SEAT Mii

You’ve probably already had this drilled into you buy a long line of dealers, websites and Youtube videos, but we’ll repeat it once more for those of you who weren’t paying attention. The SEAT Mii, Volkswagen Up! And Skoda Citigo are the same car - the only differences being minor exterior and interior detailing. They’re mechanically identical.

With VW’s almighty product development team behind it then, the Mii was destined to be pretty good. It is, too. Reviews are largely positive, with only a few minor problems...

Interior

You guessed it, the Mii’s dash’ is broadly the same as the VW Up!’s and Skoda Citigo’s. As such, it’s very easy to use and feels surprisingly solid for such a tiny, cheap car. There’s a healthy compliment of storage cubbies in the passenger cabin, and the boot is a healthy 250 litres.

Getting heavier items over the high lip could prove tricky though. Smaller cars tend to make the tallest of drivers look like clowns, with their knees around their ears. Not so with the Mii - the driving position is comfortable and boasts a good range of adjustment.

Driving

The Mii is at least as entertaining to drive as its Volkswagen Group siblings. The steering is light enough around town, but sharp and responsive enough when the roads get twisty. The ride is surprisingly smooth for something with such a short wheelbase (listen up Smart…) and body roll is well contained. The five-speed manual ‘box is quick and precise, which is handy as it’s the only choice until they release an auto’.

The story’s less rosy on the motorway, where driving the lesser-powered Mii is a chore. Being so small, there’s little room for sound deadening, so wind and road noise is very intrusive.

Engines

Two engines are available. Okay, two variant of the same engine are available - both 1.0-litres - one with 59bhp and the other with 74.

Of the reviews available for the 59bhp, the majority are wholly complimentary. It’s allegedly very smooth, and possesses adequate torque (70lb ft) for nipping around town. If you do a lot of motorway driving, or live in the country and frequent hilly, fast B-roads, you’ll need the 74bhp version though. It’s essentially the same as the 59bhp, and shares its attributes, but trims a second from the 0-60mph time (14.4 vs 13.2).

Running costs are kept to a minimum thanks to a claimed 62mpg for the 59bhp, and 60 for the 74. Road tax will only be £20/year too, as the Miis emit just 106g/km and 108g/km respectively of CO2.

Value for money

The Mii won’t hold its value as well as its German cousin, largely thanks to the VW badge on the up. The Citigo is cheaper too, if you can live with the Skoda badge.

Equipment levels are decent on all but the base model. The innovative SEAT Portable Navigation system comes in at less than £300.

Worth noting

Small but mighty - the Mii was awarded a five-star safety rating buy Euro NCAP. All models have four airbags and ABS is a standard fitting. All but the base model come with stability control as standard.

Conclusion

The Mii is a competent little car, although alongside the more premium Up! And cheaper Citigo, the only reason to go for the Mii is its looks.