SEAT Alhambra (00-10) - Review

Review by David Ross on
Last Updated: 12 June 2009
With a spacious cabin, seven seats and proven reliability, the SEAT Alhambra makes an ideal car for larger families. It's actually the sister car to the Volkswagen Sharan and the pre-2006 Ford Galaxy, so you can expect strong build quality and a robust interior. It may not be the newest design, but it's good to drive and comfortable, while the frugal TDI engines mean it can be a good choice if you're looking to keep running costs down. What really appeals, however, is the fact that it's such great value for money while all models come well equipped. This makes it a good buy - new or used.
3.5 out of 5

Other SEAT reviews

4 out of 5

Running costs

In terms of value for money, the Alhambra is a good choice, especially when compared with the Volkswagen Sharan. Most models are also cheap to run, especially the diesels, but be aware that from 2005 the 1.9 TDI is only available with an automatic gearbox and as a result it's not as frugal as you'd imagine while CO2 emissions are high. SEAT servicing is good value though and with a minor service required at 10,000 miles and a major one at 20,000 miles, you won't need too many costly trips to your dealer. Insurance is group 12 for all models expect the 2.0-litre petrol which is group 11

* based on most recent data

Estimated fuel cost for 10,000 miles per year

Unleaded

£2,116 - £2,360 *

Diesel

£1,364 - £1,732 *

The estimated fuel cost figure is a guide to how much this model will cost to fuel each year, so you can compare between cars. It's calculated by using the model's average mpg (calculated from both town centre and motorway driving) and the average fuel price. It's based on the following cost-per-litre: petrol 135p and diesel 141p. Prices are updated daily.

Summary Running Costs

Servicing period

10,000 miles (minor), 20,000 miles (major).

Warranty

Three years/60,000 miles.

Road tax (12 months)

£170.00 - £270.00

Vehicle excise duty (VED) varies according to the CO2 emissions and the fuel type of the vehicle. For cars registered after March 1st 2001 VED or road tax is based on the car's CO2 emissions. For cars registered before March 1st 2001 it is based on engine size.

Full running costs data

3 out of 5

Green credentials

  • A
  • B
  • C
  • D
  • E
  • F
  • G
    159
  • H
  • I
  • J
  • K
  • L
  • M
    259

CO2 emission figure (g/km)

Fuel economy rating

The arrows indicate the best and worst CO2 bands for this model.

Emissions summary

The Alhambra performs moderately on the eco front - helped by the fact that the 1.8-litre T and 2.8-litre V6 engines are no longer available. The Ecomotive models is a dedicated low-emissions version which uses changes - such as low friction tyres and lowered suspension to create less drag - to cut emissions to 159g/km of CO2 (compared to 175g/km in the standard 2.0 TDI). It averages 47mpg.

Find the exact engine and CO2