Seat Tarraco: ‘blessed with style and practicality’ | Martin Love

Seat's new flagship SUV is big in all respects: comfort, seats and everyday luxuries. Just be careful who you let share the driving"

Seat Tarraco
Price 28,230
Top speed 131mph
0-62mph 8 seconds
MPG 38.7
CO2 166g/km
Eco score a...a...a...aa

It's a clichi(C) to say that being a parent is all about letting go. But there are some watersheds that are tougher to negotiate than others and, for me, I've found it very difficult to relinquish the role of "family driver". Who drives in our gang has never been an issue: it's me. My wife has never particularly enjoyed it, while I love the throb of the engine, the weightless bulk of the car and the wordless bond that exists between driver and machine. But this summer, that all changed. My eldest daughter finally passed her test and enthusiastically volunteered to share the load on a long drive through France. The car we took turns at the wheel in was the new Tarraco from Seat. Her first impressions were a pick'n'mix of: "Wow; OMG; this is easy; it's an automatic; why did I bother learning gears; it's sooooo posh; and what side of the road is it again?" She doesn't have much to compare it to except the Ford Focus she passed her test in but, in essence, she was right on all counts.