Test Drive Seat Altea XL since 2006 Minivan

Wenate?

High hatchback, named after a small town in Valencia, an attractive car, but controversial. First of all because of the price. But two XL beaks, which in 2006 the Spaniards added to the name of the car, changed it so much that it turned out to be another model even class older.

In captivity stereotypes
Lucky or not? With this far from an optimistic thought, I found myself in the cabin of one of the largest brains of the Spanish company. Gray sky, under the weather, the mood and the minimum of hope that the car at least somehow raise it. There are laws that seem to do not get around. Yes, the powerful FSI engine produces 150 liters. with. But it weighs the car almost one and a half tons. Yes, I am still morally preparing for the fact that the desperate riders will be from the soul to signal into my back to my phlegmatic compacttwan, if I suddenly stop at the will of the case at the traffic light. Why is this life?! Well, let's start, hot spanish guy!
Outdoor acoustics is alarming. Did they really have a silencer and he involuntarily imitates the voice of a sports car? However, it was necessary to fly to a stone with a road to a road at 160 mm. I add Bass turnover explicitly man-made. All the same, it is not strongly believed in some dynamic talents. True, bodily sensations differ from those that imposes the sophisticated mind. The chair is fits the torso, ergonomics. Let the plastic, but two-color dashboard, as well as the central console, slightly deployed to the driver, does not cause questions. Buttons and handles do not need to reach all of them at hand and competently organized.
We seem to be friends
On such a car, albeit the designer, but only a modest trailer of a little-known brand, but there is no turn of the left turn of the turn, how much do not make the blinking distant light when inclining from the courtyard is useless. The Moscow driver will personify either a named brand named. But therefore was not an ACP selector in an unequivocal position S, the steering wheel is cool to the right, gas to the floor, and be it will be! But there is something that should not be. The engine jums as if in it forces so under 250, and the leading front of the prospect of a second scratches the asphalt of studded rubber. Then an overburden moment slightly quenching the TCS anti-duct system, and my althea, completely in rear-wheel drive brazening, throwing the stern on the strip, does not feel sorry for money, so kiss! Tank rushes forward. Donya Alya, you are not on the fish market in Barcelona! I break off from my surprise, but the mind fixes that the algorithm of the rear wheels, I really like it.
Eh, dance, so to the exterior soles! Now there is already a lead sky in joy lighting soft, eyes do not get tired. Hold, keep speed! I blame the gas pedal machine, which, only a little weaken push, strives to switch to the step above, saving fuel. And it still seems like each of the horses familiar in many models of the Volkswagen engine concern, which meets the norms of Euro-4, hitting the pyrenees, was overwhelmed, fed to the severity and is ready to apply for the champion title. Hitryat, apparently, señoras engineers with the settings of the control unit! So, in Spain his ideas about how the car should ride.
However, and how it should slow down. If you realize that you have a brake pedal under your foot, and not an evil rodent, which is needed to be needed by anything, everything comes out wonderful, and ABS does not cause any complaints even on a slippery road.
Sundoo-plane
The machine is already in pseudo-therapy mode, on a burning alarmly red light display indication of the 4th transmission, and only the road and the tachometer road and the tachometer arrow remained from this point, dancing at 6500 rpm. But Altea-XL is not just rushing forward under whistle of windscreen racks and the noise of the arches of the rear wheels, squinting the almond-shaped headlights. The border movement of the steering wheel with electromechanical, sensitive to the speed amplifier effectively changes the trajectory of motion. Over only hand brushes running with a plump, skin-skinned by the leather. Overtaking, rapid rebuilding, free straight, city, track, again the city, a packer, but nothing happens in it. The compact show the excerpt of Torroo, without changing the course for a second.
A series of rapid and deep movements with a driving left and right in an attempt to bring auto from equilibrium and rolls, deep rolls to asphalt to ask for a mercy, but everything that managed to achieve, reminded the light welcoming nodes of the head of the Lady Lady on the official reception. Ay yes character at the suspension! But it is not at all an oak racing rather dense. In addition, the additional 18 cm of the body length in the rear of the most positively affected the ravings on the axes and, accordingly, manageability.
We will not, of course, overestimate the capabilities of the senorites. The speed on which we passed a power test in the city was a decent decent fine, but not depriving rights. Nevertheless, I solved a riddle, why, even in the most complete configuration, Altehe-XL, the dynamic stabilization system relies only on request. With such a balance characteristics, ESP is simply not needed.
A day ends, and gasoline in the 55 liter tank on the outcome. Is such a decent expense, and drove nothing like all. I note that I was not tired at all, but for the sake of interest I watch the rate of daily mileage. And I do not believe my eyes! How is it 435 km? What did I go on now?
Strokes to the portrait
A look in the mirror reflects the distant perspective of the rear window, returns to the reality of a high ceiling and makes it look at this Spanish dispersion and from all sides. Such an approach to Southes are simply unthinkable, but what to do they also cost money. Yes, there is a compactment, which turned the usual althea. You look at XL in profile and enjoy. Here it is proportionality, which, in my opinion, was not enough predecessor. But design sizes are not so important for the car that claims to be practical. And he came out really so. Even for a tall family, the ceiling does not press any point in the cabin. And roomy for cargo 532-liter trunk container we get immediately, without any transformations. If you move the rear row of the chairs ahead and change the tilt of the back, we have 635 liters, fold all 1604 liters.
There are a lot of cars in the world, being in which, you want to quickly fasten into and recalculate the number of airbags. In our case, everything is exactly the opposite. Airbags are more than enough, but they do not remember them. The reliability aura challenged me at the subconscious level, barely only got behind the wheel. Where does such a courage on the generally unfamiliar car from? The foundation of windscreen racks and wide central, steel chrome door knobs ... Even the sled chairs look monumentally. The structural strength did not save: what experiences load is made only from metal. But there are a lot of plastic details, and all justified. Folded tables on the backs of seats, boxes under the front chairs, a two-piece armrest between them, compartments in the door panels.

