Ten Point Test

Auto Trader Ten Point Test rating: 81%

The Seat Altea Freetrack 4 is a curious blend of MPV and off-roader. And at a time when 4×4s are becoming less popular, cars like the Altea Freetrack seem to make more sense.

Unlike traditional off-roaders, which pitch and wallow through bends, the Altea Freetrack retains a good amount of the standard car’s driving verve.

We spent a week with one to find out if it’s a jack of all trades, or a master of none.

1. Looks 8/10

The Seat Altea Freetrack 4 boasts the same fundamental looks as the standard car, but boasts rugged grey plastic bumpers and jacked-up suspension. Even in its bright canary yellow paintwork, it still looks as though it means business off the tarmac.

The front shares its look with the rest of the Seat range with its rugby ball-shaped headlights flanking an oval grille. The rear is dominated by a huge tailgate, and 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.

2. Looks inside 7/10

Stylish, comfortable and well built are three words to describe the Freetrack’s cabin. The seats are supportive, and there’s a chunky steering wheel which features audio controls.

The instrumentation glows in a red hue and all the switches and buttons have a pleasant robust feel. This car also has an exclusive interior trim – a combination of brown and black – and is not to everyone’s tastes.

3. Practicality 8/10

The Seat Altea Freetrack offers a good amount of interior room, although none of the Altea MPV range offers a third row of seats. That means there’s plenty of space of five occupants and lots of luggage. There’s lots of storage space in the cabin, including three roof-mounted boxes and a pair of tables which sprout from the front seat backs. The boot measures 490 litres, rising to 593 litres when the rear seats are slid forward. Fold them flat and space increases to 1,562 litres.

4. Ride and Handling 8/10

There’s very little difference between driving the Seat Altea Freetrack 4 and the standard Altea. It has a little extra ground clearance, and four-wheel drive which only kicks in when needed; otherwise it’s front-wheel drive only. There’s very little body roll, and the steering is very direct – something very unusual for a car with decent off-road ability. Although not designed to traverse jungle tracks, the Freetrack is more than capable of moderately muddy fields and should make an ideal towcar.

Underneath there’s a Haldex clutch-equipped four-wheel drive system, which constantly varies the amount of power sent to the front and rear. In normal driving, it’ll remain in front-wheel drive, but as soon as it detects slip, on mud, ice or gravel, for example, it will send power rearwards.

5. Performance 8/10

Seat offers two potent engines in the Altea Freetrack 4, the same 197bhp engine as found in the Volkswagen Golf GTi hot hatch, and a 170bhp diesel which has been fitted to plenty of cars in the VW/Audi group. Both are good performers, although the diesel will be the engine of choice for most buyers. The petrol engine provides scintillating performance for an off-road MPV – 0-62mph in 7.5 seconds and a top speed of 133mph – while the diesel manages a sub-nine second 0-62mph time and a top speed of 127mph.

6. Running Costs 7/10

The Seat Altea Freetrack 4 has the strongest used values of the whole Altea range when specified with the diesel engine, but one of the worst with the petrol. That has a lot to do with the relative running costs: the diesel covers an average of 41.5mpg while the petrol manages just 30.1mpg. It a similar story when it comes to road tax: the petrol’s 223g/km of CO2 attracts a band F rating (currently £210), while the diesel’s 179g/km means band E and £170 a year.

7. Reliability 8/10

Underneath its components are shared with the Volkswagen Golf, Skoda Octavia and Seat’s own Leon hatchback, so it should prove robust; even with some off-road use (especially if the optional sump guard is fitted). The Haldex four-wheel drive system has been fitted to other cars, such as the Skoda Octavia Scout, so once again should prove reliable.

8. Safety 8/10

The standard Seat Altea scored a full five stars in the EuroNCAP crash tests, and counts eight airbags, ESP with brake assist, ABS, tyre pressure monitoring and ISOFIX child seat mounting brackets among the impressive list of safety features.

9. Equipment 10/10

There’s only one version of the Seat Altea Freetrack 4 available, and it comes packed with kit, considering it costs a smidge over £20,000. A fold-down screen in the roof, rear side window blinds, tables in the seat backs, dual-zone climate control, rear park sensors, rain sensing wipers, front and rear electric windows, heated and electrically-adjustable wing mirrors, cruise control and pre-installed towbar electrics are all standard features.

10. X-Factor 9/10

Seat’s first attempt at an off-roader works very well. Unlike the majority of vehicles with off-road ability, the Altea Freetrack 4 displays impeccable driving manners on the road. And it’ll cope easily with most adverse conditions we’re likely to face in Britain.

Key facts

Model tested: Seat Altea Freetrack 4 2.0 TDi 4×4 manual
On the road price: £19,995
Price range: £19,495 – £19,995
Date tested: April 2008
Road tester: Stuart Milne