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

Other SEAT reviews

4 out of 5

Running costs

The XL should be reasonably cost effective to run with all models economical and with reasonably low emissions. Insurance groups are 4 or 5 for most models going up to 11 for the newer TDI 170 Sport, while servicing tends to be good value at SEAT dealers. Depreciation is the biggest burden. The Altea XL is quite expensive if looked at as a five-seat hatchback - e.g. a Ford Focus or Vauxhall Astra - and used values have fallen to reflect this. For the most cost effective model, go for the Ecomotive, introduced in 2010. It's cheap to tax thanks to CO2 emission of 119g/km.

* based on most recent data

Estimated fuel cost for 10,000 miles per year

Unleaded

£1,252 - £1,980 *

Diesel

£1,034 - £1,393 *

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)

£30.00 - £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

4.5 out of 5

Green credentials

  • A
  • B
  • C
    119
  • D
  • E
  • F
  • G
  • H
  • I
  • J
  • K
    214
  • L
  • M

CO2 emission figure (g/km)

Fuel economy rating

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

Emissions summary

The Altea XL is a fairly environmentally friendly choice for green buyers. With an average of 175g/km CO2 across the range, its emissions are quite low for a people carrier. The 1.9 TDI is pretty clean, emitting 146g/km of CO2 and averaging 52mpg, but the newer 1.6 TDI Ecomotive, launched in 2010, is even better with emissions of 119g/km of CO2 and average fuel economy of 63mpg.

Find the exact engine and CO2