Seat Altea XL SE 2.0 TDI CR 5dr Car Review - March 2012

The XL has a 2.0-litre, 4-cylinder, 16v 1968cc diesel engine. It is powerful and delivers a sporty drive that remains unmatched; thanks to the 138bhp it produces. A torque of 236 lb-ft gives enough pull to get through the trickiest of road surfaces or situations. A 0-62mph time of 9.8 seconds, while not the fastest of sprints, ensures the thrill of acceleration. It has a top speed of 125mph which is one of the highest in the class.

Handling is the XL’s forte. Once you are behind the wheel, the urge to keep revving the engine hard just to enjoy how good it feels is irresistible. Sharp steering characterised by precise and direct turns adds to the fun. The car has minimal body roll in corners, an unattainable feat by most MPVs. Suspension is firm and compromises the ride quality to an extent.

The engine is quiet, while wind and road noise is well suppressed from the cabin. Visibility is good all round.

The Altea XL is a well-designed and imposing estate, with looks that are far removed from the ordinary estate and closer to a hatchback in resemblance. It is a five-door, five-seat small MPV that measures 4469mm x 1768mm.

The XL cabin is neat and polished, with spongy plastics making up the dash. The cabin feels airy with all the space inside. You can upgrade the seats to leather for a more upmarket look.

Seat hardly disappoints when it comes to equipment, as can be seen with the Altea XL. Power steering, stability control, central locking, alloy wheels, climate control, cruise control, electric door mirrors, electric front windows, driver airbag, passenger airbags, front side airbags, alarm, immobiliser, CD player and MP3 connectivity are all standard in the car.

There are several cost options to choose from as well, including rear-parking sensors for £250, metallic paint for £420, Bluetooth for £250, sat nav for £850 and leather seats for £1,370.

The Altea XL is spacious enough for five, with plenty of room to stretch the legs. Tall passengers will be at home in the rear where there is a generous amount of headroom.

The boot size is class leading, with a capacity of 532 litres with the seats up and a massive 1,604 litres with the seats down. If Seat had employed a better seat structure, you would probably get close to 2,000 litres of space. The seats do not fold flat and that eats into space that could have been part of the boot. But at least the load lip is low and larger than most, which makes loading and offloading easy.

There are lots of adjustments for the driver’s seat and steering wheel, so finding a perfect driving position is easy. Controls are logically placed on the dashboard and are easy to use.

Level of safety kit is good enough to guarantee your security and the car’s. The car also performed well in the Euro NCAP crash test, scoring five stars for occupant safety, 4 for child safety and three for pedestrian safety.

The XL has a good reliability record. Most of its engineering is tweaked from the VW Golf Plus, which also does very well in reliability tests. Smaller Altea models are popular with motorists and this bodes well for the larger XL. You get a 3-year/60,000 mile warranty, which will take care of any problems that arise.

Currently selling for £20,460, the Altea XL is a lot cheaper than most rivals, yet gives lots of value for money. Resale values are good, and it even does better than the Golf Plus which has weak resale values.

Good economy (a return of 57.6mpg) means you will travel longer on a full tank than you would in most other rivals. Carbon emissions average 129g/km and are low for its specifications. This attracts only £95 a year in VED, with the first year of ownership being tax exempt.

The car’s insurance group 18 is in the middle-range, and costs can be high or low depending on other actuarial factors. A 10,000 mile service interval means visits to the service centre will be frequent if you are a high mileage driver, but rates are at least affordable.