SEAT Alhambra

Took delivery of this car in late 2017, it is more than 2 years old now. Besides a flat battery which the emergency service of SEAT promptly attended to, I found this car very commendable. The sales person Eamon kept in touch and was helpful with my querries. I am submitting this review as I feel SEAT is a very under appreciated brand and in appreciation of the dedicated help from the Sales staff. Well done ! My wife (who drives the car) and me have found this the best MPV we have ever had.

Went to test drive the Alhambra at SEAT showroom during the weekends.

First Impressions:

- The Alhambra looks compact for a 7-seater MPV. But once you sit in, it becomes very spacious. Excellent designing on their end!

- It looks almost exactly the same as VW Sharan. (I understand it is built in the same factory)

- A very practical family sized MPV, great for children and adults alike. It has child booster seats, built-in window shades, sliding doors, electric boot door.

Test Drive Impressions:

- Alhambra comes in either 1.4 or 2.0 (both are turbo engines btw). The SE advised me to test drive the 1.4, his reason is because most of the time I only sit 5 persons in the car and so he advised me that 1.4 is sufficient enough. Also, if I like the 1.4, even if eventually I decide to go for 2.0 I know that it will be better than the 1.4 which I test drove. (Actually now I feel the 1.4 is enough for my requirement, since it is also cheaper, price is $147999 for 1.4).

-To my pleasant surprise, the 1.4 Alhambra is very good to drive! The handling is surprisingly good for a car of the size.

- The pick up was good, I assume it is due to the 250Nm of torque.

- The horsepower is also decent at 150bhp.

Conclusion:

- I do like the car. Actually I was aiming for the Toyota Previa, and there is also the Prius +... But now after knowing this Alhambra is a better proposition than the former and it is a continental car... I am so tempted to get the latter... I mean its like, everything is better. My family, especially the kids, they like it when they sit in the car. I will strongly consider this.

Pretty much the same car as a sharan which is a well built gti mpv with reliable DQ250 wet clutch 6 speed. Has more aggressive styling compared to sharan but lacks a sunroof which is one of the reasons i went for sharan instead