SEAT announces new Alhambra

19th April 2010

Say hola to the latest member of the SEAT family. The all-new car follows hot on the heels the latest Sharan. And just like its VW stablemate, the latest generation of the firm’s seven-seat MPV has grown by 22cm in length and 9cm in width to offer passengers more space than ever before.

The Alhambra uses the VW Group’s new MQB platform. So as well as being larger, the new car is also lighter than before to the benefit of emissions. Also helping the car’s cause is its line-up of direct injection turbo engines. Two petrol and two diesel units will be available when the car is launched in the summer – petrol choices are a 148bhp 1.4-litre or 197bhp 2.0-litre, while oil burners are both 2.0-liter units, with either 138bhp or 168bhp.

Thanks to stop-start tech, the 138bhp diesel returns 51.4mpg and emits 143g/km – making it slightly less green than the Bluemotion Sharan, which manages 52.3mpg.

Practicality is high on the menu. Entry to the rear is by twin sliding doors, while there is seating for five, six or seven. Luggage space is comprehensive – with seating for five, the boot volume is 885 litres, which grows to a maximum of 2,297 litres if only the front two seats are used.

The newcomer is much more dynamic to look at than its predecessor too. It features SEAT’s Arrow Design form language, as seen on the Ibiza.



Highlights on the options list include DSG gearboxes, xenon lights which automatically dip when they sense an oncoming car, a panoramic roof and the latest Park Assist – just as in the new VW Touran, the car can now park itself in a car park space, as well as helping with parallel manoeuvres. 



The Alhambra will be built at SEAT’s Palemela plant in Portugal. More details of the UK range, including specification and pricing details, will be available closer to the car's launch here later this year, although we expect prices to start at around £20,000.