SEAT TARRACO REVIEW

The SEAT Tarraco has a decent shout at fulfilling the brief “all the car you’ll ever need”. It has plenty of space for four adults and a couple more seats in the boot that kids will love. It’s also dead easy to drive and has a range of engines that won’t cost a fortune to run. 

Its cabin is a true highlight. There’s nothing flashy about the design – in fact, it’s only a little fussier than the cabin you get in a Skoda Kodiaq – but it’s still very easy to use and feels durable. It also looks pretty high-tech because all models get a huge display screen instead of dials behind the steering wheel that’s only an option in the Skoda. It can transform into a big sat-nav map in all but basic models. 

Whichever model you choose, the SEAT Tarraco is an easy car to get on with. Up front, you get loads of adjustment for the driver’s seat and steering wheel – so getting comfy is easy. Meanwhile, the middle row of seats has loads of room for two adults, in fact, even three won’t feel too crushed. The third row is only really suitable for kids mind you, and is a bit of a pain to access if you’re not as flexible as you once were. Unlike the very similar Skoda Kodiaq which is available with five seats, the Tarraco is a seven-seater only. 

The SEAT Tarraco is just as spacious for stuff as it is for people. You get loads of smaller storage bins scattered around the cabin and you can specify handy features like wireless phone charging. 

Even the boot is well thought out. It has space for a small suitcase even with all the SEAT’s seats in use but, with only five seats in place, it’s massive – easily swallowing a set of suitcases without a second thought. Big jobs are simple because all the back seats fold completely flat into the floor and the huge boot opening makes loading bulky items as hassle-free as possible. 

Sitting at the top of the Spanish carmaker’s range is the seven-seater SEAT Tarraco should tick all the boxes for many family car buyers. We think so, as it was a double winner in the 2021 Parkers new Car Awards. It also completes SEAT’s SUV line-up alongside the popular Arona and Ateca. 

Not only is the Tarraco up against the spacious Peugeot 5008 and the distinctive-looking Hyundai Santa Fe, it also has two close cousins to contend with in the forms of the Skoda Kodiaq and Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace. Make no mistake, the Tarraco, Tiguan and Kodiaq are very closely aligned – all three sharing the Volkswagen Group’s same long-wheelbase underpinnings and much of their mechanical components. 

This is good news for anyone interested in buying a SEAT Tarraco, as there’s so much shared with its Volkswagen and Skoda sister cars. The benefit for buyers being that although it’s quite new, it’s based on tried and tested tech, with any issues already ironed out. 

The line-up consists of entry-level SE, moving up through SE Technology, Xcellence and Xcellence Lux to begin with. The FR version gains some sportier touches inside and out, including machined alloy wheels, bucket sports seats and a larger infotainment screen. 

In a bid to become more eco-friendly, a plug-in hybrid Tarraco called the e-Hybrid is also available. It’s powered by a 1.4-litre TSI petrol in combination with an electric motor and total power output is 245hp, with 400Nm of torque available – matching that of the diesel. All-electric range is claimed to be around 31 miles, with CO2 emissions rated at below 50g/km. It’s not on sale in the UK yet, but we’ll keep you posted when it arrives. 

It is a handsome car, as SUVs go. The company face is sharp, even if the Tarraco’s silhouette is very similar to the Kodiaq’s – unsurprising given the shared architectural underwear – though the Seat is marginally longer, lower and more angular. Look at those bonnet fins and the geometric grille. At the back there’s a fashionable full-width light bar across the boot lid, although it doesn’t actually light up, so it’s just a useless strip of plastic. Shame about the fake, blanked-out exhaust trims, too. Why bother? 

You have a choice of three petrol engines – a 148bhp 1.5-litre and a 2.0-litre with 187bhp or 242bhp – plus two 2.0-litre diesels, producing 148bhp and 197bhp. 

Entry-level models are front-wheel drive with a six-speed manual, grander specs offering the possibility of a seven-speed DSG auto and 4WD. Whatever the prevailing wisdom might be, if you don’t have to venture through an emissions zone and you’re pumping in the miles you’ll want the torque and economy of the diesels. For quick school runs the petrol's are fine – indeed, most people will opt for the 1.5 TSI. 

The stylish looking SEAT Tarraco seven-seater SUV offers plenty of space for the family and will even keep the driver entertained with a surprisingly sporty drive. Closely related to the Skoda Kodiaq and Volkswagen Tiguan, the Tarraco is as classy and robust as you'd expect a model to be from the VW Group stable. 

There’s no electrified model available yet, but the petrol and diesel engines offer good economy as well as decent pace, while the Tarraco's keen pricing means that it deserves some consideration. 

The Tarraco is SEAT's first SUV that offers seven seat flexibility. With a large boot and a generous level of equipment, it can comfortably meet the demands of a growing family, although the third row of seats – which are standard across the range – are best reserved for occasional use. 

The Tarraco is closely related to the Skoda Kodiaq, but the SEAT edges the Skoda in terms of styling and driver appeal, although it can’t match its Czech mate when it comes to practicality and flexibility. There is no shortage of other rivals, with the Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace, Hyundai Santa Fe and Kia Sorento offering seven seats for occasional use. 

In a very short space of time, SEAT has progressed from a company with no SUVs to having three for sale in dealers. The Tarraco sits at the top of the SUV family, above the compact Ateca and small Arona, and it’s closely related to the Kodiaq. Indeed, it sits on the same platform, but while the Kodiaq is focused on flexibility and practicality, the Tarraco has a sportier feel, as it sits 20mm lower than its Skoda counterpart.  

That doesn’t make the Tarraco a sporty car, but as seven-seat SUVs go, it offers a fair amount of driver appeal. It feels good in corners and rides well over all surfaces, with only a limited level of body roll when cornering. 

Thanks to LED lighting at the front and rear, a bold corporate face and chunky SUV styling, the Tarraco is one of the best looking seven-seat SUVs on the market, especially in one of the Xcellence trims, which ride on 19- or 20-inch alloy wheels.  

Be warned, though: the larger alloy wheels might look the part, but the Tarraco rides better on smaller wheels. There are a choice of petrol and diesel engines, with four-wheel drive available if you need it. 

SEAT has now realigned the model range, reflecting a simpler line-up for buyers to engage with. SE and SE Technology make up the more affordable trims, followed by a choice of sportier or luxury versions, with the FR, FR Sport, Xcellence and Xcellence Lux. 

Standard specification is high, with even SE cars offering metallic paint, LED headlights and rear lights, an eight-inch touchscreen, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, easy-fold rear seat system, rear parking sensors, auto lights and wipers and three ISOFIX points in the middle row.