SEAT Tarraco
By Ian Strachan
SEAT seems to be launching new SUVs on a regular basis, cashing in on the demand for these popular vehicles. Now the latest and biggest SUV from SEAT – the Tarraco – has hit the streets.
The Tarraco has the advantage of seven seats, and is already picking up awards. Auto Express voted it the best large SUV. It is certainly an attractive car, with SEAT’s distinctive looks combined with practicality, space and high specification, with a plug-in hybrid version to come.
The Tarraco, built at VW’s Wolfsburg factory, is an attractive and capable alternative to more established large SUVs, with sleek, eye-catching design, a front end which shows off SEAT’s trademark grille and headlights, and a comfortable and roomy interior.
And it’s well-priced, with the entry model starting at not much more than £28,000. The 150 bhp 1.5 litre petrol engine in my test car delivers up to 42.8 miles to the gallon in mixed driving. For a big SUV that’s more than respectable.
I test drove the Tarraco SE First Edition 1.5 TSI petrol six-speed manual, which comes in at £30,490 on the road, and despite being at the lower end of the range, is very well-equipped. It is also very well-behaved, with no body roll, despite being a tall vehicle, and an exceptionally smooth ride. It’s also very quiet.
The interior of the Tarraco is light, pleasant and spacious. Load carrying capacity is excellent, and can be improved still further by dropping down the rear and middle rows of seats. Seat materials and trim materials are of a very high quality.
Equipment is impressive, with remote central locking, dual-zone air conditioning , all-round electric windows, automatic stop/start, cruise control, parking aid front and rear with rear camera, DAB radio and MP3/Bluetooth compatibility. No satellite navigation fitted to this model, though, which is a bit surprising in this day and age.
I enjoyed the Tarraco, which moves this ubiquitous brand further up the SUV choice lists.
