SEAT ALHAMBRA WINS WHAT CAR? BEST MPV AWARD FOR THIRD CONSECUTIVE YEAR

• The SEAT Alhambra retains its What Car? Best MPV award at the What Car? Car of the Year 2013 awards
• Alhambra becomes What Car? Best MPV three years in a row
• Alhambra 2.0 TDI 140 Ecomotive S version takes the crown
• Best MPV award becomes twelfth UK gong for the Alhambra
• New range-topping 2.0 TDI 177 PS engine on sale now

Esteemed motoring consumer publication What Car? has crowned the SEAT Alhambra its best MPV for the third year running, lauding it as a “fantastic all-round package”.

At a glitzy ceremony at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel, the amazingly practical MPV once again saw off the competition to become the people carrier that What Car? recommends most highly.

It is the 2.0 TDI CR 140 Ecomotive S model specifically that takes the prize, which is priced at £25,035 RRP OTR and boasts CO₂ emissions of just 146 g/km with fuel consumption of 50.4 mpg combined.  

What Car? Editor-in-chief Chas Hallett explained exactly why the Alhambra took first place, calling it “a fantastic all-round package, roomy enough for seven adults, good value for money, powerful and economical to run”.

The Alhambra does indeed offer fantastic value for money. Priced from just £23,770 for a 1.4 TSI 150 PS in S specification, it seats seven adults in spacious comfort and features standard equipment including 16-inch alloy wheels, three-zone climate control, Bluetooth audio streaming, sliding rear doors, ISOFIX mountings for all five rear seats, and a Start/Stop System with Energy Recovery to save fuel.

SE specification adds 17-inch alloy wheels, leather steering wheel and gear knob covers, dark tinted rear windows, automatic lights and wipers, and cruise control, among a host of additional comfort and convenience features.

SE Lux specification is, as the name suggests, a luxurious package of equipment that includes leather upholstery, power operated tailgate and rear doors, a panoramic sunroof, heated front seats, and SEAT Media System 2.2 – a touch screen infotainment unit incorporating satellite navigation, DAB digital radio and a rear view camera.

Power stretches from 150 PS up to 177 PS, with the previous range-topping 170 PS 2.0 TDI unit now replaced by a 177 PS engine of the same capacity. It is available to order now with SE and SE Lux trim variants, and with DSG automatic as an option.

SEAT UK Managing Director Peter Wyhinny said: “With the quality of the competition in the MPV sector, we certainly weren’t complacent about winning a third What Car? Best MPV award in a row – but we were quietly confident, given how many awards the Alhambra has already won.

“That the Alhambra is still top of the pile is a testament to its outstanding qualities and appeal as an overall package. As the What Car? experts have again recognised, the Alhambra offers family buyers an irresistible mix of performance, practicality and price.

“This is the twelfth award that the Alhambra has picked up in the UK, following its Auto Express Best MPV prize in 2012. That’s an amazing achievement – but hopefully this is not the last prize we’ll put in the Alhambra’s trophy cabinet.”