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THE YOUNG ONES

If your life is dominated by Brats dolls and singing helicopters, here’s something to re-establish the Status Quo…

As well as making family outings a bit more bearable, the new SEAT Altea XL grants you the street-cred you’d thought had long since been lost as a parent. Let’s face it getting in to work on a Monday morning only to discover that you’ve picked up the wrong ‘pretty pink’ lunchbox and your shirt is covered in baby sick isn’t a great way to start the day. Not to worry you’ll redeem yourself by 3pm when the office are all discussing the latest exhibition and needing to transport a few extra canvases. If you can get Prada Pete to go with you, he’s sure to talk up your new motor at the pub later.

The XL does have very good looks for an oversized car and plenty of pulling power. Blessed with SEAT’s sporting blood, the Spanish Automaker has certainly made the most of their torquey TDI diesels. They’ve also got a choice of three FSI direct injection petrol engines, the most potent of which is a 1.8-litre turbo producing 160PS of which the XL is the first in the VW group to use it. Translating its merits in to real driving terms means that it can zip past a queue of caravan traffic before the dual carriage way turns in to a single stretch of road. Tearing its way through the back streets to the supermarket and back before the football starts to get the Cow and Gate you promised to pick up is also well within its remit. It may be taller and wider than the Leon or Ibiza but it isn’t shy of corners, speed bumps or double parked cars. Providing you don’t live in a pokey Victorian cottage where garages were an after thought (and more a token gesture for your penny farthing) then enclosing it over night won’t be a problem either.
Being a family car, it has more safety features than the kids have toys; plenty of airbags all round, including ones that can be disabled, fancy braking and stability systems, isofix seatbelts and a practically rubber-ball type chassis that will bounce back from the majority of grazes and scathes. Rated with 5 stars for Occupant Safety, 4 stars for Child protection and 3 stars for Pedestrian Protection will officially give you the moral upper hand. Then being able to listen to Cherry Ghost and White Stripes in peace will also give you a parental upper hand (for a change). Even when the kids are in the back, you can plug in a DVD or two to the 12 volt sockets, give them some headphones and try out your new MP3 playlist. Once they get bored and restless you can bribe them with raisons and colouring books, the ride is even smooth enough for construction toys if that’s their thing. Their aeroplane style dinner tray found on the front seat back rests also works well as a play table and there’s plenty of places for storing all their brick-a-brack too; heck you won’t even need to talk to them throughout the 3 hour ride to Bournemouth – bliss!

Thanks to air conditioning and a dividing arm rest for the rear seats, elbow wars, hot and bothered kids and cleaning up the melted chocolate on the seats will all be a thing of the past. Because the rear seats also all fold down independently impulse buys at Currys and having a semi open air picnic with the Mrs on a rainy bank holiday isn’t out of the question. If the good spirit so takes you, you can even take the Olds on a trip to the Isle of Wight while your sister looks after the kids; there’s plenty of space for four suitcases even with the seats in use.
As with the Altea, the XL boosts sporty handling and is light work to manoeuvre; this is despite being 39kg heavier and 18cm longer. Extra interior flexibility and 30% more boot space is another perk for XL buyers, the rear end is also kinder on the eyes due to its split tail lights and the roof rails come as standard. Having the option of a DSG gearbox also makes for smoother driving and because it’s still relatively compact it pitches itself against estate models like the Ford Focus and Vauxhall Astra which it still can compete with in terms of pricing.

Starting at £12,995 isn’t a bad proposition it has to be said, especially for a vehicle that really does have everything a young family could ask for. The standard equipment is fairly extensive but there are things on the options list which are definitely worth the money, Sat Nav for example and iPod connectivity. The XL is built for spending a lot of time in hence it’s got the comfort, ease and spirit to go the miles. After all the in the investment you’ve put in to the family, surely its about time you got a little something back yourself and no-one would think you’re being selfish because it benefits them too, bonus!

Verdict

FOR: Sporty looks and handling, 30% more boot space over the Altea and much better interior flexibility
AGAINST: Ok this really is nit-picking because the Altea XL is a great car but the dash is a bit bland and uninspiring. The way everything lights up at night though is pretty cool.
CONCLUSION: The Altea XL is a motor you’ll easily feel at home with, it drives beautifully, looks sporty and has plenty of versatility for young families. Long journeys are its forte and fuel consumption is very reasonable, match that with a competitive price, plenty of standard equipment, safety features and a choice of Six highly competent engines and you’ll have a job finding an argument not to buy one.

Spec

ENGINE: 2.0-litre TDI
POWER: 140 PS @ 4000
TORQUE (lb/ft): 320 Nm @ 1750 - 2500 rpm
0-62mph (sec): 9.9
TOP SPEED: 125
MPG: 36.7/58.9/47.9 (urban/extra-urban/combined)
TRANSMISSION: 6 speed manual (DSG also available)
SUSPENSION: Front: Independent Macpherson with stabilising bar. Rear: Multi-link
BRAKES: Front: 288×25 Rear: 255×10 discs with ABS and TCS
WHEELS: 6.5j x 16″ alloys
TYRES: 205/55 R16 91V
WEIGHT: 1469 KG
PRICE: £16,895
RIVALS: Ford Focus Estate, Vauxhall Astra Estate, Peugeot 307 SW, Renault Megane Sport Tourer