Kentish Express Ashford & District
Winning formula
Seat Alhambra is a car the children will love and parents will become strangely attached, too as Matt Kimberley reports
What’s new? At the risk of sounding a bit blasé, not a lot. Seat has kept much of the Alhambra’s winning formula untouched, only tweaking the styling, the engines and adding the latest connectivity thanks in part to a new partnership with Samsung. You still get seven seats, two built-in booster seats in the middle row, sliding rear doors and options for petrol, diesel, manual and automatic. If you look really closely, you might also notice the new Seat logo.
Looks and image
The Alhambra doesn’t look all that bad for a family bus, adding a few Leon-esque touches without going too crazy. Dads will appreciate the boredom bypass but mums won’t think it looks too sporty to be a good family car. It’s clearly no automotive sex symbol but it’s a solid choice.
Space and practicality
There’s an impressive boot, good enough for one really large suitcase with soft bags on top, or two medium cases plus extras. Fold the two-piece row three seats down – this isn’t as easy as you’ll see in some rivals – and you’re left with a boot good enough for anything a family might need to shove into it. The sliding doors, with holders for large bottles, are a huge boon and there are two built-in booster seats. The individual seats in row two slide forward and back.
Behind the wheel
Selecting comfort mode within the adjustable damper settings rewards with an impressive ride quality. You sit high in this car so there’s a great view of the road ahead. The DSG twin-clutch automatic gearbox is a boon around town.
Who would buy one?
Families and user-chooser company car drivers with three or more children are the main buyers here. Seat predicts a 70/30 split towards business sales, so the typical Alhambra driver is likely to be a family man or woman with a few children at home and a desire for both space and comfort. The entry-level petrol model just about dips beneath the £25,000 mark, while the mainstream models fall roughly between the £28,000 and £33,000 marks.