SEAT Altea XL (07 on) - Review

Review by Dan Harrison on
Last Updated: 13 April 2011
The Altea XL is a jumbo-size version of SEAT's popular and distinctive five seat people carrier. It's almost 19cm longer than the standard car and although this doesn't sound a lot, it substantially increases space in the rear, so both passenger legroom and boot space are increased. Aside from that, the Altea XL is the same in every department, so that means you get a range of powerful and efficient petrol and diesel engines, generous amounts of equipment and - for a people carrier - a good drive. It was revised in 2009 with some subtle exterior tweaks and new engines. However, the biggest changes came inside where the interior was given a more upmarket feel and look. In 2010 an Ecomotive model was introduced which has impressive fuel economy and low CO2 emissions, making it very cheap to run.
4 out of 5

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3.5 out of 5

Buying new

The Altea XL was revised in mid-2009 and the trim levels changed from Reference and Stylance to S, SE and Sport. SEAT usually has offers running - such as 0% finance - so it's worth taking advantage of these. The newer 2.0 TDI 170 engine is a common rail unit that's far quieter than smoother than the older TDI unit. However it's worth remembering that the 2.0 TDI 140 is still the older Pumpe Duse version. The 1.6 TDI Ecomotive model is the low emissions version which is cheap to tax and very economical.

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3 out of 5

Buying used

The Altea XL has more alternatives than the standard Altea and as a result you can expect to see fewer on the second hand market. The most common is the 1.9 TDI Stylance (later SE) with 105bhp. That's a good thing as this is a cheap to run model: well equipped (Tom Tom sat nav is standard), it cruises well and is economical. Plus there should be a good choice of used examples. As always, the best cars are within the SEAT dealer network. Their Approved Used scheme includes at least a year's warranty and breakdown cover, a 30-day exchange policy and a car history check.

  • Boot/Load Space SEAT Altea XL (07 on)
  • Interior SEAT Altea XL (07 on)

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See 69 used SEAT Altea XLs for sale, starting at £5,961

3 out of 5

Selling

It may be tough to sell the benefits of the Altea XL's roomier interior to future buyers who can pick up the regular Altea - which is already spacious and has a big boot - for a little cheaper. That said, the XL will command a small premium over the standard model. All models are also well equipped while the Volkswagen connection will give buyers reassurance about reliability.