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The SEAT Tarraco has a decent shout at fulfilling the brief 鈥渁ll the car you鈥檒l ever need鈥�. It has plenty of space for four adults and a couple more seats in the boot that kids will love. It鈥檚 also dead easy to drive and has a range of engines that won鈥檛 cost a fortune to run.

Its cabin is a true highlight. There鈥檚 nothing flashy about the design 鈥� in fact, it鈥檚 only a little fussier than the cabin you get in a Skoda Kodiaq 鈥� but it鈥檚 still very easy to use and feels durable. It also looks pretty high-tech because all models get a huge display screen instead of dials behind the steering wheel that鈥檚 only an option in the Skoda. It can transform into a big sat-nav map in all but basic models.

Whichever model you choose, the SEAT Tarraco is an easy car to get on with. Up front, you get loads of adjustment for the driver鈥檚 seat and steering wheel 鈥� so getting comfy is easy. Meanwhile, the middle row of seats has loads of room for two adults, in fact, even three won鈥檛 feel too crushed. The third row is only really suitable for kids mind you, and is a bit of a pain to access if you鈥檙e not as flexible as you once were. Unlike the very similar Skoda Kodiaq which is available with five seats, the Tarraco is a seven-seater only.

The SEAT Tarraco is just as spacious for stuff as it is for people. You get loads of smaller storage bins scattered around the cabin and you can specify handy features like wireless phone charging.

Even the boot is well thought out. It has space for a small suitcase even with all the SEAT鈥檚 seats in use but, with only five seats in place, it鈥檚 massive 鈥� easily swallowing a set of suitcases without a second thought. Big jobs are simple because all the back seats fold completely flat into the floor and the huge boot opening makes loading bulky items as hassle-free as possible.

And that easy-going nature carries through to the way the SEAT Tarraco drives. Sure, there鈥檚 a bit of a blind spot over your shoulder but the view out the front is excellent and standard rear parking sensors make reversing that bit less nerve-wracking.

Move up the range and you can also have a rear-view camera or a 360-degree camera, which make tight manoeuvring even easier. Models from FR trim and upwards can also park themselves (you do the accelerator and brake while the car takes care of the steering).

That said, the SEAT Tarraco feels best as a long-distance cruiser. It鈥檚 quiet and comfortable on the motorway, calm and composed on winding country roads and gets important safety features like automatic emergency braking as standard.

A good mixture of economical petrol and diesel engines means there鈥檚 something for everyone and you can also choose to have four-wheel drive and a smooth-shifting automatic gearbox.

Of course all this adds to the price, but the SEAT Tarraco is still quite competitively priced 鈥� but check out our SEAT Tarraco deals to see how much you can save on one. You can also browse the latest used Tarraco stock from our network of trusted dealers, as well as seeing which other used SEAT models are available. And if you want to sell your car online, carwow can help with that, too.

The Tarraco鈥檚 pricing compares well with the likes of the Hyundai Santa Fe and Kia Sorento, although in fairness those are slightly larger cars. It鈥檚 also cheaper than the Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace, which is a very similar car under the skin.

It鈥檚 not just keenly priced, it鈥檚 well equipped too. Even the most basic models come with the essentials and one or two nice-to-haves as well. You certainly don鈥檛 have to shell out for one of the more expensive specs unless you want some extra toys like bigger alloys and some shinier trim to give the looks a bit of a lift.

Competent and comfortable on the motorway, but it鈥檚 not the most comfortable around town

In town聽

You sit up high in the Tarraco 鈥� no great surprise as this is an SUV. That gives a good view of the road ahead, although thick rear pillars obstruct the view over your shoulder a bit. An iffy view is not ideal when reverse parking, but every Tarraco comes with rear parking sensors, which helps. As we鈥檝e already mentioned, from FR spec upwards you get a Park Assist feature that takes care of all that tricky wheel-twirling for you.

