SEAT Altea Range Car Review

Facts At A Glance
Car: SEAT Altea range
Prices: £14,260-£19,030 - on the road INSURANCE GROUPS: 5-13
Emissions: 142-173g/km
Performance: [1.6] 0-60mph 12.5s/ Max Speed 113mph
Fuel Consumption: [1.6] (urban) 26.9mpg / (extra urban) 46.3mpg / (combined) 36.7mpg
Safety: Twin front side and head airbags, ABS, ISOFIX, traction control, ESP.
Dimensions: [standard model] Length/Width/Height, 4280/1770/1570mm

A WELCOME ALTERNATIVE

Our Rating: 7.4 / 10

Most MPV style vehicles go large on practicality but offer meagre measures of style and sportiness. SEAT’s Altea takes a different tack. By Andy Enright.

Product development offers a fascinating insight into the psychology of buying decisions. When Japanese manufacturers started making hi-fi equipment, everything was finished in either black or brushed aluminium in a bid to appear credible. Only with said credibility achieved could they begin to offer audio equipment in pastel shades with funky shapes and so on. A similar thing happened in the MPV market. At first, MPVs could only concentrate on safety and practicality. These days, cars like SEAT’s Altea show how those shackles have been cast aside.

Customers these days take the practicality and safety angles for granted and demand more. Much more. Suddenly style and fun become key concepts for MPV drivers in an evolving market. Whereas an MPV-style car was once a grudge purchase for the cash-strapped, nowadays there are some very desirable offerings. Honda were probably the first to exploit this with the Stream, a seven seater that was a genuinely fun pedal. Fiat launched the quirky Multipla, Vauxhall launched a turbocharged version of their Zafira and Ford developed the Focus C-MAX, a car that tackled corners with relish. Now SEAT is in on the act and the Altea is unlike any MPV you’ve ever seen. In fact, the Spaniards shy away from the MPV tag, preferring the rather inelegant MSV (Multi Sports Vehicle).

The Altea unashamedly offers five spacious seats rather than seven cramped ones but weighs in with some innovative thinking. The side profile has the same 33:66 glass to metal ratio that features on so many sports cars and gives the Altea a far higher waisted and more dynamic look than, say, a Volkswagen Touran. Inside, there are more than thirty places to stow and stash goodies, including a super-sized glove compartment, big storage bins on all four doors, drawers under the front seat and even a storage area under the boot floor. Even the parcel shelf has a storage cubby incorporated within. The trim and build quality has been improved on the current cars and now does a better job of reflecting the exciting looks of the outside. The latest models can be spotted by their sleeker headlights and reshaped grille with a smaller SEAT badge at its centre. The Altea’s greatest party trick is definitely the windscreen wipers - spot them if you can. Clue: they’re hidden in the A-pillars.

The two-tiered boot has a capacity of over 400 litres in the standard model, which rises to 532 litres in the stretched XL bodyshape. In this variant, you can extend that to 635 litres without folding the rear seats if you slide them forward – or you can fold the rear bench and access 1,604 litres. Park up in Kensington and you could rent it out as a studio flat. Whichever bodystyle you go for, the rear bench is a 60/40 split affair with a fold down armrest incorporating cupholders.

Six engines are available in the Altea; three petrol and three diesel. The petrol engines comprise an 84bhp 1.4-litre, a 101bhp 1.6-litre and a peppier 1.4-litre TSI turbocharged option with 123bhp. Diesel buyers choose between the 1.9-litre powerplant in 89bhp or 103bhp forms, the 138bhp 2.0-litre diesel unit and a 168bhp 2.0-litre TDI which uses common-rail fuel injection technology. The DSG twin-clutch gearbox is available as an option on selected models and includes steering wheel paddle shifters, to add th