SEAT ALTEA XL Estate 2007 on

There is a good amount of cabin room and the driving position is excellent. We have 2 young children and they find the car comfortable and easy to see out of. Main issue space between them if we take a 5th person. If you have 3 Children take the booster seats with you when you have a test drive. If there’s a 3rd child they go in the front seat and the adult sits in the back between the child seats. Ok on short journeys but not comfortable on long ones.

Leg room for adults is good.

The Radio / CD Player has a good sound and is very easy to use. MP3 Plus is useful. The A/C is also very effective.

Auto lights and washers are a very useful feature. Also the way the lights stay on for a while when you get home in the dark (and how they come on when you unlock the car - which helps in dark car parks.)

Engine Noise. The engine has a sporty sound and it’s quite obtrusive when on a long journey. Take it on a decent drive before you buy,

Goes when you put your foot down. We get around 45 MPG in the warmer months and 42 in the colder ones, We have had it close to 50 MPG when on a long run and sticking to 60 MPH.

Decent boot has 2 compartments. The lower part has a cover and we store things that are not often used here. There is ample space for luggage and the rear seats slide forward to give a bit more room if needed. The rear seats are split 60/40 and fold down quite easily making a lot more space if needed for trips to the recycling centre etc.

The 20K Service wast £180-00 (in 2011) and the 30K Service £129-00 (in 2012).

The worst thing is the hidden costs. The car needs a new Cambelt every 4 years or 40,000 miles. This will cost £299-00 but also recommend the water pump is changed so £399-00. An expensive addition every 4 years.

FAULTS:

Only fauly experienced is with the rear washer. So far it has become disconnected twice needing refitting. As some of the covers need removing this has been done by the dealer (without charge)

Would we buy one again? No, mainly because of the Cambelt issue but also the noise. We would check the Cambelt life of other cars (as well as service costs) before buying and probably go for a ‘petrol’ car and have it converted to run with LPG to get running costs down.

In the year prior to buying an Altea XL I had had three cars, all of which could not hold a candle to the Altea. Those were: two Audi A4's and a C class Mercedes. All were high spec models, less than 4 years old and with low mileages. All had issues; some more serious than others, as in the case of the Audi's which had oil pump, balancer shaft, air con pump and injector issues all in 7 months.

However, with the arrival of our two grandsons we decided to go for something more practical. Didn't really expect the Altea XL to be up there refinementwise with the aforementioned but have been pleasantly surprised because it equals and while cruising exceeds all of the aforementioned.

Bought at two years old with 31K miles in March 2011, I've now added a further 10K miles with only one issue - new gear linkage cable, fixed under warranty.

Appearance:

We both liked the Altea XL's appearance; much sportier looking than it's competitors such as the Touran, Picasso, etc.

Spec:

The Stylance spec includes auto headlights and wipers, auto dimming rear view mirror, dual climate control, heated/folding wing mirrors, cruise control, excellent stereo, rear sunblinds (brilliant protection for the bambinos), reverse parking sensors, 3 x 12V power points, folding/ sliding rear seats and lots of storage spaces.

Performance:

Obviously, we didn't buy the Altea XL for performance but although standard fit 1.9TDI PD engine was adequate it wasn't what you'd say scintillating. I've improved that quite significantly by fitting a £75 TDI tuning box. It's also smoother and acceleration mid-range is quite a revelation.

Reliability:

Apart from the aforementiond gear linkage the car has been totally trouble free.

Driving:

Suspension isn't as pliant as some of its rivals but I like the slightly sporty feel. Bump suppression is excellent.

Surprisingly, for quite a tall car, there's very little roll in the corners.

The high driving position makes for excellent visibility.

Space:

LOTS.

Downsides:

FEW.

Some might find the A pillars create quite a blind spot when negotiating tight corners.

Loops for releasing the rear seats for folding are a bit fiddly.

Top surface of rear bumper is too easily scuffed. (I've fitted a protector.)

I drive 120 miles per day, mostly motorway with 15 miles on A roads. If you set the cruise at 70mph you get 50+ mpg out of the 1.9tdi - fantastic car with superb spec on the Stylance. Audio jack point comes in handy as does dual climate / rain sensors / rear parking sensors.

Mines got 63k miles and runs like a dream. Noisier engine than my previous 1.9tdi passat (06 plate with 120k miles) but hasn't had any issues and does what you want it to. It's a car to relax in rather than to race in - performance is in it's economy / safety / reliability rather than speed or handling.

The car takes family of 4 with ease, boot space is excellent for camping trips with kids. Rear seats slide forward giving extra load space.

