What they said when the Seat Alhambra was new… (Mar 11 2002)
A 2.8 LITRE V6 engine that pumps out 204bhp, a six speed gearbox and a speedo calibrated up to 160 mph - it was all very ominous.
Six spoke alloy wheels, traction control and advanced ABS, in fact virtually every aspect of high performance technology was there.
But this was no beefed up performance beast. At a glance this was a run of the mill people carrier - and only the flamboyant Spanish marque SEAT could have come up with a Sport derivative.
There is nothing new about MPVs with big engines, but when they are tuned to produce sub-ten second 0 to 60 acceleration time it is something completely different.
This mighty version of the SEAT Alhambra is currently the company's top range offering costing £24,395. And in all fairness to the other manufacturers involved in this multi-marque MPV project - Ford with the Galaxy and VW with the Sharan - this engine and its associated performance exists elsewhere.
What comes with the Seat that you can't get with the others is such levels of kit and sophistication. Leather upholstery, sports instrumentation, cruise control and a CD multi-changer are all standard equipment on this latest version of the Alhambra. A redesigned interior featuring switchgear that has a distinct Audi flavour has smartened up the facia while the rest of the car remains as functional and practical as ever.
To cope with the extra power - almost 90bhp more than a normal Alhambra - the suspension has been uprated and the difference is incredible. Nice and taut, this is a car that laps up the corners without the unnerving roll experienced with most others of this ilk.
Sporty driving in an MPV may sound like a contradiction in terms but that is just what this Alhambra delivered. On this particular car it was enhanced by a dream gearbox in which almost unnoticeable changes could be achieved easily. Top speed is a reported 135mph - which with its sister vehicles from the Ford and VW camps - makes it the fastest in its class - while it also holds the honours for being the quickest at just 9.9 seconds for the standing 60.
Perverse it may seem to talk about performance people movers but the end product is something which handles and drives almost as well as a luxury saloon with the benefit of extra seating capacity.
Picnic tables, cup holders and reading lights have all become de rigeur among top notch people movers and there is no exception with the Alhambra. As with other versions in the Alhambra line up there is also the added flexibility of altering the seating pattern quickly and easily. It takes less than a minute to remove any of the five rear seats which means the car can be converted into a huge estate with more than 90 cubic feet of space available in the time it takes to boil an egg.
The normal seating arrangement is 2-3-2 yet remove the middle row and you can create an executive jet style environment with acres of room for the passengers.
Economy, for such a big car with masses of power, is rather good at almost 27 miles per gallon but although this Sport version is a better drive than anything else in the range I find it hard to see that it makes a lot of sense as a family car.
The 1.9 litre diesel Alhambra at a shade under £19,000 is still the best value for money full blown MPV in my book. The Sport may be classy and stylish but realistically all that extra power is pure indulgence.
Words: Chris Russon
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