SEAT Alhambra (2010) review
by Tom Stewart (16 September 2010)
When they first came to market back in the mid 1990s, the SEAT Alhambra, Ford Galaxy and Volkswagen Sharan MPVs were all essentially the same car. Different badges, spec, grilles and pricing, but otherwise the same.
Then in 2006 Ford left the party by launching its all-new Galaxy, which shared nothing with the previous Galaxy and therefore nothing with the Alhambra or Sharan. Ford updated the Galaxy in early 2010, while more recently VW launched its all-new Sharan, which, apart from still being a one-box seven-seater MPV, bears no relation to any Galaxy, old or new. And now, hot on the heels of the new Sharan comes the all-new Alhambra, which unsurprisingly is closely related to the new Sharan as, unlike Ford, SEAT has long been and remains part of the VW empire.
According to SEAT, the new Alhambra has been styled by the Spanish firm's design team led by Lamborghini's former design chief Luc Donckerwolke, and that "from the very first glance the new Alhambra is clearly a true SEAT". However, and as before, apart from badges, a different front end treatment and slightly different-shaped rear light clusters, the Alhambra is essentially the same as the new Sharan.
It's a similar story on the inside too because, aside from a partially restyled steering wheel and a subtly altered centre console moulding, it's hard to tell the two apart. The new Alhambra (pronounced Al'ambra when in Spain) has all the ordered Germanic functionality and executive conservatism that you would expect of a new VW, but it lacks the more adventurous, curvier styling typified by other SEATs like the Ibiza, León and Altea.
Due to go on sale in the UK in mid-November in S, SE or SE Lux spec, SEAT's new family flagship is 22cm longer, 9.2cm wider and 1cm lower than the outgoing Alhambra. It's also stiffer, safer and boasts a class-leading 0.299 Cd figure. Still a seven-seater, access to the second (and third) row seats is now via sliding rear doors (electrically-operated on the top-spec SE Lux version) and those two rearward rows feature the new Easyfold system whereby, with just one hand, the seats fold to leave a flat-floored loadspace of up to 2430 litres.
Though exact prices will be confirmed nearer the on-sale date, the Alhambra will start at around £21,000, rising to something a little short of £30,000 for a 168bhp 2.0 TDI diesel with a six-speed DSG transmission, full panoramic sunroof, reversing camera, integrated satnav, leather, the new hands-free Park Steer Assistant and a whole lot else.
On the press driving launch in Spain I bagged the 168bhp TDI first (minus Park Steer) and set off. First thing noted was that the standard-across-the-range Stop/Start system performs faultlessly in Barcelona's stop/start traffic. Once on the open road two more attributes come to the fore: the new Alhambra is particularly quiet and refined, with almost zero road noise, almost imperceptible wind noise and an uncannily compliant ride (admittedly on billiard-table-smooth roads, the likes of which barely exist in the UK).
And, with just two plus two overnight bags aboard, there's almost a surfeit of power – the 258lb/ft at 1750rpm coupled with the DSG in auto mode makes genuinely light work of hills, overtaking, or both. So, if you need a 127mph top speed and a sub-10 second 0-62mph time, or frequently carry heavy payloads over long distances and you're at ease with almost 48mpg (combined), then the 168bhp TDI is the one for you.
The next key in my sweaty palm was to a 1.4-litre TSI petrol version with a six-speed manual. Despite this engine producing 148bhp and 177lb/ft I had my doubts as to whether a meagre 1390cc would be quite enough for a large MPV with a near 1.7-tonne kerb weight. As suspected, the 1.4 is fine for pottering about unladen, but driving with any urgency (and/or with six passengers, I should imagine) means keeping the engine on the boil, and this kind of high-rpm driving style would make getting even close to the 1.4 TSI's less impressive 39mpg figure an impossibility.
Unwittingly I'd saved the best till last as the lower-powered 2.0 TDI offers 51.3mpg (combined), an unusually low 143g/km of CO2 as well as an ample 138bhp bolstered by a handy 236lb/ft of torque. In less numeric terms this means excellent economy coupled with more than sufficient get-up-and-go. Ultimately this TDI is a fraction slower than the 122mph 1.4 TSI, but on the road it's the more willing partner.
Despite the paddle-shift DSG option and up to 1bhp, the near 16 foot-long Alhambra doesn't pretend to be a sporty MPV; its steering and handling are predictable and safe, but steering response isn't particularly quick and the chassis isn't noticeably athletic. That said, it does what's asked of it within reason and it has no vices, at least none that became apparent during my brief drives – drives that included a few kilometres of twisting, testing roads. And, as anyone who's ever attempted to drive a family-laden MPV with any gusto would confirm, it's never more than a few seconds before one or all in the back start complaining.
If the new Alhambra has any particular personality or pizzazz about it then I'm afraid those aspects passed me by, but that isn't to say it's not a well-engineered, well-equipped, competitively-priced, comfortable, roomy and practical working tool. And let's be honest, what more do you need from an MPV?
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