 
    
     
The modest size of the glove box, not otherwise, the fee for the giant volume of the trunk. And under the seat also trays
 
   
In traffic jams, the display of the on-board computer displays the fuel consumption per hour. For this forgive the red lighting of devices in the amateur

Intercreen system console three in one: armrest, container for trifles and convenient panel for service buttons and outlets

Deep cuts in the door panels create an additional volume as for elbows and for small booties
 
  
The width of the trunk is almost the same from the floor to the ceiling. Very functional and soft curtain, retracting in a removable bar
 
In bad weather, you can have a snack in the cabin. All conditions for this have
 

Splashes as they are
In just one day, I liked the car so much that I again doubted. Is it all good or affected by subjectivism under the influence of a juicy drive? Urgently required minuses that look.
In the fact that in a couple of minutes of the movement on the wet road of the sides, the rear window and the door of XL are covered with a layer of mud to blame the wheels. Tires 225/50 R17 look, of course, stylish, but they are not for bad weather. But the basic stylens 205/55 R16 with disks from the light alloy would have to come to the yard. However, like mudguards in all wheels. Five-liters of the glasswater maker for two hours explicit technical miscalculation. The front high pressure nozzles are not so much effective as wasteful.
Did you calculate it?
Now about the main thing. Clan Comctvans implies that the owner of a similar car or loved by everyone's disinterested friend, or the father of the family, which day to the day turns to him with the same question: and when will we travel to travel? It would seem like a lot of people. But the claims to the active drive is not by chance the Seat enters the sports unit Volkswagen make adjustments to a collective portrait of the owner. He is all the rest of the soul and generous in reasonable limits. For $ 33 390 or 874,750 rubles you can get this car with the maximum necessary options, not counting the heating of the seats and their electrically regulators. For 699 750 rubles or $ 28,330, get a 102-strong 1.6-liter engine and MCP, and for $ 26,811 or 662,250 rubles it is a slightly more modest configuration of the reference.
Yes, competitors are cheaper. Basic Ford SI-Max-1.6 MT-Ambient, supplemented as far as possible for it options, is available for 592,700 rubles or $ 23,977. Two-liter automatic SI-Max-Gia in a similar to Alteay-XL-Style Equipment will cost 737,200 rubles or $ 29 822. Comments, as they say, unnecessary. That's just honestly, I really like the Spanish. And love she does not have a cash equivalent.
     
Double standard
One of the chips of Altea-XL, and all other seat models, the design of the door frames. They are not painted, which may seem strange, and rubbed on both sides. Aesthetics of this solution is controversial, especially with bright body color. But the dust into the cabin penetrates a lot less, and from corrosion these traditionally gentle elements are protected in this way much better.
 
 
SEAT ALTEA XL 2.0 6AT (1.6 5mt)
 
Total information
 
Body, number of places / doors
Wagon 5/5.
 
Curb weight, kg
1454.
 
Length x Width x Height, mm
4467x1768x1581
 
Base, mm.
2578.
 
Pitch in front / rear, mm
1534/1523.
 
Diameter of reversal, m
10.9
 
Speed, km / h
203 (181)
 
Acceleration 0100 km / h, with
10.1 (12.8)
 
Fuel consumption l / 100 km, highway / city
6.7 / 12.7 (6/10.4)
 
The volume of the trunk (5/2 place), l
532-635 / 1604.
 
Fuel tank capacity, l
55.
 
Engine
 
Location
Front cross
 
Design
Inline, 4-cyl., 16-valve, 2 top camshafts
 
Working volume, SMZ
1984 (1595)
 
Power, hp at rpm
150/6000 (102/5600)
 
Torque, kgmm at rpm
20/3500 (14.8 / 3800)
 
Chassis
 
Drive unit
on the front wheels
 
Transmission
Automatic 6-st. (mechanical 5-st.)
 
Suspension:
Independent, spring
 
in front
Type Mac Foodson
 
behind
Multi-type
 
Steering
Rack type with amplifier
 
Torkemose
Disk, ventilated front
 
Tires
205/55 R16
 
Car
 
from 7.32 rubles / km
 
+
Practicality; Excellent engine settings and chassis; abundance of basic equipment; Package for bad roads
 
-
High price; Horregious of some options
 
 
Kirill Savchenko, photo Maxim Potcharov
 

A source: Journal Buy Auto [02/2008]