SEAT Tarraco

As the Ateca and the Arona becoming bestsellers in SEAT's crossover range, eclipsing every single one in their range tenfold, the Spanish arm of the Volkswagen group wants to expand more like this with the arrival of their flagship crossover known as the Tarraco. So, what is it then this SEAT Tarraco?

2019 SEAT Tarraco

2019 SEAT Tarraco

According to SEAT, the Tarraco marks the finish line of their bold product offensive and this SUV is all about awareness, sales, profit, growth, and progress, which is the path for SEAT to take advantage of and since SUVs are becoming as profitable as superhero movies, there's no other choice but to embrace the rise of crossovers like this.

Although this is basically a Tiguan underneath it, the Tarraco is somewhat the better looking of its relatives and no matter which trim you'll go for, you will always have the impression that the Tarraco triggers its first impression to those who own it. While the exterior is basically the Tarraco's first impression, the interior tells a different story for them.

2019 SEAT Tarraco interior

The interior works like every other crossover should be and when opted for a seven-seater variant, the Tarraco is a real people mover that allows the whole family to go on road trips, probably because of your honey's erratic travel plans for the rest of the day off. As cozy as an above average crossover, the Tarraco boasts a lot of gadgets to toy around with, as well as compatibility with Amazon Alexa so drivers can say "Hey Alexa" to have this Alexa-powered Tarraco do as what they said unless Alexa goes "hmmm, I'm not sure about that." Boot space? Not quite bad for lots of grocery shopping hauls and other stuff as they said.

2019 SEAT Tarraco

There are two engines offered on the SEAT Tarraco when it was first launched such as a 1.5L TSi, the 2.0L TSi, and the 2.0L TDi, but let's cross out the diesel variant as I'm sure Europeans of today are no fans of diesel engine for sure. Focusing on the petrol variants, the most powerful and fastest in the range is the 2.0L TSi with 190PS of power and 320Nm of torque and with the 7-speed DSG, it's capable of a 0-100kph time in eight seconds and onwards to 211kph. The one with the 1.5L TSi? Let's say this is the fuel efficient of the petrol range with 7,4 l/100km of fuel efficiency combined under the WLTP regulation.

Because being run on a car-based MQB platform just like its relatives, the Tarraco tends to have limited offroad ability so it wasn't as rugged as a real SUV but the sedan-riding comfort is within reach for the Tarraco. Of course, you can have it in four-wheel drive but don't expect to get this thing uphill on the dirt because this is basically another one of the pretend SUVs that littered the road for no reason but anytime when the traffic condition reaches Metro Manila levels or when time's running out for your appointments, glad to know that with a raised suspension fit for a crossover, the Tarraco has tricks on its sleeves to get through point A to B like a girls band party concert, whereas other cars revert to type and lose.

On the trip home, the Tarraco comes with numerous safety features, standard and optional, to guarantee the safety of its occupants, whatever that means.

The Tarraco starts at 29,400 Euros, making it the second expensive in the range, behind the soon-to-be-obsolete Alhambra minivan but the Tarraco doesn't have the memories of Alhambra, oh no because this is a crossover, not an MPV, but either way, love it or hate it, the Tarraco is all about showcasing the European family what its capable of. From its good looks, good interior, good space, good tech, good performance, and all of the good stuff, the Tarraco is everything but good for a crossover that shares almost all of the stuff from its relatives, whatever it may be.

Photo: SEAT, S.A.