All good!

I bought this car to replace a Leon which my grandkids had outgrown,

I find it practical, roomy and pleasant to drive, though N.V.H. could be improved.

Driven gently it's possible to get 38+ m.p.g. even in urban driving and

42+ m.p.g. on a long run.

Apart from a faulty rear washer it's been totally reliable and I will

probably buy a Seat Exeo next.

bought the car oct 2007 it was a pre registered car with 500 miles on the clock since then I have done 45000 miles with absolutley no problems at all apart from services and new tyres the car has been totally reliable the boot is huge the seats are comfortable and are great for long journeys the only downside is the 1600 petrol engine can be thirsty around town 25-30 mpg on a motorway run it reaches 38-40mpg overall a very good car

Have owned car for 21/2 years and use it every day to travel to and from work (a forty mile round trip) . Being a both a diesel and auto transmission it returns very good MPG. Vehicle has now done over 38,000miles and have had very few problems except for a minor problem with DSG gearbox which was repaired under warranty and replaced a couple of brake light bulbs.

Servicing cost are average have only replaced front tyres and rear brakes (unusual on an automatic car).

Handling is average for this design of vehicle and car comfortable on long journeys.

DSG gearbox is smooth changing but sometimes a little bit strange from a normal auto as it will roll back on a steep hill start.

It will not always be first away from the traffic lights but will not be far behind!

The load capacity is good and is even better when the easy folding back seats and laid down for the 'dump run'

The car is well spec'd with climate control, good easy to radio/cd player and has mp3 plug. Both front seats are height adjustable and both have lumbar support.

I would recommend this vehicle consider it good value for money.

This is a fabulous all round family car, tons of space inside, it takes all that is thrown at it! It handles very well and is a pleasure to drive.

Reliable and well built as with all SEATS, this is our 7th so that speaks volumes!!.

Quite simply this is a brilliant car. Picked the car up as a pre reg with 5 miles on the clock for £13k. Car is now 3 1/2 years old and has done 62k miles. In that time we've had to replace (under warranty) the cruise control switch and the rear boot catch, so nothing to worry about. Fuel economy sits about 42 mpg sometime get 46mpg on a long run. Changed the rear tyres once and the fronts twice.

Slight downside is that it needs serviced every 10k miles which meant almost every six months for us.

Equipment levels are superb and the amount of space is brilliant. We use the car to go camping, so far it's been all round ireland, several places in the uk and to Austria twice. It swallows all we need for two weeks away with ease. Doesn't grunble at being loaded and will do 100mph on the autobahn in comfort.

Can't recommend it enough and will buy another one when the time comes.

This is a fast, roomy car. Handles well, although the stiff suspension can make town driving a bit of a crash bang affair. The high torque and also can cause problems with traction on quick getaways if your heavy with your foot on the accelerator, but its not a problem once you get used to the clutch bite point.

As a family car you really do appreciate the space offered by the massive boot, and the comfort for even the tallest passengers. This car will comfortably take 5 adults.

The 1.8 turbo petrol engine is very smooth and quiet, and only the road noise can be a bit intrusive on some road surfaces, but its no worse and much better than many other cars in its price range.

The petrol consumption for a combination of town and extra urban driving averages about 31 mpg. On a long european trip, keeping to speed limits, 45 mpg can easily be achieved.

Front tyres will be due for first replacement at 25k miles.

No reliability problems, and reasonable servicing costs by main dealer. I really like this car and would have no hesitation in repeating the purchase when due for replacement.

Bought as a replacement for my contract VW Touran. This car has proved to be every bit as reliable and enjoyable to drive as the Touran. Equipment level is very good and the aux in for the CD Radio is a useful addition. While the diesel engine is slightly noisy, it does move the car briskly when you want it to. Unlike the Touran, the Altea only has a 5 speed gearbox, but surprisingly gives slightly better fuel economy. The inclusion of cruise control is a benefit for motorway miles.

Seating is firm, but comfortable, though the middle seat in the rear is best suited to a child. The boot area is well sized and can be extended by sliding the rear seats forward. In addition to this, the removal load floor means everyday items can be loaded and unloaded without worrying about the rear lip.

In car storage is not great. The storage trays under the front seats aren't particularly big, neither is the glovebox. The centre storage between the front seats is split in two, with a smaller top section useful for wallets or other smaller items while the bottom section can be used for storing SatNavs and MP3 players out of sight.

All in all, a very good, easy to drive practical car. Combined with low running costs and from my perspective, low insurance costs an excellent car for both everyday use and longer distances.