Facelifted 2009 Seat Altea car review
Model tested: 2009 Seat Altea 2.0 TDI CR 170hp
Price as tested: n/a
Range Price: n/a
Insurance group as tested: n/a
Insurance group range: n/a
CO2 emissions as tested: 149g/km (Band C £120)
CO2 emissions range: 142-197g/km
EuroNCAP result: n/a
Date and place tested: 30/31 March 2009, Madrid, Spain
Road tester: Adrian Higgins
After the Leon and Ibiza, the Altea is the Spanish car most likely to find a home in the UK.
The family MPV which provides an alternative to the sportier Seat Leon hatchback has been updated to bring it into line with the new family look introduced with the Seat Ibiza.
Facelifted Seat Leon car review
And many of the changes mirror those of its sibling, including:
- Reshaped headlights and taillights
Larger rear-hatch glass
New grille with smaller S badging
New alloys
As with the 2009 Seat Leon, the Spanish carmaker has taken an evolutionary approach to developing the car with, in the main, interior improvements also following a subtle approach.
A new instrument panel and revised centre console take most of the credit for increasing the feeling of quality over the outgoing model. The steering wheel has also been updated and new door panel trim and upholstery introduced.
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Two new engines
As with the Seat Leon, two new range-topping engines, one diesel and one petrol have been added with a common rail diesel engine debuting in the shape of a 2-litre TDI 170bhp engine across the range and a 211bhp 2-litre TSI petrol engine available in the Freetrack.
Engines are linked to a choice of manual and automatic DSG gearboxes (which now feature steering wheel-mounted paddle shifts as standard) with the new diesel engine able to power from 0-62mph in 8.7 seconds and the petrol doing the same job in 7.6 seconds.
We drove the new diesel on the same combination of motorways and twisting B-roads covered in the Leon and the greater emphasis on comfort soon became apparent with the adjusted suspension providing a much softer ride.
Still nimble
But it's still nimble through the corners, and benefits from the same chassis improvements as the Leon, for those occasions when the kids aren't in the back.
Steering wheel-mounted paddle shift controls come as standard on the 2009 Seat Altea, as do hill-hold control and Electronic Stabilisation Programme.
Driver aid Electronic Stabililisation Programme (ESP) is now a standard feature on the car and the list of options available has been extended to include Hill Hold Control, a new navigation system and front and rear parking assistance.
Like the Leon, the Altea has benefitted from some subtle and significant improvements.
It has yet to announce prices for the Leon but says it aims to keep them the same as the current model, subject to significant fluctuations in the exchange rate.
The 2009 Seat Altea will go on sale from July 1.
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