We are still on the hunt for the perfect family car and during the summer holidays, we were lucky enough to be invited to review the new SEAT Tarraco.
The SEAT Tarraco joins the 7-seater SUV market in a bid to rival the Peugeot 5008, Skoda Kodiaq and Hyundai Santa Fe and our first impressions were very good, as it is a good looking car, inside and out.
Most SUV’s have soft curves, but the SEAT Tarraco is almost menacing looking with sharp angles and a geometric grille.
Like other SUV’s, the SEAT Tarraco has a higher riding position which gives a lovely view over the road and scenery ahead and it has a funky digital dashboard, which you can adjust to suit your preferences and clever functions like speed control and lane assist.
I found the floating infotainment system wasn’t intuitive, so was quite tricky to use, but it does come with Sat Nav, Digital Radio, Apple Play and connects easily to your Smart Phone.
It also doubles up as a viewing screen when reversing, which shows your parking position too – perfect for helping to park the car safely.
The air conditioning system was adjustable for both the passenger and the driver, which is fab for us as I prefer it cooler when I am driving, especially distances.
The SEAT Tarraco is keyless, so there is a handy storage area for dropping your keys into as well as USB chargers and adjustable, fold-away cup holders, perfect for holding different sized cups.
There was another USB charger in the rear of the car, perfect for charging any tech on the go.
The Tarraco comes with two ISOFIX points in the rear of the car, but frustratingly, for a big car, it has a 2.5 seat set up, so you cannot get three car seats in a row and there was no way that Isaac could squeeze himself comfortably in the middle.
He was quite happy to sit in the third row of seats though and there was a good amount of boot space available with the third row of seats up.
We found that the leg room on the rear set of seats was quite limited, despite being able to adjust the second row, so if your kids are tall, they could not be able to sit comfortably in the rear of the car – Isaac was ok at 135cm, but Eliza’s friend struggled as she was around 145cm.
The Tarraco was lovely to drive, both on motorways and around town. It was smooth and quiet, with a good pull-away speed at junctions.
There are quite a few handy storage spaces, with large door bins, cubby holes and underfloor storage, plus a hands free tailgate and lighting inside the car to help you see at night.
I enjoyed driving the car, but I just don’t feel that it is a practical option for a family that has 3 or more children and needs to use car seats.
Prices start at £28,320 for a 1.5 TSI 150 SE. For that you get seven seats, Apple/Android connectivity, DAB, safety pack, 17-inch alloys and metallic paint. SE Tech adds nav, 18s and tinted windows.
I was all excited until I read the bit about not getting three seats along the middle. We have three kids too but settled on a Alhambra by SEAT. I do like the look of this car though and the colour. It does have some great features too!
I’ve never driven a SEAT before. It’s great it comes with sat nav, my car has this and it’s really handy.
This looks like a great car! Lots of great features for families.
Interesting in how it’s marketed as a family car, but unable to occupy the children comfortably. I’m sure my kids would fight over the back seats though! And that’s a good amount of boot space considering there are 7 seats too.
My sister in law loves SUV and she owns one. I like how the SEAT Tarraco is almost menacing-looking with sharp angles and a geometric grille.
I had no idea Seat can be that awesome!!! I love the features wow!!! Amazing car.
Loved hearing about this – I’ve never driven a SEAT, but they look so useful! Guess it’s not as practical for kids, but still a really nice car.
This looks like a great size. We are a family of 5 and we go camping a lot. So space is a must for us – we also have a dog so we look at boot space.
I love the look of this car. We would not need 3 car seats anymore as the 2 eldest don’t need them, so for us I think it would be a good size.
It’s not easy to decide on the perfect family car for your particular family. The SEAT Tarraco seems
a great option especially when driving around 7 people. It is a good looking car inside and out.
Finding the best care for your family is a difficult decision to make but it looks like the tarraco was a perfect fit for you!
Deciding on a new car takes time and research. It’s not at all easy, been there many times. I do not think we have the SEAT Tarraco brand in the USA but looks great!
What a really nice and thorough review! I’m not familiar with this brand really but it looks like a great vehicle
What a great review of the Seat Tarraco. I love that you can adjust the air cond for both the driver and passenger as we can’t do this for our car.
Sounds like a great car. My parents SWEAR by Seats, maybe I should give this one a test drive!
What a lovely car with great features. I love that the air-con can be adjusted for the driver and passengers separately.
We’ve been looking for a new car recently and this was one of the cars we considered – it is a great size and has many great features.
We are on the look out for a new family car too. We have just two boys so would seat us comfortably, it’s a shame it doesn’t accommodate your family.
It looks really stylish from the outside and we love all the added lights and the boot space!
Absolutely loved the interior, not a bad car at all, and great price too.
Oh wow, how great is this car for families!! I would love to have something like this for my tribe – great for road trips
Laura x
Hi can I ask which model you tried?
We are looking at these , only have 2 children but want the space for if we have more / family days out etc
Just looking at the different specs
Thank you
I am not sure now, so sorry