Seat Alhambra MPV 2.0 TDI 140 Ecomotive S 5dr Reader reviews

My car

Update to original review. Had the car for a year 14,000 miles. Very impressed overall. It's no sportscar, but a great family car. Very quiet on the road - almost limo like. Couple of bits of trim have come away, but nothing serious and they are VW parts - will have it fixed when it eventually has first service. SE is a nice trim package with everything you really need - at a reasonable price. Like all new cars doesn't get the MPG it's supposed to, but it's still good for a big car.

My car

Owned this from new for 3 months. Overall very happy. Practicality could be a tad better.

We replaced our 10 year old Galaxy with this. It's a lovely car to look at (for a MPV) and the interior is well made. No rattles & shakes. The seats are comfortable and supportive. The electric adjustment is great. We are a family of six and there's room for everyone. However not as much as our old Galaxy. It's close but the rear most seats are tighter for leg room. It's ok, just not great.

The folding seats are superb. No need to lift out heavy chairs. It's quick and simple. They do take up space when folder down however the boot space is still pretty huge. Petrol lawn mower? No problem!

Storage isn't ideal. The pockets in the back of the front seats won't fit a normal size road map. The dash box is ok as is the glove box. The under seat pull out boxes are ok although not huge. It's the door storage which is a let down. 2L drinks bottle will go in plus a some stuff but not a lot. Not a deal breaker.

Engine pulls really well, cruises on the motorway and is fast enough for most people. We get around 40-45 mpg depending on the run. As expected. The electronic handbrake needs learning although auto-hold really helps.

All the toys are present and correct. Cruise works well, climate control is welcome and electric most things.

Not cheap but value compared to the competition. Time will tell on servicing costs.

My car

When compared with the 2011 Renault Grande Espace, The Alhambra loses out for the following reasons: *) The width and height of the interior is not a spacious as the Renault With 4 grown up children a major point The fold-away chairs (much better implemented in the Seat that those in the Ford Galaxy) take away a lot of space when not in use. You lose at least 10 cm height to the ceiling The back row is almost 10 cm lower than in the old current Alhambra and the Renault The width of the car interior at the back row of the vehicle is much smaller than the Renault. Our dog bench doesn't fit with 4 chairs in the back up, while the Renault has space left on the last row in between the chair and the bench The overall impression of the Alhambra is that the car is surrounding you as a coat / glove, while the Renault has a impression of openness but not at the cost of safety (Renault also gets 5-stars) This is a very personal thing and some people may like it for that reason The view from the driver seat is hindered in the Seat by the forward beam that supports the roof. This allows more cars to be hidden from view when approaching an intersection, while the solution of Renault is to slim that particular beam. This gives better view to closer vehicles at the expense of a thicker beam that blocks the view for more distant vehicles.