Key facts:
Model Tested: 1.4 TSI SE Ecomotive
One the road price: £24,045
Date tested: November 2010
Road tester: Martyn Collins


With its spacious cabin, seven-seats and solid reliability, the SEAT Alhambra has proved itself to be the ideal car for larger families. Now, after 14 years there's an all new model.

The new Alhambra is now 4.85m long, a massive 22cm longer and 9.4cm wider than the outgoing car. Access to the second and third rows of seats is via long sliding doors and the two rear rows feature the new Easyfold system. Basically, the rear seats can be raised or lowered with just one hand and when folded the rear seats leave a flat -floored load space of up to 2,430 litres.
Even with all seven-seats in place there's still 267 litres of space available in the boot, which is big enough for two suitcases or even a buggy in the back. Unlike some rivals there's enough head- and legroom for even the tallest passengers in the second row of seats. It can also be slid forward and backwards to give those in the rearmost seats more legroom.
Two diesels and one petrol
At launch, S, SE and SE Lux trim levels will be available. Standard equipment includes 16-inch alloy wheels, three-zone climate control, electric front and rear windows, six airbags, remote central locking, an eight-speaker CD/Stereo and alarm.
The Alhambra is available with a choice of two diesels and one petrol engine; 140bhp and 170bhp versions of the TDI diesel and a 150bhp 1.4-litre TFSI petrol, which offer acceleration from 0-62mph in 10.9, 9.5, and 10.7 seconds respectively. All models are fitted with a six-speed manual gearbox, while DSG twin-clutch transmission is available as an option.
The similarities with the recently launched Volkswagen Sharan are obvious, but have been given a Spanish twist by the firm's design team headed by Luc Donckerwolke. Design highlights include a new version of the 'Arrow Design' family nose first seen on the current Ibiza and the distinctive headlights. At the back, there are new rear light clusters and Alhambra badging.

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High quality interior
Inside, there's no doubting the quality of the Alhambra's interior. Obviously Volkswagen influenced, this has to be one of the major selling points of the car as it's a model of good taste and high quality. We just wish it had a bit more design flair.
There were 1.4 TSI SE and SE Lux models available at the UK launch mated with six-speed manual transmission. We had doubts that such a small engine would be big enough to haul around such a large MPV that weighs 1.7-tonnes. It felt fine with just the driver on board, but we reckon you'd have to work it hard with six passengers. This will surely have a bad effect on the fuel consumption and make getting the claimed 39mpg average fuel consumption difficult.
The Alhambra's steering and handling are best described as predictable. The steering doesn't feel particularly sharp, the ride is soft and the chassis although viceless doesn't feel as capable as the Ford Galaxy or Ford S-Max. But it is a relaxing motorway cruiser.
To sum up, the new Alhambra is just as practical, but not as interesting to drive as rivals. Look at the Alhambra as a discounted version of the Sharan and it makes sense, as the interior quality and flexibility are impressive.