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SEAT Tarraco third and biggest SUV

Brand's new flagship model debuts future design look.

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And then there were three – the SEAT Tarraco has been unveiled as the brand’s third SUV and its first in the large-size market.

Unveiled in the Spanish city of Tarragona – formerly known as Tarraco – and set to make its public debut at the Paris motor show on 2nd October, the Tarraco will go on sale at the start of 2019.

It will be built in both five and seven-seat variants though only the seven-seat version is likely to be sold in the UK.

The new SUV will become the brand’s flagship model – according to SEAT, the Tarraco debuts design details that will be replicated on future models. Like SEAT’s first SUV, the Ateca, it is aimed to both look and handle in a more sporty manner than typical SUVs, while losing none of the practicality such vehicles are bought for.

“It offers the space and flexibility customers expect from a large SUV – it is the sportiest vehicle in the segment from a design point of view and also thanks to the dynamic chassis control, which allows you to tune it to meet your driving needs,” says SEAT R&D head Matthias Rabe.

The Tarraco is built on the Volkswagen Group’s MQB platform that is also used under the large SUVs from sister brands Volkswagen and Skoda, the Tiguan and Kodiaq. The newcomer measures 4.7 metres long and stands just under 1.7 metres tall, which SEAT says creates a ‘huge interior space’.

SEAT Tarraco The Car Expert

As the brand’s top model, the Tarraco will come fitted with a suite of driver-assistance systems including autonomous emergency braking and new technologies such as an emergency call feature and rollover protection.

It will be fitted with SEAT’s ten-inch digital cockpit display, and an eight-inch screen on the centre console offering connectivity and infotainment functions. The Tarraco will be the first SEAT to offer control of the infotainment through making gestures in front of the screen.

Order books will open for the Tarraco in December and two petrol and two diesel versions will be available. The 1.5-litre TSI petrol offers 150hp through a six-speed manual gearbox, while the 2.0-litre version produces 190hp through a seven-speed automatic with all-wheel-drive.

The diesels are both 2.0-litre units, with power outputs of 150 and 190hp respectively. The 150 will be offered in front-wheel drive with six-speed manual or seven-speed auto plus all-wheel drive while the higher power unit is specified only with the auto ‘box and all-wheel-drive.

SEAT also states that the Tarraco will at a later date be offered with ‘alternative powertrain technologies’. This is expected to be a plug-in hybrid model with 210hp and a CO2 emissions output of under 50g/km.

SEAT Tarraco The Car Expert

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Andrew Charman
Andrew Charman
Andrew is a road test editor for The Car Expert. He is a member of the Guild of Motoring Writers, and has been testing and writing about new cars for more than 20 years. Today he is well known to senior personnel at the major car manufacturers and attends many new model launches each year.