SEAT ALHAMBRA RANGE
SEATs Latest Alhambra Continues To Offer Much For The Money For Large MPV Buyers. Jonathan Crouch Checks It Out
If you were to take the packaging of a
Ford Galaxy and the design quality of a VW Sharan, you'd have quite an MPV People Carrier, particularly if you could sell it with more equipment for less money. Such has always been the appeal of
SEAT's Alhambra.
You don't have to look at one for very long to realise that badgework and cosmetics apart, it's identical in design to Ford and VWs two market leaders, produced by the same jointly-owned company, rolling down the same Portugese production lines. And since Ford and VW stumped up the money to create what is dynamically, the finest car in its sector, it's SEAT's good fortune (as part of the VW Group) to have inherited a class-leader. The current second generation model holds much the same appeal as the old - though arguably, has more of its own personality, thanks to the adoption of SEAT's trademark 'nostril' front grille. This doesnt do much for the Alhambras looks but at least it gives the car a bit of extra family identity. Black framing around the clear-lensed front headlamps (intended in the same way to create a family likeness to the Leon and Toledo models) is the only other cosmetic difference over the Spanish car's VW and Ford counterparts. More significant however, is the fact that for the first time, SEAT have been allowed to offer this design in almost all its forms. Previously, V6 power was unavailable to Alhambra customers. No longer.
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The car these days has the latest uprated 2.8-litre V6 from its German parent, developing some 204bhp - the most powerful variant the brand has yet launched.
"Based on the best but better value"
Other firsts include the adoption of 5-speed Tiptronic automatic transmission that enables you to flick up and down the gearbox manually should you so wish. And VW's excellent 115bhp TDI turbodiesel engine, a unit with so much mid-range urge that it puts the V6 to shame, yet at the same time using around 40% less fuel. Other powerplants are much as before: which means the 115bhp 2.0-litre petrol engine and the punchy 130bhp TDI diesel. All manual models have a slick six-speed gearbox. Inside, the rather plasticky feel of the original model has been replaced by a more up-market atmosphere, with better quality plastics, a new steering wheel and nicer switchgear that leaves room for the obligatory optional satellite navigation system.
More practical improvements include retractable cupholders, extra map pockets in the doors and a pair of useful lidded cubbyholes on top of the dash. This plusher atmosphere is important, for cheap and cheerful MPV customers are increasingly opting for
mini-MPVs like
Renault's Scenic. Large models like the Alhambra must increasingly compete with executive cars. Just as well then, that it's decently equipped, across trim levels that range between Reference, SX, Stylance and Sport over a price range that runs between £16,177 to £22,977. All models get air conditioning, a CD-based stereo, ABS, twin front airbags, remote control central locking and electric front windows. Plusher versions get side airbags, combination leather/alcantara upholstery and electronic climate control that you can operate front and rear. There are also options like ESP (an Electronic Stability Programme that will automatically apply the brakes and reduce the throttle to get you out of trouble if you enter a corner too fast) or, more practically, a fridge.
The SX trim level offers six seats and a fridge replacing the seventh seats. Available solely with the 130bhp TDI diesel engine and featuring climate control, cruise control, folding tables and integrated child seats over the Reference trim, it retails for a competitive £19,227. On the road, you have a car that not only costs around the same as a mid-range family estate but also measures in at about the same length, taking up no more space on the tarmac. Behind the wheel, it's exactly like a medium range estate - only better, thanks to that high-seated driving position and the glassy cabin. The biggest surprises, however, are reserved for the handling. This MPV doesn't roll, pitch or wallow like many of its rivals. Nor do you need a period of acclimatisation before you can drive it quickly, as you would, for example, with a fashionable four-wheel drive. The Alhambra takes its name from the ancient palace in Granada which dates back to the 12th century and plays a central part in Spain's early history. This place was apparently vast - an indication,
SEAT believes, of the capacity of its People Carrier though unlike some boxier rivals, in can offer you only seven, rather than eight seats. As an MPV buyer, you'll be looking for flexibility as well as sheer space. So youll find, as before, that all of the seats can be folded down or unclipped and removed completely. In fact, the only difference this time round is that the removable chairs themselves have been redesigned, so should feel a lot more comfortable. Sadly, they're no lighter, so lugging them in and out remains a job not to be undertaken by the weak or faint-hearted. The two front seats on some models can be swivelled round completely to face the rear - which is great for picnics and business meetings if you're stationary and there's only four in the car. It's annoying however, that you still can't do the same with the middle set so that occupants behind the driver can face each other and talk on longer journeys. If the Galaxy/Sharan/Alhambra design is arguably the market's best large MPV, it's hard to argue that this is not the best value interpretation of it. And if that's the case, then this must be a very good car indeed.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: SEAT Alhambra range
PRICES: £16,177-£22,977 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUPS: 11-16
CO2 EMISSIONS: 176-259g/km
PERFORMANCE: [2.0] Max Speed 110mph / 0-60mph 15.0s
FUEL CONSUMPTION: [2.0] (urban) 23.7mpg / (constant 56mph) 41.5mpg/ (constant 75mph) 32.1mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front airbags, ABS
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Height, 182/84/69"
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