Auto Trader Ten Point Test Rating: 81%

Described by SEAT as an MSV (multi-sports vehicle), the Altea lies somewhere between a sporty hatch and an MPV.

Ford might try and lay claim to inventing the genre of a fun people carrier with the S-Max, but the Altea was there first.

But an MPV without practicality is no use – even if it is sporty. We spent a week with the hot Altea FR to find out if there's ability behind its smart appearance.

Looks | Looks Inside | Practicality | Ride and Handling | Performance
Running Costs | Reliability |Safety | Equipment | X-Factor

1. Looks

The Altea is certainly the most attractive MPV on the road, although the Ford S-Max runs a close second. The front looks like a tall Leon, with similarly-shaped headlights flanking an oval-ish grille. The rear is dominated by the huge tailgate, with a couple of small light clusters, while the sides feature a heavy 'swage line', which curves down from the headlights, over the front wheelarches and down towards the rear wheels. We drove the racy FR – or Formula Racing – model, which continues the Altea's sporty look with silver coloured wing mirrors, 17-inch alloys, unique front and rear bumpers and exclusive FR badging.

9/10

2. Looks inside

The Altea loses out to its direct MPV competitors by only being a five-seater, but there's plenty of space in the front and back. If more space is required, Seat can supply an Altea XL, which is a stretched version with more bootspace. Like the exterior, the cabin takes its look from the Leon, with a similar – if more lofty – dashboard. The sporty – and very supportive seats feature a bold FR logo, as do the steering wheel and gearstick.

8/10

3. Practicality

The Altea – and larger Altea XL – will lose a certain amount of sales through the lack of a third row of seats, but the MPV does allow plenty of space for its five occupants. The leg and head room in the front and back are worth a special mention. Seat has thought outside the box when it comes to cabin storage. As well as the expected cupholders and door pockets, there's a false floor in the boot and spaces in the sides of the boot for odds and ends.

8/10

4. Ride and Handling

The Altea doesn't just look sporty – it is sporty. It demonstrates driving dynamics more akin to a hot hatch than an MPV, with very little of the bodyroll people carrier pilots would expect. The suspension is taut, steering responsive and gearchange slick. The hot FR model we tested gets sportier suspension, which is slightly firmer than standard and sits seven millimetres lower. The ride is still good, even with this more driver-focused setup.

8/10

5. Performance

There are a wide range of engines in the Altea, from a 1.6-litre petrol, to the 2-litre turbocharged unit from the Golf GTi. Diesel options come in 1.9 or 2-litre guises, offering 103bhp, 138bhp or 167bhp in the FR model we tested. This engine has been fitted to most cars in the Volkswagen/Audi group, and offers an excellent blend of performance and economy. It will reach 62mph from rest in 8.2 seconds, before reaching 129mph flat out. It punches well through all of its six gears, and makes mincemeat of slower traffic during overtaking.

8/10

6. Running Costs

With an average fuel consumption of 45.6mpg, the 2-litre diesel FR proved fairly frugal, although less than the less punchy Ford C-Max TDCi 135. But an insurance group of 11 is good for what is effectively a hot hatch. Emissions of 167g/km of CO2 means it just misses out on Band D road tax and falls into the £165 per year Band E. Looking at the Altea as a hatchback means it can look expensive, but consider it as an MPV, and it appears a bit of a bargain – building a car which falls into two camps can often be a double edged sword.

7/10

7. Reliability

Virtually all of the Altea's mechanicals have been used on other Seats, Skodas, Audis and Volkswagens so should prove exceptionally reliable. The Altea we tested felt well built, and there's little anecdotal evidence to show to the contrary.

8/10

8. Safety

The Altea is one of the safest on the market all Alteas are fitted with traction control; six airbags, ABS, ISOFIX child seat brackets and emergency braking assist to apply the brakes harder in the event of a collision. All this adds up to a full five star rating for adult protection in the EuroNCAP crash test programme, and an excellent four star rating for child protection.

10/10

9. Equipment

All models get air-con, all round electric windows, an MP3-ready audio system with an auxiliary input to connect additional devices and cruise control. The Reference Sport model adds alloy wheels and a leather steering wheel and gearknob. Spend a bit extra for the Stylance, and you'll get an eight speaker stereo, automatic headlights and wipers, dual zone climate control, body coloured door handles and mirrors and folding wing mirrors. The FR model we tested also featured sports seats, FR-badged steering wheel and gearknob, sports suspension, larger 17-inch alloy wheels and a bodykit.

8/10

10. X-Factor

Looks and performance are the Altea's strong points – even more so with the hot FR version. The Altea performs well as a five-seat MPV and as a sporty hatchback; it looks the part and is an extremely fun drive.

8/10

Rivals

You might also want to consider:

Toyota Corolla Verso

Vauxhall Zafira

Ford S-Max

Mazda 5

Volkswagen Touran

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