Can a seven-seater SUV really be sporty? Well, according to SEAT they can – the Spanish brand has revealed FR and FR Sport trim levels to its family-sized Tarraco range.
Joining the existing line-up of SE, SE Technology, Xcellence and Xcellence Lux, the two newcomers lend SEAT’s larger SUV an air of athletic aggression, but without a higher performance engine option to warrant it being sold under the Cupra brand, like the fastest Ateca models.
The eagle-eyed among you will also spot that the Tarraco badge on the back is in a much more curvy font, as recently seen on the all-new Leon.
What extra equipment do I get?
Plump for the FR, from £31,680, and you’ll get a purposeful bodykit, complete with a sportier design for the front and rear bumpers, a roof spoiler, twin exhaust pipes, black mouldings and door mirror housings, plus 19-inch alloy wheels.
Inside are front sports seats – with electrical adjustment for the driver’s one – including integral headrests.
Additionally, there is a self-parking function to help get the Tarraco in and out of tight spaces.
Go further up to the range to the FR Sport – priced from £33,430 – and the visual makeover is amplified by grey-finished 20-inch alloy wheels and leather upholstery for all seven seats.
There’s further kit for the FR Sport, too, including a 360-degree parking camera system and a Winter Pack comprising of heated front and rear seats, as well as heated windscreen washer nozzles to help keep your vision clear during cold snaps.
No extra performance?
No, nothing more than you can obtain elsewhere in the Tarraco range – the sportiness here is very much in the visuals, rather than how it goes. Not that the largest SEAT SUV is slow, as whether you go for petrol or diesel power, you’ve a choice of two punchy power outputs.
Diesels will likely prove the most popular with the front-wheel drive 150hp 2.0-litre TDI manual being the most cost-effective to run, particularly in FR guise with claims of 45.6mpg and CO2 emissions of 154g/km.
If you fancy an automatic diesel, the Volkswagen Group’s familiar DSG dual-clutch transmission is available, with standard 4Drive all-wheel drive, in both 150hp and 190hp guises.
Petrol fans are served-up the 150hp 1.5-litre TSI in manual or DSG formats, or the 190hp 2.0-litre TSI, featuring DSG and 4Drive as standard.
What this means for you
Without any additional performance, you really are paying extra for a Tarraco that looks faster, even if it isn’t. If this was a Cupra Tarraco, to rival the similarly quick seven-seater Skoda Kodiaq vRS, then we would look upon it more favourably.
As it is, we still regard models from the pre-existing range to be a better bet.
Further reading:
>> Find out more about the SEAT Tarraco with our extensive preview
>> What could have been – find out more about the smaller Cupra Ateca
>> Seven seats and performance? Read more about Skoda’s Kodiaq
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