The New Seat Altea

The new Seat Altea comes in four different versions the Altea S, Altea S Emocion, Altea SE and the Altea Sport. There is a choice of engines; 1.4, 1.6 and 2.0 petrol. The 2.0 petrol seems to be a popular choice with a smooth and strong drive. The turbocharged 1.4 TSI offers a fine balance between performance and economy as do the 1.9 and 2.0 diesels. The sport Seat Altea FR models come with 197 bhp turbo petrol or 168 bhp 2.0 turbodiesel engines.

The latest Seat Altea offers five spacious seats rather than seven cramped ones. Inside the Seat Altea there are more than thirty places to stow and stash goodies, including a super-sized glove compartment, big storage bins on all four doors, drawers under the front seat and even a storage area under the boot floor. The trim and build quality has been improved on the current cars and now does a better job of reflecting the exciting looks of the outside. The latest Seat Altea can be spotted by their sleeker headlights and reshaped grille with a smaller SEAT badge at its centre. All Seat Alteas come with anti-lock brakes and stability control to keep the car in check even in slippery corners. There are also twin front, side and curtain airbags, and ISOFIX child seat mounts.

All Seat Altea models have air-conditioning, front electric windows, a CD player, side airbags and traction control. SE versions have climate control and rear electric windows, and Sport versions firmer suspension, different alloys and sports seats; FR models are body-kitted and further sportily-trimmed.

By Geraldine Ashton Green, motoring.co.uk