Seat Mii
By Tim Saunders
Aren’t computer games a great escape from reality?
Up to the age of 16 I used to enjoy playing them but there’s thankfully no time for that anymore with my demanding wife and daughter.
As I sit inside the Seat Mii I find my mind wandering back to that distant past where I was the unbeatable Formula One champion of the world and I don’t mind admitting it, a dab hand at any rally circuit, too. For the Mii name reminds me of the Nintendo Wii video game console.
Perhaps the Seat marketing team felt that Wii gamers consist of the cool and hip 18 to 35 category that they want to appeal to. The sort of guys and gals who like to drive a bright red little city car and thereby stand out from the bland and characterless crowd. The type of people who consider the Mii to be a reflection of their gregarious selves.
Ironically I have just driven the highly economical Skoda Citigo, which looks pretty much identical and scores highly with me. Aren’t they the same car? Isn’t history going to repeat itself? Will I not simply find myself re-writing the same article?
The diminutive Seat might share the same wheelbase as the Skoda Citigo and VW up! but there is more to it than just being a rebranded VW. Firstly, it incorporates Spanish flair and styling with German engineering, the press office is keen to point out. But where Skoda and VW target a more middle aged motorist, the Seat is the young person’s choice. The five-door model tested has a much smoother and decisive five-speed manual gearbox and there’s a sizeable electric sliding glass sunroof, which was missing in the Skoda. Its two-tone grey and black interior is far more appealing than the black in the Skoda but it lacks the heated front seats. The two share the same Navigon touch screen that is not only a sat nav but a useful trip computer that provides an up-to-date mpg and distance to refill reading. The Mii also has cruise control as you can see in the video at testdrives.biz. A criticism though is that when the temperature plummets to 1.5 Celsius during the test the side windows mist up despite the blowers being on full and pumping out warm air.
Parkers, the car experts, say: “Not since the days of the Arosa has Seat been involved in the competitive city car market, but it should be a big name again in the sector with the Mii. It offers good levels of refinement, is perfect for driving in tight town situations and has a high quality interior.”
In the same way that the Skoda Citigo makes a good long distance companion, so too does the one-litre Seat Mii. These really are versatile little numbers and excellent small cars. The Seat Mii is the funkier version and should appeal to a younger market. The five-door model is best for practicality.
New price range: £7,925 - £10,890
2012 onwards
Economy: upto 80mpg
0-60mph: 13.9secs
Top speed: 99mph
Power: 59bhp
