Say hello to…
…the Seat Tarraco, a seven-seat SUV powered by a choice of 1.5 or 2.0-litre petrol or 2.0-litre diesel engines with power ranging from 150-245hp. Seat’s Tarraco is the largest car the brand produces and rivals cars such as the Hyundai Santa Fe and the Kia Sorento.
Six trim levels are on offer:
- SE
- SE Technology
- FR
- FR Sport
- Xcellence
- Xcellence Lux
Standard equipment on the SE is three-zone climate control, rear parking sensors, 8-inch colour infotainment screen, 17-inch alloys, powered folding door mirrors, front fog lights, auto wipers, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, USB socket, leather wrapped steering wheel and gear lever, cruise control, drive modes, three Isofix points and lane assist.
SE Technology adds 18-inch alloys, satnav and tinted rear windows.
FR adds 19-inch alloys, heated and powered front seats with memory, sports styling, adaptive cruise control, keyless entry and go, powered tailgate and park assist.
FR Sport adds 20-inch alloys, surround camera, heated front and outer rear seats, heated washer nozzles and leather sports front seats.
On top of SE Technology trim Xcellence adds 19-inch alloys, satnav, front sports seats in Alcantara, adaptive cruise control, keyless entry and go, powered tailgate and park assist and rear-view camera.
Xcellence Lux adds 20-inch alloys, leather front sports seats, powered driver’s seat with memory, surround camera, heated front and outer rear seats plus heated washer nozzles.
Is The Seat Tarraco Suitable For My Fleet
If your drivers need to carry seven people (or five and a lot of luggage) over long distances then the Tarraco makes sense as a fleet car. Equally, if plugging in is a particular issue, which it can be for some drivers, then the Seat Tarraco adds up for fleet. The boot is a massive 700 litres in five-seat mode and even in seven-seat set-up there’s still just about enough room in the 230-litre boot for a couple of squashy bags. However, because there’s no plug-in version, benefit-in-kind tax is high. In the case of our test car, 37% high. At this level, a 40% tax band employee would be paying £483 a month, according to Gensen and the Class 1A NIC would be £139 per month.
Leasing A Seat Tarraco
Monthly lease costs for a Seat Tarraco on a 3+36 month contract from Intelligent Car Leasing for the model on test here comes in at £560 a month for a 20,000 mile a year deal.
However, if you don’t need the all-wheel drive or the auto gearbox, then you can bring this figure below £500.
Driving A Seat Tarraco
Practicality and ease is at the heart of the Tarraco driving experience. The Tarraco is by no-means a small car, but it does package seven seats well, and in five-seat mode it also offers a huge boot, better than many of its rivals.
Access to the rear-most row of seats isn’t too much of a pfaff and while they’re best for kids, you could get smaller adults in at a push. The only disappointing aspect to the practicality is that the only seats to have Isofix mounts for child seats are the outer two in the middle row and the front passenger seat. So you’ll not get three boosters across the middle row.
Older kids, however, will love the rear aircon and USB sockets.
Up front, Seat has installed the latest VW Group infotainment system which divides opinion. While it looks great and removes the need for a sea of buttons, it’s far from intuitive to use. Fortunately, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard.
Seat uses a seven-speed DSG automatic in the Tarraco which is smooth and refined in conjunction with the 200hp diesel in everyday use. Despite the decent power figure and good levels of torque or shove, the Tarraco doesn’t have great step-off which can make nipping into gaps in traffic or entry onto busy roundabouts less than smooth. It’s a little bit all-or-nothing with the gearbox often slow to find the right gear.
This aside, for a large SUV, the Tarraco is comfortable and well controlled in the corners. The all-wheel drive system also helps the car’s grip in tighter corners where in a front-drive version you could expect an inside wheel to spin a little. And the larger 19-inch alloys also don’t appear to harm the way the car rides.
At motorway speeds the refinement is impressive, given we’re talking about a 2.0-litre diesel and not an electric car.
For those that require a larger SUV that can cover mega-miles without needing to stop frequently the Seat Tarraco is a solid choice.
FleetandLeasing.com Verdict On The Seat Tarraco
A mix of super-practical, old-school diesel with all-wheel drive and high-tech equipment. If you can’t go plug-in, it’s an attractive product.
Seat Tarraco
- Model: Tarraco FR 2.0 TDI 200 4Drive automatic
- Power: 200hp
- Torque: 400Nm
- Max speed: 130mph
- 0-62mph: 7.8s
- Official fuel consumption: 42.8mpg
- Test fuel consumption: 41.1mpg
- CO2 emissions: 173g/km
- BIK tax band 2022/23: 37%
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