We are with the Seat Alhambra.
The Alhambra is the Seat’s 7 seater family car.
Let’s see if the Alhambra can satisfy the expectations of the large families?
Let’s analyze it together.
I am not thinking of telling you too much about the appearance of the Alhambra because, this ultimately is a family car and its design clearly reveals it.
Its dimensions have grown about 20 cm from the previous generation.
Besides, what is expected from a family car is to be large and functional.
Therefore, what do we do?
We open the sliding rear door and get in to the rear seats.
Frankly, I like electrical sliding doors.
In the Alhambra you are able to close the door either by this handle or by this button here.
In my opinion, the living space here is very good.
The knee room, as you can see, is hand span and even more.
They have put a tray here for the children to enjoy themselves.
Of course it is one of the essentials of 7 seater family car.
Now in here a very good space is offered for 3 adults.
You are able to sit comfortably on all the seats that have the same width.
Not only as a matter of knee and shoulder room but also a very good area for the feet of the third passenger is offered here.
Furthermore, you can if you wish slide these three seats to and fro like this.
Moreover, to be able to incline and raise the backrest is very functional.
The headroom even at this mid seat as you can see is quite high,
but I shall as usual show you how it is here behind the drivers seat.
Even here is very spacious.
Now is the time for the third row.
But while the second row is in this array it is not easy for an adult to sit at the rear.
Therefore to be fair I am pulling these seats a bit to the front and then raise it like this.
I think to be able to lift its bottom and its back in one move is quite a good specialty.
For you to be able to see me, I am lowering this and put the seat at its original position.
As you can see an adult can sit here in this position.
In other words I can even say that there is a knee room,
but if you want to sit in standard position even that is not pessimistic.
I should say that as regards to many family cars or 7 seater models the Alhambra is more extensive.
Now is the time to go to the rear.
The boot lid of the Alhambra opens electrically as the rear doors.
We all have seen that the living space at the rear is better than its 7 seater rivals.
Likewise, the boot is also definitely better than the other 7 seater family cars
because while only market shopping can fit to the boot of the others when 7 sitting position is applied,
300 liters loading capacity is offered here and in my opinion that is a very good value.
The practicality of the rear seats does not consist of wideness only;
you can incline the third row seats like this with a single touch very easily and make the boot surface absolutely straight.
Meanwhile, as you can see it becomes enormous and you can even lie down here.
Now, after talking too much about the car’s practicality, it is time to sit behind the steering wheel and experience its driving features.
Let's start.
First of all when you sit behind the steering wheel of the Seat Alhambra, you do not feel that you are driving a 7 seater family car.
If you ask me, there is a feeling of Seat Leon with high ground clearance.
The main difference here if you ask me, is that the places for small items is not more than its French rivals.
Because for example, in the Citroen C4 Picasso there were lots of places underhand to put items
but in this car there is quite small place in front of the gear lever where you can not even put your wallet and mobile.
Behind the gear lever there are two cup-holders, this place can relatively be accepted.
And I can say that there is one not too bad armrest.
Of course, lets not do injustice; ultimately there is also a lidded place on top of the mid console.
But still, if you ask my opinion, in general the small item cubbyholes are unfortunately a bit spare.
The quality of the materials used is very good. Soft plastics are used on the tops.
The layout plans of the controls are tidy.
Besides, we know these controls and layout from many models in the Volkswagen group.
To get use to and to implement this touch screen multimedia and the A/C controls under it is very easy.
These seats where the sides are leather and center part alcantara look pretty and they are comfortable as well.
The indicators are legible; you are able to reach the trip computer menus easily from the screen in the center.
The three-spoke steering wheel fits to the hands well and makes you steer the Alhambra easily.
Let us consider the engine and the driving features of the Alhambra.
The Alhambra is imported to our country with one engine, one gearbox and sole equipment choice.
Under the bonnet of the car I have driven, 1.4 liters twin charged petrol engine is functioning.
This engine develops 150 HP and 250 Nm of torque and has a 6-speed double clutch DSG gearbox.
The 150 HP engine is very powerful.
It definitely does not make you feel any insufficiency in performance.
But I am not able to comment similarly about its harmony with the gearbox.
Although I have driven too many models in the Volkswagen group with DSG gearbox,
frankly this is the first time the engine and the gearbox turn up incompatible.
This could be pertinent with the heavy body of the car or software nuisance but I definitely distinguished that they were out of sync.
Let me try to explain it this way,
if there are people among you that drive a car with DSG gearbox will know
that due to its character it chooses the top gears fast and move you smoothly and comfortably,
but this car especially in the second and third gears acts coy and waits until 3000-3500 rpm to change gear.
In the meanwhile, you clearly feel the engine noise increasing as well as fuel consumption.
Of course, you are able to change the gears from the gear lever or from the pedals behind the steering wheel.
Just as now, when it is in 3000 rpm and the change has not been made, you can increase it yourself like this.
But to strive constantly with this in my opinion shouldn’t be a feature in a family car.
Meanwhile, while this is happening, as soon as you pull your foot from the throttle, the engine and the gearbox uncouple themselves and the car advance in neutral.
Just as now.
Naturally, it tries to lower the fuel consumption.
Of course as you travel in neutral, if you want to accelerate you put your foot on the throttle and a gear is chosen
but as it does not know your intentions there is a waste of time.
To tell the truth, in my mind not to have this system deactivated is a deficiency
because I became a bit unhappy during my drive due to this disharmony.
In other words, actually this practice is being used nowadays in many brands and models.
I also have recently in the Volvo S60 test briefly mentioned this.
There was a button called Eco Plus and when you press it, then you use to drive the car like that.
Apart from that the gear did not go to neutral by itself and in my opinion this type of system should have been in this car too.
If you ask my opinion, this really is a factor to decrease the fuel consumption if you especially implemented on the highways,
but to go to neutral in the city constantly and the throttle reacting late to your wishes, to my mind is not good.
Let us talk about some of the good things after the negative critics about the gearbox.
The suspensions of the Alhambra in my opinion are comfortable.
In other words it definitely offers you the comfort you would expect from a family car.
When you travel over smooth asphalt you inarguably do not feel any negation.
But when you drive over keystones, the rear seats that are independent of each other shake a bit and can produce noise
but in my opinion, in a family car the seats being functional is more important than the noise they make.
The insulation is very good. The noise penetrating inside is in a normal level.
Finally, let us consider the fuel consumption of the Alhambra.
Ultimately, when you are talking about the disharmony of the engine and the gearbox, to expect it to be very frugal will anyway be irrational.
Besides, the situation is definitely like this.
I have been driving this car mostly in the city for a few days and unfortunately have not been able to bring the average below 11 liters.
This value is high but I have to say that as the time you spent in the city increases the fuel consumption increases to a degree that I am shy to admit.
I should also mention that I have covered 58 km since I have started the car this morning
and the trip computer indicates to me 10 liters fuel consumption averages at this moment.
Considering that this drive was on open roads with calm driving, the Alhambra is a bit of a spendthrift when it comes to the matter of fuel consumption.
Even though the Seat Alhambra display a bit of stinginess in the matter of cubbyholes,
due to spacious living areas and loading capacity, it succeeds to shine out to be one of the best in its class.
But unfortunately, the same do not hold true in the driving features, because in its class there is an assertive model called Ford Grand C-Max.
Furthermore, while almost all of its rivals in this class have diesel engine with an automatic gearbox combination,
the Alhambra offers only high fuel consumption gobbler petrol engine with automatic gearbox and this unfortunately lowers its chances some more.
See you...
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