SEAT Altea Freetrack 4 (07-09) - Review

Review by Simon Harris on
Last Updated: 25 June 2009
SEAT's first foray into the 4x4 market, the Freetrack 4 - is still very much in the mould of a stylish and practical, high-performance hatchback - which should be no surprise, as it's based on the Altea. The XL version, to be precise, with its extra rear passenger and luggage space. Off-road hardware is limited to a little extra ground clearance and a four-wheel drive system that automatically sends drive to the rear wheels when the front wheels begin to slip. Some plastic lower-body cladding is thrown in to help it look the part. However, it remains remarkably agile on the road, and extremely nimble thanks to the powerful petrol and diesel engines offered. In 2009 it was revised with subtle exterior tweaks along with a much more upmarket cabin.
4 out of 5

Other SEAT reviews

2.5 out of 5

Running costs

Both models have list prices higher than £20,000, but both are also well equipped (including a rear DVD player). However with SEAT having no off-road credentials, it would be too much to expect them to depreciate as slowly as more established 4x4s. Expect them to be worth about one third of their cost new after three years. Servicing costs should be typical of a mainstream manufacturer, and insurance groups are 11 for the diesel model and 13 for the petrol model.

* based on most recent data

Estimated fuel cost for 10,000 miles per year

Unleaded

£2,046 - £2,046 *

Diesel

£1,563 - £1,563 *

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.

Warranty

Three years/60,000 miles.

Road tax (12 months)

£215.00 - £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

2 out of 5

Green credentials

  • A
  • B
  • C
  • D
  • E
  • F
  • G
  • H
  • I
    179
  • J
  • K
    223
  • L
  • M

CO2 emission figure (g/km)

Fuel economy rating

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

Emissions summary

There is probably no 4x4 on the market that really sits well with environmental concerns and both petrol and diesel versions of the Freetrack 4 have high performance engines. The petrol model has CO2 emissions of 223g/km, which is a little higher than most petrol compact 4x4s, but it is a powerful engine. Must customers are likely to choose the diesel model, which offers CO2 emissions of 179g/km. This is a little higher than the best diesel compact 4x4s, but the SEAT offers strong performance from its 170bhp engine and economy is around 42mpg.

Find the exact engine and CO2