between any two vehicles should always be safety, both passive and active. In my opinion, everything taken into account, the German car beats the other contender by far, making it the best choice without even considering other things. When it comes to performance, both vehicles provide similar experience, so I wouldn't point any of them out. Fuel consumption is more or less the same. All together, there's not much more to say, in this case I wouldn't even consider anything but Volkswagen. Anyway, that's the most objective conclusion I could've came up with and it's based solely on the information found on this website. Aspects such as design, practicality, brand value and driving experience are there for you to measure them out. In case you have two minutes to spare I invite you to define your needs, desires and budget and see which car would be chosen by the virtual adviser, among more than 12.000 different ones in our database.

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