What's the news?
SEAT has pulled the covers of its all-new Tarraco, the first large SUV from the Spanish car maker. The Tarraco joins the Arona and Ateca to crown SEAT's SUV range.
Exterior
The Tarraco measures 4,735mm long, 1,839 wide and 1,658mm tall and the styling shows a glimpse of the future design language of new SEAT models. The roofline and sharp crease through the doors are similar to that of the Skoda Kodiaq and the overall design is more aggressive than that of the Arona and Ateca. There is a more prominent grille and full LED headlights that retain SEAT's triangular signature, which are now set further into the body to give a more focused appearance. The Tarraco features 100 per cent LED lighting for both the exterior and interior as standard on both the Xcellence and SE trim levels. The rear features a new-to-SEAT light bar design, too.
Wheel sizes range from 17 to 20 inches in diameter.
Interior
The new SEAT Tarraco will be available with five or seven seats and will be offered in SE and Xcellence trim levels. FR models will be offered further down the line.
Inside, the cabin gets SEAT's 10.25-inch digital cockpit and an eight-inch 'floating' touchscreen from where occupants can access information, entertainment and connectivity options. The Tarraco will be the first SEAT to feature gesture control functions, too, but this is only available when the car is equipped with the eight-inch Navigation Plus infortainment system.
The second row of seats slide and recline and when you drop the rearmost two seats, the boot opens up to a reasonable 700 litres, which is exactly the same amount of space in the Tiguan Allspace. The boot capacity of the five-seat model is 760 litres.
Standard safety technology includes driving assistance systems such as Lane Assist and Front Assist including bicycle and pedestrian detection, while ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control), Blind Spot Detection and Light Assist will be available as options.
The Tarraco SUV also includes Emergency Call, Pre-crash Assist and Rollover Detection.
Mechanicals
The SEAT Tarraco uses the Volkswagen Group's MQB-A platform. This is the same as used by the Audi Q2, SEAT Arona and Ateca, Skoda Karoq and Kodiaq, and the Volksawagen T-Roc and Tiguan.
Buyers can opt for Dynamic Chassis Control (DCC) allowing the driver to choose from a sportier or more comfortable ride, but the system can also adapt automatically, modifying the damping depending on the road surface and driving style.
The engine line-up includes two petrol and diesel options. The two petrol variants will be a four-cylinder 1.5-litre TSI unit that produces 150hp, paired with a six-speed manual transmission powering the front wheels, and a 2.0-litre unit that produces 190hp, mated to a seven-speed DSG automatic gearbox and 4Drive all-wheel drive.
The two diesel variants will be a 2.0-litre TDI unit that produces 150hp (paired with either a six-speed manual and front-wheel drive, or a seven-speed DSG with 4Drive transmission) and a 2.0-litre TDI unit that produces 190hp, available with a seven-speed DSG gearbox and 4Drive transmission.
Later on, the SEAT Tarraco will also get a plug-in hybrid powertrain.
Anything else?
In Ireland, SEAT's sales are up 13.5 per cent on 2017 year-to-date. SEAT's current SUV offerings - the Arona and Ateca - contribute significantly to this success, accounting for 44 per cent of the total volume of sales thus far in 2018.
Niall Phillips, Brand Director at SEAT Ireland, said: "We are very excited to welcome the Tarraco to Ireland in February of next year. There has never been a greater demand in the Irish market for SUV vehicles and SEAT has been satisfying this demand over the past two years through its existing SUV range comprised of the SEAT Ateca and Arona, models which have enjoyed remarkable success."
The Tarraco was designed and developed at the SEAT factory in Martorell, Barcelona, and will be produced in Wolfsburg, Germany.
Pre-sales of the SEAT Tarraco will start this December in Ireland and it will enter the Irish market in February 2019.