What鈥檚 not so great is the firm ride. It鈥檚 not so uncomfortable as to be a deal-breaker, but there鈥檚 no doubt the Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace rides more smoothly at low speeds. The firmness is particularly noticeable on high-spec Tarracos with big alloy wheels. The 20-inch alloys on FR Sport and Xperience Lux cars make the ride that bit stiffer.

If you want to give your left leg a rest in traffic, every engine is available with a DSG automatic. In fact, some of the more powerful engine choices only come with an auto. The 鈥檅ox changes gear smoothly although it can be a bit hesitant to change down for a quick burst of acceleration.

On the motorway聽

While many SEAT Tarraco will be used on the school run, the car is even more at home on the motorway. There鈥檚 decent performance from any of the engines, even the entry-level 150hp petrol, while the 245hp petrol makes the SEAT surprisingly quick for a family SUV.

Once up to speed, there鈥檚 not too much noise to put up with whatever engine you choose. You might hear a bit of wind around the door mirrors, but otherwise the Tarraco is a quiet and comfortable motorway cruiser.

If you do a lot of motorway miles, think about one of the diesels. With 150 or 200hp, these perform well and will deliver better fuel economy on a long run than the petrol models.

On a twisty road

SEAT likes to make sporty cars, but it鈥檚 had an uphill battle making the Tarraco fun to drive. Don鈥檛 get us wrong, it can handle itself on a twisty road, but you鈥檙e conscious that this is a tall and fairly heavy car. Twist the Tarraco鈥檚 arm and it will come out and party, just so long as it鈥檚 home and in bed by 11.

If that country road is wet and greasy, you鈥檒l be glad to drive one of the four-wheel-drive models. Badged 鈥�4Drive鈥�, these cars will be more secure in bad weather but with a slight penalty to pay at the fuel pumps.

The Tarraco is very practical, although space is a bit tight in the third row, which is also difficult to access

The SEAT has a high seating position, just as you鈥檇 expect of an SUV. There鈥檚 plenty of adjustment, too, with a steering wheel that moves for height as well as reach and lots of scope to tweak the driver鈥檚 seat.

The standard seats fitted to SE and SE Technology cars are fine, but go for FR spec and above and you get sports seats that are more supportive, especially on bends and roundabouts. Adjustment is electric on FR spec and above, with moveable lumbar support and a memory function so you can save your driving position. Cloth upholstery is also swapped out for leather on FR Sport spec.

You don鈥檛 go short of storage space in the front of the Tarraco. The door bins are huge and felt-lined so that any odds and ends won鈥檛 rattle around. There are twin-cupholders between the front seats, and they adjust to grip different size cups, so you shouldn鈥檛 spill your coffee whether you choose a shot of espresso or an extra-large latte. Perhaps the glovebox could be a little bigger, but we don鈥檛 think many owners will complain.

There鈥檚 space for your phone at the base of the centre console, and storage for a pair of sunglasses in the roof. Just remember that you lose this storage for sunglasses if you tick the option box for a panoramic sunroof.

Space in the back seats

Every Tarraco is a seven-seater 鈥� unlike the Skoda Kodiaq, there鈥檚 no option to go with five seats for a lower price and more boot capacity.

There鈥檚 lots of space for two in the middle row with plenty of head and legroom, although three is a bit of a squeeze. You鈥檒l be bashing elbows if you do sit three adults in the middle row and the chunky transmission tunnel gets in the way a bit. The seats recline for a quick nap on a long journey.

The third row is pretty cramped and best kept for kids, although it鈥檚 more bearable if those in the middle row slide their seats forward a bit.

ISOFIX mounting points are fitted to the outer two seats in the middle row, as well as the front passenger seat.

Boot space

Like a lot of seven-seat cars, the Tarraco鈥檚 boot is fairly small if all seven seats are upright 鈥� at 230 litres it's less than you'd get in a Ford Fiesta. There鈥檚 definitely less luggage room with every seat occupied than you鈥檇 find in a Kia Sorento.

Things improve a lot once you have folded the third row into the floor using the levers on either side of the boot. With an impressive 700 litres of space, there's loads of room for holiday suitcases. It sits around the middle of its alternatives, with more space than a Skoda Kodiaq (630 litres), but less than a Peugeot 5008 (780 litres).

