It has been a very busy few months for the relatively unknown SEAT brand out of Spain. Our first encounter was the SEAT Arona, followed by the mid-sized Ateca five-seater. 

At that time, we were advised the brand had more product coming, which boded very well for the New Zealand market if the Arona and Ateca were anything to go by. 

Well specified product, great pricing and an excellent pedigree plus the remarkably good handling and performance, it was going to be very interesting to see what the Barcelonean brand was going to come up with. 

What happened next surprised everyone. SEAT introduced not only a new product, but a completely new brand in the form of CUPRA, which delivers almost race-ready product to run parallel with the SEAT badged product. 

So now the SEAT and CUPRA brands between them have the Arona, the CUPRA Ateca, the CUPRA Ateca and last month the SEAT brand launched yet another product, digging an even stronger foothold into the expanding  SUV market. 

Introducing the Tarraco, SEAT’s seven-seater which rounds out the SEAT SUV offering. 

SEAT now has two SUVs in the medium sector with the Ateca challenging the slightly smaller vehicles (about 11 competitors) and the Tarraco taking on the slightly larger and more established players in the segment. 

Which means Tarraco is facing some stiff competition and furthermore, that competition is not sitting idle, with many of the established market players improving their product lines dramatically.    

Tarraco does have a distinct advantage in that it is a seven-seater by design, as opposed to a five-seater SUV with two seats added in later. This limits its direct competition somewhat and is a consideration to be taken into account when comparing like with like. 

So how does Tarraco stack up in terms of drivetrain? For our market, there is a choice of the 1.4 TSi engine mated to a six-speed DSG transmission or a two-litre TSi with 4Drive (AWD) and a seven seven-speed DSG. Power outputs are 110kW and 140kW respectively. Both engines are turbo charged petrols. 

SEAT has retained two of its specification grades for the Tarraco: Style (available with the 14 TSI only) and Xcellence with either engine and the 4Drive system for the two-litre. 

In terms of specification, the Style is differentiated by 18-inch alloys over the 19’s on the Xcellence and there are significant other enhancements obviously, but the Style doesn’t lack in specification. 

Adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitoring, AEB, rear view camera, lane keeping system, eight-inch touchscreen with navigation; keyless entry and hands-free tailgate a five star EuroNCAP safety rating and five year/100,000km warranty, as well as seven seats make up the bulk of the Style package. You get a smidge more with the Xcellence models.  

Pricing for the Tarraco starts at $47,900 for the Style, $53,900 for the Xcellence and $59,900 for the Xcellence 4Drive.