Paul Acres takes a look at Seat’s flagship SUV, the Tarraco

a 10.2-inch digital display that can be configured to show various combinations of dials and other supplementary information. It isn’t, however, the easiest of displays to read at a glance regardless of which setting you select.

The controls are nicely laid out and within easy reach. They are nice and chunky, as befits a car of this ilk, and are pleasantly damped and feel nice to operate.

There are plenty of soft-touch, tactile surfaces that help give the cabin a pleasant ambience but if you dig around hard enough it’s possible to find some cheaper-feeling plastics but they are, for the most part, reserved for places that you won’t come into contact with. Passenger space in the front and back is generous. You can slide the middle row of seats fore and aft, as well as recline them, and in their rear-most position there is ample room to accommodate both the heads and legs of passengers that fall into the above-average category.

As with many so-called sevenseaters, the additional seats are really only appropriate for older children. There are no Isofix child-seat mountings which scuppers any notions of popping a toddler or two in there and only the most flexible – and adventurous – of adults should even attempt entry. There’s a choice of petrol or diesel engines. The 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine serves up 148bhp while the 2.0-litre diesel is available with either 148bhp or, like the car reviewed here, 187bhp.

The diesel unit is more than a match for the Tarraco’s heft, providing plenty of low-down grunt and decent flexibility right across the rev range which makes overtaking a reasonably effortless process.

It offers decent levels of refinement too. Even when pushed the noise from the engine is distant, never becoming more than a faint rumble. Once up to cruising speed it becomes inaudible. Seat have opted to adopt a firm suspension set-up for the Tarraco and, as a result, it has a much sportier feel than its rivals. It displays a decent level of body control through corners and the light, precise steering makes it easy to place the car accurately when you’re tackling a series of fast, sweeping corners.

Does that firmer set-up impact significantly on the ride quality? Certainly in some conditions – on roads with sharper-edged potholes for example – you’ll notice a degree of shuddering, but it’s not too discomforting.

Likewise, roads with pronounced and frequent undulations can unsettle the Tarraco a little, but in general the suspension copes well with most surface imperfections, delivering a smooth and accomplished ride that is both isolating and refined.

The Tarraco is great to drive and, with the 190PS diesel under the bonnet, the grunt and flexibility to back it up.

The stiff suspension does compromise the ride, just a little, but for some the trade-off will be worth it. Refinement is very good too.

Although it does offer a third row of seats they are, just like its rivals, cramped and really only suitable for occasional use. That firm set-up – you know, that helps give the Tarraco such assured handling – certainly isn’t going to be to everyone’s tastes so that would make it onto a list of pros and cons. If your preference is for a practical, refined and goodlooking SUV that just happens to possess decent agility and handling, then you will certainly want to add the Tarraco to your list of possibles.