BUYER'S GUIDE: SEAT Tarraco

FROM £17,500 Spanish SUV is well worth checking out if you're in need of a seven-seater family workhorse

- Richard Dredge

NEED TO KNOW 

• THE 1.5 TSI engine came with manual or DSG automatic transmissions, both with front-wheel drive (FWD). The 2.0 TDI 150 came with a manual gearbox and FWD, or in DSG 4WD form.
• Towing The 1.5 TSI is towrated at 2,000kg and the 2.0 TDI 150 at 2,200kg. Tarraco 4Drive versions can haul from 2,250kg to 2,450kg.
• Seating The Tarraco comes with seven seats as standard and both rear rows fold flat. The e-Hybrid, which isn't available in the UK, has five seats.
• Problems Noisy wipers, rattling second-row seats, and rear reflector (tailgate) bars that suffer from condensation inside annoy owners.
• Sat-nav Some owners of early Tarracos have had problems with the navigation not working. It's not clear if the problem is hardware or software related.

The 2.0 TDI 190 and 245, along with the 2.0 TSI 190, were offered only in DSG 4WD form.

SEAT was founded in 1950 in Spain, but was swallowed up by the Volkswagen Group in the mid-eighties. For years after that the firm struggled to find its place, with buyers not sure what the brand stood for.

The arrival of the sharply styled third-generation Leon was a turning point, but it was the arrival of the company's first SUV in 2016 that set SEAT on the road to success.

That vehicle was the Ateca and it really struck a chord with buyers, just like its smaller sibling, the Arona, which turned up a year later. SEAT then completed its hattrick with the introduction of the Tarraco, its first seven-seat SUV. This model embodies all that SEAT stands for within the VW Group: sharp looks, a great drive, user friendly design and decent value.

History