There鈥檚 more space under the floor, too, so long as you stick with the standard tyre repair kit rather than opting for a spare wheel.

With the middle row folded down as well, the Tarraco is big enough to cope with really big loads, and has more space than a Hyundai Santa Fe. However, its 1,775 litres is down on the circa-2,000 litres you get in a Kodiaq and 5008 .

The cabin is really well laid out, but it's not the most stylish design and the quality of materials is hit and miss

Being so similar to the Skoda Kodiaq and Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace is a good and bad thing. It鈥檚 good, because the SEAT鈥檚 dash is sensibly laid out and easy to use. It鈥檚 not so good, because the look-alike cabin design is a bit dull and samey. There鈥檚 not a lot in the way of Spanish flair.

The build quality appears impressive at first, but on closer inspection some of the Tarracos we鈥檝e driven had fit and finish problems. The plastics on the top of the dash look and feel upmarket, but they get a bit hard and scratchy on the lower centre console and doors.

There鈥檚 good news if you hate scrolling through touchscreen menus to change the temperature in the cabin 鈥� the Tarraco has separate air-con controls beneath the infotainment screen. It鈥檚 a lot easier to reach for a physical button to make a quick adjustment than to navigate a touchscreen menu.

Go for SE spec and you get an 8.25-inch touchscreen with a DAB radio, three USB-C charge ports and one aux-in jack, eight speakers and Bluetooth connectivity. The other models have a larger 9.2-inch screen with satellite navigation.

Shortcut buttons make the infotainment easy to use, and the screen is reasonably responsive. It is an absolute magnet for mucky fingermarks, though.

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard fit on every SEAT Tarraco. With SE spec you鈥檒l need to connect through a cable, but go for any other level and the connection is wireless.

Every Tarraco comes with a package of online services called SEAT Connect. There鈥檚 a 10-year subscription to the safety and service features, including private emergency calling. There鈥檚 a one-year subscription to driving data, parking position, and remote locking and unlocking of the car.

FR spec and above have more SEAT Connect functions, including online traffic information and over-air map updates.

There are no tax-busting all-electric or plug-in hybrid versions of the SEAT Tarraco. Buyers have a choice of one petrol engine and one diesel engine, both with 150hp and a choice of manual and automatic transmissions (though the manual is only offered on lower trims).

For high-mileage drivers looking for low fuel bills, the 150hp 2.0-litre diesel is the most economical. The two-wheel-drive manual returns an official 47.1-52.3mpg, which is pretty good for a seven-seat SUV. The DSG auto is only a little thirstier (47.1-51.4mpg).

Go for petrol, and the 150hp front-wheel-drive car is still pretty good on fuel. The official tests suggest you can expect 38.2-42.2mpg.

Company car drivers looking for low emissions for a small tax bill are best off with the 150hp diesel, with CO2 emissions from 142g/km.

Private buyers who don鈥檛 want to pay more Vehicle Excise Duty than they have to should think twice about buying a Tarraco costing over 拢40,000. Above this price you鈥檒l have to pay extra in years two to six, though this is likely to only be a concern for those buying the very top specification of Tarraco.

The Tarraco scored five stars out of five when it was tested by the safety experts at Euro NCAP in 2019.

Every model comes with autonomous emergency braking that will apply the brakes if the driver isn鈥檛 paying attention and a collision is likely. SEAT鈥檚 clever system can detect pedestrians as well as other cars.

All Tarracos also come with an emergency call button and a lane assist system to help keep the car in the middle of its lane. Every car comes with an alarm.

SEAT tends to finish midfield in customer satisfaction and reliability surveys. Serious trouble is relatively rare and the cars tend to be reasonably affordable to put right if problems do occur.

So far it looks like the Tarraco is as reliable as other SEATs, and most of the mechanical components are tried and tested.

The Tarraco comes with a three-year or 60,000-mile warranty that should protect you against any unexpected bills. The length of cover can be extended at extra cost.