Seat‘s version of the Volkswagen Up marks a halfway house between its parent company’s slightly more upmarket offering and the Budget Skoda Citigo.
The Spanish firm has added its own styling stamp, but for all intents and purposes the Mii is exactly the same beneath the skin as the Up and the Citigo. The 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol engine remains and is available with 60hp or 75hp. It’s tested here with the latter in mid-spec Sport guise.
Driving enthusiasts will take to the car because of its peppy engine, which is full of character. It’s far from brimming with power, but it’s appealing for that reason as it requires a bit of a thrash and is all the more fun for it. Motorways aren’t its natural domain but it manages nonetheless.
The interior is very much a case of back to basics as the dash is simple and sparse in its presentation. Despite its miniature footprint there’s a surprising amount of room and at 238 litres, the boot is also generous given the car’s size, although the Up and the Citigo claim a slightly larger 251 litres. Our only other complaint is the parcel shelf, which isn’t connected to the tailgate, so it needs to be manually raised and lowered.
A car of these proportions and with such a modest petrol engine is unlikely to become a key fleet player. There is, however, scope for the Mii to perform well with lower-mileage drivers, plus such as those in the NHS and other public sector segments and on salary sacrifice schemes.
The Seat’s problem is its middle-of-the-road position. The VW has a slightly higher starting P11D (£7940 next to the Seat’s £7790) but it also has the cachet of the badge and a more upmarket interior, while the Skoda is the cheapest at £7575 and the equivalent 75hp model ducks under 100g/km. As affordable as it is, and despite being a well-rounded a small car proposition, the Mii is outdone in the appeal and price stakes by the Up and the Citigo respectively.
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