SEAT Tarraco review

Interior

Dashboard & tech

The interior of the Tarraco is a real highlight. It manages to feel both premium and incredibly sturdy, which is the perfect combination for a family car. The design is clean and modern, with a large eight-inch touchscreen infotainment system taking centre stage on the dashboard. This system comes with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, so you can easily connect your smartphone.

The build quality is excellent, with plenty of soft-touch materials and a solid, well-put-together feel. The driving position is great, and all the controls are logically laid out and easy to use. It’s a cabin that feels upmarket and is more than capable of withstanding the rigours of family life.

Comfort

The Tarraco is a very comfortable car, especially for those in the front and middle rows. The seats are supportive, and there’s plenty of adjustment to help you find the perfect driving position. It’s a quiet and refined car on the motorway, making it a brilliant choice for long family road trips.

The only slight downside is that the ride can be a bit firm, especially on models with larger alloy wheels. It’s not uncomfortable, but you will feel more of the bumps than you would in its sibling, the Skoda Kodiaq. The middle row of seats can even recline, which is a great touch for helping passengers get comfortable on a long journey.

Quality

The Tarraco feels like a very high-quality product. It’s based on tried-and-tested parts from the wider Volkswagen Group, and you can feel that solid engineering throughout the car. The materials used in the cabin are a step above what you’d find in many rivals, and everything feels like it has been built with real care and attention to detail.

While SEAT’s reliability record is generally good, the fact that the Tarraco uses so many proven components from other VW Group cars provides an extra layer of peace of mind.

Practicality & boot space

Interior space

One of the main reasons for buying a Tarraco is its seven-seat practicality. There’s loads of room up front and in the middle row, with plenty of legroom and headroom for tall adults. The three individual seats in the middle row can slide and recline, which is incredibly useful for optimising space or helping passengers get comfortable.

The third row of seats, however, is best described as occasional. They are perfect for children, but adults will find them very cramped and only suitable for very short journeys. The Tarraco is a brilliant five-seater with two extra seats for emergencies.

Boot space

With all seven seats in use, the boot space is a modest 230 litres, which is enough for a few shopping bags. But when you fold the third row of seats flat into the floor, you open up a huge 700-litre load bay. This is a massive space that will easily swallow everything a family could need for a holiday.

If you need to carry even bigger items, folding all the rear seats down creates a van-like 1,775-litre space. It’s an incredibly practical and versatile boot that makes the Tarraco a great load-lugger.

Driving

Driving experience

For a large, seven-seat SUV, the SEAT Tarraco is surprisingly good to drive. It feels more agile and sporty than its size would suggest, with handling that is sharp and composed. The steering is accurate, and it feels confident and secure on a twisty road, with less body roll than you might expect.

It successfully blends this enjoyable handling with a comfortable and refined ride, making it a great all-rounder. It might have a slightly lower ride height than the Skoda Kodiaq, giving it a sportier feel, but don’t mistake it for a full-on sports SUV. It’s a safe, easy, and pleasant car to drive in all situations.

Performance

There’s a great range of petrol and diesel engines to choose from. The entry-level petrol is a 1.5-litre unit with 148bhp. It’s a good all-rounder but can feel a little underpowered when the car is fully loaded with people and luggage. There’s also a more powerful 2.0-litre petrol with 187bhp.

The 2.0-litre diesel engines are the stars of the show, especially for those who cover long distances or need to tow. They are available with either 148bhp or 187bhp and offer plenty of low-down pulling power, making the Tarraco feel strong and effortless. A plug-in hybrid version was also introduced later, offering an excellent blend of performance and efficiency.

Running costs

Fuel economy & CO2 emissions

For a large seven-seat SUV, the Tarraco is impressively efficient. The diesel engines are the most economical choice, with the front-wheel-drive manual version capable of achieving figures in the mid-40s mpg. The petrol engines are a bit thirstier, returning around 30mpg.

If your budget can stretch to it, the plug-in hybrid version is by far the cheapest to run, especially if you can charge it regularly and do most of your journeys on electric power. Its low CO2 emissions also make it a very attractive option for company car drivers.

Value for money

The Tarraco is more expensive to buy than its sibling, the Skoda Kodiaq, but it does come with more standard equipment. It offers great value for money when you consider its premium feel and generous kit levels. Crucially, it’s predicted to hold its value better than many of its rivals, which is great news if you’re buying on a finance plan, as it can lead to lower monthly payments.

Reliability & Warranty

The Tarraco is a new model, but because it uses so many well-proven parts from across the Volkswagen Group, it should prove to be a very reliable car. From new, all SEATs come with a three-year, 60,000-mile warranty, which provides good peace of mind when buying a nearly-new model.

Safety

Safety features

The SEAT Tarraco is a very safe car. It was awarded the maximum five-star rating when it was crash-tested by the safety experts at Euro NCAP, with excellent scores for protecting both adult and child occupants.

All models come with a good level of standard safety equipment, including automatic emergency braking and lane-keeping assist. The generosity of the standard kit across the range is a real plus point for the Tarraco.

Trims & Engines

Trim levels

The Tarraco is available in a range of stylish and well-equipped trims.

SE / SE Technology: The entry-level models are far from basic. They come with 17-inch alloy wheels, climate control, an eight-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and LED headlights. SE Technology adds built-in satellite navigation.

FR / FR Sport: These trims add a sporty look with larger 19- or 20-inch alloys, a more aggressive body kit, black exterior detailing, and sports seats.

Xcellence / Xcellence Lux: These trims focus on luxury. They add features like larger alloy wheels, Alcantara sports seats, adaptive cruise control, and a reversing camera. Xcellence Lux adds all the bells and whistles, including leather seats and a top-down parking camera.

Engines

There’s a great choice of proven petrol and diesel engines.

1.5-litre TSI Petrol: A 148bhp turbocharged engine that offers a good blend of performance and economy. The most common choice.2.0-litre TSI Petrol: A more powerful 187bhp petrol engine that comes with an automatic gearbox and four-wheel drive as standard.2.0-litre TDI Diesel: Available with either 148bhp or 187bhp. These are brilliant engines for high-mileage drivers and offer excellent pulling power.e-HYBRID: A plug-in hybrid model that combines a 1.4-litre petrol engine with an electric motor for great performance and very low running costs.

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