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

4.5 out of 5

Safety

Although it's not been specifically crash-tested by Euro NCAP, the XL is part of the Altea range which means it gets the same maximum five-star rating as the standard car for. It ticks all the boxes for standard safety kit, too, with six airbags, ABS, emergency brake assist and traction control. On the security front, there's an alarm, immobiliser and remote central locking.

NCAP Test

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  • Adult Occupant Rating

    5 out of 5
  • Child Protection Rating

    4 out of 5
  • Pedestrian Test Rating

    3 out of 5
4.5 out of 5

Reliability

The Altea has proved extremely reliable and we've heard of no problems. The XL uses the same engines and components, so should prove equally as durable and trouble-free.

Car check problem points

Body

No problems reported.

Engine/Gearbox

No problems reported.

Other

No problems reported.