FAST FACTS
SEAT has been thinking big – and the result is a magnificent seven-seat SUV. Tarraco – the ancient moniker for the Spanish city of Taragona – is the name of this giant and when you open the powered bootlid of the Xcellence model you understand the appeal it is going to have for families.
I found the rear two seats in place and, while they lack nothing in comfort to sit in, it is clear from the head and legroom available they are most suitable for the smallest of your ankle-biters. Even with all the chairs in place there is still a surprising amount of room left with the 230-litres putting the boot space in supermini territory.
If, like me, you only need a fiveseater most of the time, then the rear row folds flat smoothly at the flip of a lever opening up a welcome 700 litres which easily swallowed all my golf gear. When more space is
needed the rest of the seats also fold flat leaving a cave-like 1,775 litres to play with.
The Tarraco is keenly priced with the 16-model line-up starting at £28,230 for the 1.5-litre 150ps turbo petrol version in SE trim. It is only when you arrive at the rangetopping four-wheel drive, sevenspeed DSG automatic transmission model powered by a 2.0-litre oil burner with 190ps under your right foot that you get close to the £40,000 mark. A decent price-tag doesn’t mean the equipment cupboard is bare though, as even the most basic model comes with an eight-inch central touchscreen providing access to the many delights on offer while Apple CarPlay and Android Auto allow your smartphone to join the party.
SEAT also fits its digital cockpit which includes a 10.25-inch multi-mode instrument panel which looks snazzy while safety systems such as lane departure warning and emergency braking make an appearance. Rear parking sensors, automatic lights and wipers plus metallic paint and LED headlights complete an impressive opening gambit.
By the time you reach the £30,640 Xcellence front-wheel drive model on show here, SEAT has added dual-zone climate control as well as sat nav and a rear camera.
The 1.5-litre power unit does a good job of shifting what is a bulky 1.8 tonne motor, allowing it to hit 62mph from a standing start in 9.7 seconds on its way to a top speed of 125mph with the aid of a nimble six-speed manual gearbox. The Tarraco is reasonably fuel efficient for a large SUV with economy maxing out at 36.7mpg while emissions come in at 152g/km.
The Tarraco joins the Arona and Ateca in SEAT’s SUV family and looks set to add to the company’s growing sales in this lucrative sector of the market. MODEL: SEAT Tarraco Xcellence 1.5 TSI EVO PRICE: £30,640 MECHANICAL: 150ps, 1,498cc, 4cyl petrol engine driving front wheels via 6-speed manual gearbox MAX SPEED: 125mph 0-62MPH: 9.7 seconds COMBINED MPG: 36.7 INSURANCE GROUP: 19 CO2 EMISSIONS: 152g/km BIK RATING: 34% WARRANTY: 3 years / 60,000 miles