Star Rating

First Impressions Just taken delivery of a SEAT Alhambra Turbo Diesel, and first impressions are that it is certainly a lot better built than the SEATs of old, I remember driving an old Ibiza in the late 1980s or early 1990's and it felt as though something important was going to fall off at any moment ( unimportant things fell off regularly and didn't particularly worry me after a few days).  The SEAT has certainly come a long, long way since those days (and VW's involvement definitely shows). The model that I have was supplied in Silver, with Alloys, Electric everything, Climate and Parking sensor (never had one of those before) and a six speed gearbox.

Climbing in, the first impression is "just how much glass do you need in a car?"  It seems very light and airy inside, even though fitted with privacy glass, the interior is very bright.  I think that the privacy glass, is something like a 50% tint (a bit lighter than I would like) so it will need some blackout curtains to be made, if I was going to use it on a regular basis. The rear load space should be huge, with the rear seats (row 3)removed.

With the seats folded (you also have to slide the second row of seats right forward) there appears to be enough room for a Pelican 1650 case, along with a few other odds and sods. One concern is that the seats, when folded, don't seem to lock in place, and as a result shift backwards and forwards whilst driving, which may cause damage to anything that isn't in a hard case.

The seats are comfortable with good lumbar support, unlike the Nissan Xtrail I tested last month. It also has armrests on both driver and front passenger seats, which is nice, however they are not that comfortable, if you are wearing short sleeves.

Being the Alhambra Sport (surely an oxymoron, how can an MPV be sporty) the dashboard has a few "sporty touches" apparently chrome trim around the dials on the dashboard counts as sporty, in which case the Alhambra is definitely sporty.

The Alloy wheels I assume make it appear even sportier (Whatevar) and the six-speed gearbox makes it an out and out racing machine (Yeah, but No, but yeah but!)  I am sorry but this is an MPV, about as sporting as a rash, however the alloys do look quite smart and the bezels on the dials .... ok they brighten an otherwise dull dash.

Engine & Transmission

Powered by a 4 cylinder 1900cc turbo diesel engine, developing a respectable 130BHP (not that long ago, 130BHP was considered a lot in a production car, the very quick Peugeot 205 GTi 1.9 only had 130BHP and now almost everyone offers a 130 brake oil burner) with around 230ft lb of torque from around 2000 rpm, means that the Alhambra feels quite responsive, yet turns in a very respectable 35mpg around town.

The six speed gearbox is fairly positive, even if it has a longish throw, to engage reverse gear you push down on the top of the gear lever and push to the left and forward, which is fine, however it is a little disconcerting that the push down action is very light, and being used to an automatic and driving around with one hand on the gear lever and feeling it bounce when ever you go over a bump is strange. Interior The bloody storage boxes and bins everywhere, you could lose a small family in this car for days.

The door pockets are massive, the glove box is a good size, and there is a large box in the boot also. every chair back has either a picnic table that folds down, or the chair back itself pivots and becomes a table.  The seat material seems quite hard wearing, but I am not sure that it would last many months with me stamping around on it in my size 9's.  

Working with the Seat

One of the nice things about the Seat, is the amount of glass, most of it is flat enough to shoot through, whilst the privacy glass isn't dark enough, and there is no load space cover, it is OK to work out off, except that you cannot reach the kit in the back of the car, without physically having to get out, and open the rear tailgate (not ideal for those really discrete watches) however it is nicely anonymous on the roads, as there are millions (or at least appear to be) of MPV's around.

The equipment levels are high, with an 8 speaker stereo, Full climate control, electric windows all round and remote central locking.

With the second row of seats pushed forward to allow the rear seats to be folded, it is a little cramped, but comfortable enough. 

Unlike the new Grand Voyager, the seat configuration isn't that flexible, however the new Grand Voyager is a lot more expensive. It could do with a 12v power point in the boot, for running either a small refrigerator or mains inverter for charging equipment, and also a second one up front would be useful (D'Oh!! found one in the boot). 

What it does have though is plenty of storage space, including a useful dash top tray with a lid, that is ideal for keeping an iPod out of sight of prying eyes. 

Having clocked up a few miles it is certainly very economical, although slightly disconcerting that as you coast the MPG figure slides off the scale at 99mpg.  I have been informed that the rear seats can be removed completely, in which case that would make the Seat much easier to work with, and with the centre seat of the middle row folded flat, it makes it easy to get into the boot area.  With a set of curtains or blackout sheets and the privacy glass this would make it almost as covert as a Van (although more comfortable to work out of) and nearly as comfortable as the Mercedes V Class, that I had been considering, until I was informed of the numerous reliability problems with their transmissions.  Mercedes seem to be having a number of reliability issues recently I was also advised (by someone who had nothing to gain by telling me) that their M class 4x4 are also prone to breaking down.

Please feel free to contact us on 075 88 66 95 80

All Images are © pressphotos-uk.com. If you use them without permission you are in breach of copyright laws.

©2010 pressphotos-uk.com