Seat Alhambra is a fine multi-tasker

Seat’s MPV can take seven in comfort and still has room for camera gear

Mpv stands for multi-purpose vehicle – and our Seat Alhambra lives up to the label perfectly.

The comfortable, well-equipped cabin is the first thing you pick up on when you get in, and I find the upright driving position just right; my legs get stiff on long journeys when I’m in a lower-slung saloon, but with the Alhambra I don’t get that problem.

I spend a lot of time on the road for my job as a photographer, so I need a smooth, powerful engine with an equally slick transmission – and again the Alhambra delivers. The DSG semi-automatic gearbox changes gear when I need it to, and does so without being jerky. The i68bhp diesel engine is powerful enough, too, and it can do more than 500 miles on a tank.

I’m not the only one who gets a good deal; my passengers do as well. There’s plenty of legroom in the second-row seats, and even if they’re slid all the way forwards to make more space for those behind, there’s adequate room. The third-row seats are also far from useless, and I’ve been told they’re quite comfortable compared with those in some rivals.

Seat Alhambra

Boot space exceeds my expectations because, even with seven people in the car, there’s 267 litres of space available; that’s about the same as in most superminis. If I need more room for my photography gear, I can fold down the rearmost two seats easily to get an extra 391 litres.