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| Road Test SEAT Alhambra 2.0 TDI SE |
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by David Finlay (10 Dec 09)
The Alhambra is a very old car now. It was introduced - along with the Volkswagen Sharan and the then-current Ford Galaxy, which were largely the same thing with different badges - at a time when John Major was in 10 Downing Street, Bill Clinton was in the White House, the Spice Girls were shouting "zig-a-zig-ahhh!" at people for commercial gain, and there was an assumption that every computer in existence would break down at midnight on 1 January 2000 unless Something Was Done. It was a different world, but the Alhambra has not changed much since then. Given the large number of much more modern MPVs on the market, it may seem odd that this one is still being built. However, several hundred are still being sold in the UK each year, and the situation is presumably similar in other countries. There is therefore a demand for the car, so why not keep selling it? And why not write about it?
In one respect the Alhambra is relatively modern. The SE tested here - formerly known as the Stylance - uses the Volkswagen Group's excellent two-litre TDI turbo diesel engine in 138bhp form, which post-dates the rest of the car by several years and is in fact the standard unit for almost all versions, including the significantly more economical and slightly quicker Ecomotive. (Ironically, the most expensive Alhambra of all gets the much older 113bhp 1.9-litre TDI, the reason for the extra cost being that it's also the only one with automatic transmission.) Actually, 138bhp feels like at least as much power as the Alhambra can deal with. After so many years of living with MPVs which are almost car-like to drive, it comes as a shock to become reacquainted with one that requires as much caution as a modern pickup. You really don't want to push this thing too hard, not least because of what Euro NCAP says about it. In fact Euro NCAP has never put an Alhambra through its crash programme, but it did test the Sharan in 1999 (stating that the performance of the Alhambra would be "near-identical") and found that it performed very poorly in a frontal impact. The side impact test was much more encouraging, but it still left the car with a three-star rating, under the old system, for adult occupant protection.
So why buy one? Well, people like it, and that's probably because of the amount of space inside. Seven seats are available as standard, and if you remove the back five you're left with a load volume of no less than 2610 litres, which is nearly 300 more than you get in a modern Galaxy. The Galaxy is of course a vastly better car - faster and more economical in its own 138bhp turbo diesel form, and much safer - and there is no question that it would murder the Alhambra in a comparison test; but for some people the SEAT's extra room may be important, and it's also the case that the most expensive Alhambra costs less than the cheapest Galaxy. You do get quite a lot for your money with the SEAT. The SE has 17" alloy wheels, heated folding door mirrors, dual-zone climate control air-conditioning, xenon headlights, sports suspension (ha!), heated seats, ESP and cruise control as standard. But you have to pay extra for other items fitted to the test car, most notably a satellite navigation system which seemed alarmingly expensive at over £2100.
A new Alhambra, and indeed a new Volkswagen Sharan, which once again will be more or less the same thing, will be launched at some not-yet-determined date probably late in 2010 or early in 2011. It will almost certainly be a great deal better than this one, and much easier to recommend. But before it arrives I dare say that another few hundred folk will buy the current model, and although I don't think this would be a particularly wise choice, it would certainly be an understandable one. Comment on this story on Facebook or Twitter. Price: £22,235 |
