SEAT Altea

SEAT does not build many cars like the SEAT Altea: a 5-door MPV with 1.2&nbsp, built from 2004 to 2015 in the decade of stability control, dual-clutch gearboxes and the first serious hybrids. Its designer of record is Walter de Silva.

Where it came from

The SEAT Altea is an automobile produced by the Spanish automaker SEAT from 2004 to 2015 being previewed by the Salsa Emoción concept. As a compact multi-purpose vehicle (MPV), the car was designed by the Italian Walter de Silva, and was launched in March 2004, as the first example of SEAT's new corporate look. The third generation Toledo was identical, except for the addition of a larger boot similar to the one in the Renault Vel Satis. It was launched at the 2004 Geneva Motor Show.

Another extended version, the Altea XL, is also available (having been first presented at the 2006 Paris Motor Show). In 2007, the Altea Freetrack, with four-wheel drive and higher suspension, was released. On 21 August 2015, SEAT announced that the Altea and Altea XL had been discontinued. Although no direct replacement for the Altea was planned, SEAT is following the global shift from MPVs to SUVs, by launching its own SUV model based on the SEAT León. In February 2016, the Ateca was launched, which was the successor to the Altea according to CEO Luca de Meo: "For us, the Ateca is the replacement of the Altea."

Under the skin

Under the skin sits 1.2  other versions carried different engines, listed in the specification table below. The gearbox is a 5-speed manual / 6-speed manual / 6-speed tiptronic automatic / 6-speed Direct-Shift Gearbox / 7-speed Direct-Shift Gearbox. The layout matters: the engine drives the front wheels, the packaging choice that gives a small car a big cabin. The wheelbase is 2580 mm. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.

In context

Where it sits in SEAT's history is not in doubt: the SEAT Ateca followed it; it was built at Martorell, Catalonia. On a showroom list of its day it stood against the Ford Mustang, the Hyundai Tucson, the Suzuki Swift. Nearby in the SEAT catalogue sit the SEAT 124 and the SEAT 133.