Test Drive Seat Altea 2004 - 2009 Minivan

Candidate of Masters

Compact Mini Venne Seat Altea its creators characterize as a new class Multi Sport vehicle - multifunctional sports car. To evaluate how much in the Spanish innovation is harmonized by practicality and sportiness, we went to the homeland of Seat, in Barcelona.
 
Seat Altea was officially presented at the last Geneva Motor Show. A sketching project of a machine operating a new ERU of the Spanish brand has become stated four years ago.
 
Developed by the technical center of the company and produced at the Martorell plant under Barcelona, \u200b\u200bAltea - the firstborn in 2002 division of Audi Brand Group. The car is declared as a representative of the new Multi Sport Vehicle (MSV). The models combined the advantages of a compact one-sharing body and characteristic of seats of sportiness.
 
Getting a car for dating is now difficult even to our Spanish colleagues, but also for us. Only the promotion of the Russian representative office of AUDI and the active participation of one of our Barcelona friends led to the desired result.
 
What for the sake of such troubles? Already with an external inspection of the car, the question disappears by itself. It is very stylish and attractive - as much as, in principle, a lighted one-blank one can be. In the appearance of Altea, complementing each other, adjacent fundamentality and expression. Chef-designer Firm Walter de Silva tried from the soul. Representing a novelty, he said that the key points of the Altea design - for example, a dynamic backdrop on the sidewalls of the body - will become a visiting card of semotes of the nearest generations. The name of the novelty, traditionally for SEAT, was given geographical: Altea is a picturesque area in Valencia.
 
The platform is used by German, from Golf V. With a length of 4280, a width of 1770 and a height of 1570 millimeters, Altea has an extremely spacious interior, the dimensions of which are also visually due to a shipping horizontal dashboard. Seats are harsh, but anatomically verified, convenient, have well-developed lateral support. The width of the rear sofa is more than enough on three, however, the personalization of side places (they are clearly molded) makes the middle passenger with a poor relative. However, if you do not pay attention to discrimination, go, sitting in the center, you can.
 
The trunk of the capacious - 400 liters (1320 with the rear seats folded) - and well-compound. In it, as in the cabin, useful compartments for trifles are provided. In the back of the rear seat there is a big hatch for long-term things, and under the front arm - spacious boxes. In general, with the practicality of Altea is all right.
 
With accommodation too. In any case, our, third rankire, style Stylance (still reference, Sport and Sport-Up) provides a very comfortable life of both passengers and the driver. In the list of equipment - electric windows, triggered in one touch, folding electric boards, remote central locking, anti-slip systems, anti-locking and movement stabilization, CD magnetol, double climate control, on-board computer, cruise control, etc. Moreover, many positions, let's say, six airbags are included in the basic performance.
 
From aesthetic point of view, the interior is quite at the level and ergonomic - what is needed. However, they won't call it flawless. The interface of some internal panels do not differ accuracy, and the front panel plastic is tangible solid.
 
Four Volkswagen engines are installed on Seat Altea: two gasoline - 1.6-liter capacity of 102 hp and a 2-liter FSI with a capacity of 150 hp, as well as two turbocharged diesels - 105- and 140-strong, volume of 1.9 and 2 liters, respectively. The gearboxes are also four: 5- and 6-speed mechanical, 6-speed automatic with manual Tiptronic mode and a robotic DSG-known AUDI vehicle.
 
Our car is equipped with Turbodiesel 2.0 and six-speed mechanics. The nature of the car is a good and temperamental. The motor pulls almost with idle speed. In the region of 3000 min-1, along with the overall acceleration stability, there is a pleasant light pickup. The turbine burns in the engine volcano, and the effect is covered by the wheel. The responsiveness of the accelerator is felt even at the moment when the landscape outside the windows merges into the blurred background. With such an engine and in the sprinters are not ashamed to sign up.
 
In the pickup, our Altea is almost not inferior to a gasoline analogue, but at the same time much more economical. Motor is elastic, and taking into account long gears you can not bother with switching. Although in order to realize the entire potential of the engine and reduce the noise level (at high speed it is well distinguishable), it is better to switch to the corresponding transmission mode in a timely manner.
 
A pretty sharp steering wheel allows you to accurately keep the trajectory and quickly adjust it. The adaptive electric powerful is trying to assist the driver in any situation, but does not allow any one hundred percent efficiency in turns. But parking with his promotion is easily and simple, especially taking into account the small radius of rotation and the parking sensor included in the package. Note a nice little thing. When the reverse transmission is turned on next to the first, a beep is sounded to accidentally miss.
 
The Altea suspension is pressed relative to the conditional average level, which is beneficial to manageability. However, there is no excess stiffness. The car confidently damping irregularities, but due to a relatively high height, the high-speed passage of turns is accompanied by noticeable rolls. The brakes are captivated not only by performance, but also by informative: to make the degree of impact on the pedal with a real deceleration is not difficult.
 
The outer mirrors are not a gift: quite small, unsuccessful shape, besides, at a speed of over 150 km / h create aerodynamic hissing. Bright feature of Altea - wipers. In a state of rest, they are hiding in the caches of the front body racks, and when working towards each other, cleaning the symmetric zone in the form of a butterfly-plated wings. Such a layout of janitors - balm on the soul of the ever-deprived front passenger. Yes, and the driver is an additional review is not a hindrance.
 
According to preliminary data, the price of the novelty will be about 20,000 euros. As for the statements of the creators of the car on the new class, here they, perhaps, got excited. In our opinion, Seat Altea is a beautiful, convenient and practical car (compactine type), ideally corresponding to the text of the life of a young family or an active business person. And the sports vendor has a car, but Altea is not a master of sports, but only a candidate for the master.
 
Specifications SEAT ALTEA
 
Body - 5-door
Number of seats - 5
Curb weight, kg - 1430
Full weight, kg - 2025
Dimensions, mm:
- Length - 4280
- Width - 1770
- Height - 1570
Base, mm - 2580
Trunk volume, l - 410/1320
Maximum speed, km / h - 201
Overclocking time up to 100 km / h, C - 9.9
Fuel control, l / 100 km:
- urban cycle - 7.7
- Country - 4.8
- Mixed - 5.9
Engine:
- Type - 4-cylinder turbodiesel direct injection
- Working volume, cm3 - 1968
- Power, hp at min-1 - 140/4000
- torque, NM at min-1 - 320/1750
Transmission - Mechanical, 6-speed, front-wheel drive
Tire size - 205 / 55R16
Wheel suspension (front / rear) - independent, spring
Brakes:
- Front - disc, ventilated
- Rear - disk
Steering - Rack type, with electric power

Price (Approximate), Euro 20000
 

A source: Magazine 5 Wheel [06/2004]