The SEAT Alhambra is updated to add the Xcellence and FR-Line trims to the range

MPVs are not going through good times, and the great moment SUVs are enjoying, and which they still have ahead of them, does not bode well for MPVs’ future. Even so, some brands still choose to keep them in their line-up. SEAT, one of the VAG Group brands that is strongly betting on SUVs, is precisely the one that still keeps an MPV in its offer, the veteran SEAT Alhambra.

A couple of years ago, it seemed the SEAT Alhambra could disappear from the Spanish brand’s lineup in favour of an SUV, but in the end the company has kept it on the market, and it seems the commitment is reaffirmed, as the Alhambra now sees its range expanded with the introduction of the new Xcellence and FR-Line trims, to which new safety equipment that it did not previously offer must also be added.

The standard trim will remain the one called Reference, and already at this level we find interesting standard equipment. Just above this trim is another called Reference Travel Edition, which is the most successful in the Alhambra, combining a great level of equipment with a competitive price. Moving up further, the content of the two previous trims is joined by the additional equipment in the Style trim, which, as before, is also complemented on a higher step by the Style Travel Edition trim.

Above these four is where we find the first of the new trims introduced on the SEAT Alhambra: the Xcellence trim, made up of interesting elements such as:

• Sport suspension
• Kessy keyless entry and start system
• Chrome front grille and front SEAT logo with integrated proximity radar
• Chrome roof bars
• Darkened rear windows
• Sport seats with specific headrests
• Xcellence inserts
• Xcellence sill plates on front doors

There is also a higher step of the Xcellence trim, likewise named Travel Edition, which incorporates more technological equipment such as:

• Multifunction camera, including traffic sign recognition and blind spot warning assist
• Adaptive Chassis Control
• Adaptive cruise control
• Park Assist, automatic parking assistant
• Navi System with rear-view camera
• Electric sliding side doors
• Electric tailgate with Virtual Pedal
• Three-zone climate control with control from the second row

Finally, there is the FR-Line trim, which, as you might imagine, serves to bring out the hidden sporty side of the SEAT Alhambra, so its equipment includes aesthetic enhancements added to the previous Xcellence Travel Edition trim. This means 18-inch wheels and Atom-coloured mirror caps, a specific black front grille, heated front seats upholstered in Alcántara leather, FR sill plates on the front doors and FR inserts in the interior.

On the mechanical side, for the time being the SEAT Alhambra can only be chosen with a petrol or diesel engine. The first is a 1.4 TSI that produces 150 CV of power and 250 Nm of maximum torque, and can be paired with a manual gearbox or the DSG automatic, achieving a consumption of 6.5 l/100 km and emissions of 150 g/km. On the diesel side we have a 2.0 TDI also of 150 CV, with a maximum torque of 340 Nm and the same gearbox options, while its consumption drops to 5.2 l/100 km and CO2 emissions of 135 g/km.

A more powerful diesel option will follow, also with the 2.0 TDI engine but this time offering 177 CV of power, paired only with the DSG automatic transmission, which will be six-speed if you choose front-wheel drive or, on the contrary, seven-speed if you opt for the permanent 4Drive all-wheel drive.