THE variety of SUVs and crossover vehicles on the market today continues to expand. For many car manufacturers, the SUV has been their saviour and SUV models now dominate their sales. Seat has also seen its sales grow with the introduction of SUVs starting a few years ago. Beginning with the Ateca (similar to a Volkswagen Tiguan), soon joined by the smaller Arona, the line-up is now complete with the arrival of the larger Tarraco.
The Seat Tarraco has just recently gone on sale in the UK priced from £29,000 to £35,000. It is a very good-looking vehicle, about the same size as a Škoda Kodiaq.
The model I test drove came with a 187 bhp diesel engine and 4WD. All UK models come with a third row of seats to give seven-seat configurability. It’s a shame a five-seat model is not available, as the extra seats do rob the boot of space, though it still has a large boot.
A six-speed manual 150 bhp diesel version (and petrol too) are also available, but the larger-engine versions all come with seven-speed automatic gearboxes and 4WD. This engine/gearbox combination works very well, giving the vehicle a good turn of speed (0–60 mph in only eight seconds) and around 38 mpg. The brakes are very good, comprising front ventilated discs (340mm x 30mm) and rear sold discs (300 mm x 12 mm).
Wheel sizes start at 17” on the SE model, rising up to 20” on the top-of-the-range Xcellence Lux. This Xcellence model we test drove came with 235/50 19-inchers. The fuel tank has a 60-litre capacity, offering a 500-mile range. The vehicle weighs in at 1,808 kg (about the same as a Discovery Sport) and has a maximum towing capacity of 2,250 kg, for a braked trailer. It is 4,735 mm long, 1,839 mm wide and 1,674 mm high. Its ground clearance of 200 mm is pretty good.
I do like the exterior design of the Tarraco, and its size makes it very useful. It drives well and Seat has placed much emphasis on getting the handling right. The steering is precise, with not too much roll. In fact, the more I drove it, the more it reminded me of driving an Audi, which I consider very good for handling. It has plenty of power and is quiet at motorway speeds where it pulls 2,050 rpm at 80 mph.
The interior design is smart, but less distinctive than the exterior. The instrumentation is all computer-based, with a large central screen controlling sat-nav and audio, etc. Separate knobs control heating.
I liked the Tarraco and it certainly provides strong competition for the likes of the Subaru Outback, Volkswagen Tiguan, Škoda Kodiaq, Land Rover Discovery Sport, Volvo XC40/XC60 and various Audis.
The Tarraco is certainly helping Seat sell cars for over £30,000, which is a lot higher than in the past. The name, a reference to the old name for the Spanish port of Tarragona, was picked by 150,000 votes from the general public, so it will be interesting to see how popular it proves with motorists.
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