by Mike Grundon (04 Feb 10)

How many cubby holes and storage areas do you need in one car? According to the designers of the revised SEAT Altea, the answer is no fewer than 30. They're everywhere in this MPV and if the family is bored when you're out and about, a fine game would be "hunt the holder". There are trays in the doors, either side of the boot, under the floor of the boot, under the top of the cargo-hold cover, drop down trays built into the roof, drawers under the seats, a split level tray under the arm-rest, even straps to hang an umbrella under the knees of the back-seat passengers. It could take the thick end of a day to find that packet of Polos you're sure you brought with you.

This test car is the 2009 revised version of the Altea with a two-litre TDI turbocharged diesel engine in top of the range Sport trim. It's designed as a challenger to the likes of Ford's C-MAX and Citroen's C4 Picasso, so in addition to all the hidey-holes it has rear seats that slide back and forth by around six inches, and a back seat that splits into three separate fold-almost-flat chairs.

There are few reasonably priced family cars that are as flexible as this Altea for day-to-day living. It's easy to drive, it's reasonably stylish, it's got space and it's easy to adapt to your needs. Folding the rear seats to almost flat requires pulling just one tab on each – the back folds forwards and the squab drops down and away in one action.

The major changes over the last model are mainly cosmetic. There's a new front grille, bumper and headlights to give what Seat describes as "enhancements to augment its already stylish lines". The back window is wider to improve visibility and the rear lights and back bumper have been changed. Alterations inside are meant to give it a "sportier-looking cockpit" but all things are relative. Anyone new to the Altea isn't going to step in and immediately think: "Wow, look at how racy it is in here."

The engine here is the pick of the available bunch. It's the most powerful of the turbo diesels with 170bhp on tap and 258lb/ft of torque available. It's pretty nippy too, for such a family-orientated car. It'll get to 62mph in 8.5 seconds and run on up to a top speed of 131mph. Despite all that, the engine has an official average fuel consumption of just over 50mpg.

Could this car be all things to all people? Well that's what Seat is saying. It claims that this is a great family car and yet it's got the handling, performance and looks to be distinctly sporting. Well, unless I'm missing something, the looks aren't anything too special. Fair enough, it has the SEAT bow-wave crease that makes a dynamic line down the flank, the wheelarches are flared and the bonnet-to-screen angle is wide so the car is relatively sleek, but it's basically a sloping nose on a tall, boxy little car. Even in fire-engine red like this one, it's not turning any heads I can see.

As for the handling, well you've seen the figures for acceleration which are frankly bloody good, but the best of it is the way it holds itself out on the squirms and turns of Britain's backroads. Despite being relatively tall, it doesn't roll much at all. The gear throws, up and down through all six cogs, are swift, clean and easy. Steering is well weighted and accurate. In all, if you find yourself in a hurry, this Altea will whip you along the road, quick as you like and much quicker than its styling would suggest was likely.

You'll be comfortable when you arrive too. The driver's seat particularly is very supportive laterally so you won't get shaken around too much in those corners. This car also has the Seat sat-nav system built in with three-dimensional views of the roads and junctions as they approach.

As you may expect with anything out of the many Volkswagen Group stables, the Altea feels well put together and substantial and it's likely to last well into the future. It's also got all the safety bells and whistles you'd expect: traction control to stop you skidding as you pull away, clever brakes to stop you skidding as you pull up, and a selection of airbags for when that stopping happens too quickly. In the pre-2009 Euro NCAP crash tests it scored five stars for occupant protection, four for child protection and three for pedestrian protection.

Niggles? Well there is a vast acreage of black plastic in the cabin and the handbrake is so close to the passenger seat there's a very real chance you could be gripping your chum's thigh by accident. Trust me, that's not always a good thing.

The Altea isn't in any way a charismatic car, but charisma isn't always what you want in your wheels. I feel sure that if you lived with it for a few months, you'd probably find it difficult to move on to any of the other mini MPVs out there because you'd have found a need for all those holders for cups, bottles, sunglasses, maps, peanuts, toys, torches, hats, pens, coins and . . . oh, that's where I left those mints.

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Price: £19,640
Capacity: 1968cc
Power: 170bhp
0-62mph: 8.5 seconds
Maximum speed: 131mph
Economy: 61.4mpg extra urban, 50.4mpg combined
CO2 emissions: 146g/km
Towing capacity: 1400kg braked
Insurance: Group 11
SEAT figures.

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