Review of the 2022 SEAT Tarraco - a mid-size European crossover SUV - via a 1 week rental

[trinacriabob]

I had rented a car in an Italian city on the Adriatic side - a small vehicle with an automatic - and once again, got upgraded.  This was a substantial upgrade into a larger crossover SUV - a Seat Tarraco.  The car is named after the Spanish city of Tarragona.

I did not know what this model was, except that it was a SEAT product.  Upon getting into the vehicle, one sees the typical graphics and appointments shared by the VW family of brands, which include SEAT and Skoda.  It shares a lot of components with the VW Tiguan and is built at the same plant in Wolfsburg, Germany.

I set up the car right away and learned the controls.  It’s better to do this up front than learn it on the fly when the going gets rough.  One of the most interesting things about this SUV was the main instrument pod.  The navigation system, and it’s a fairly clear one, is smack in the middle of the pod.  Gauges surround it and are readable.  I was able to set it to also give me the km/h readout.  The infotainment center “laptop left open” screen isn’t too bad because it’s partially engaged.  It’s fairly easy to operate.  The climate control panel below it is even easier to operate.

It’s such a large vehicle that you know it will ride smoothly.  And, as you pull out of the rental lot, it’s apparent that the maneuvering will be nimble.  The ride is always controlled and road imperfections rarely come through, and neither does much road noise.  With the size of the car, especially in a medium sized Italian city and the region around it, its being nimble was important.  Where I didn’t push it was in cloverleaf ramps and mountain switchbacks.  The higher center of gravity and its curb weight of a little over 4,000 pounds (~1,816 kg) discouraged that.

The Tarraco was powered by a diesel.  I’ve rarely driven diesels except maybe in moving vans.  It, too, was quiet, almost like an ICE 4 cylinder we’d have in America or from Asia.  Standing outside of it with the engine running, its being a diesel was more apparent.  The displacement was 2.0 liters, or 2,000 cc to Europeans.  A turbocharger was included in the package, and that’s what inspired more confidence in getting around in the Tarraco.  When it’s the diesel and DSG combination, the horsepower produced could either be 187hp or 197 hp.

The transmission was the VW family’s 7 speed DSGs, which operate in automatic mode.  It behaved like most of the recent automatics I’ve been rented in Europe, a far cry from the automatics in early Smart cars and Opel Corsas that took long pauses as they changed gears under normal throttle.  Shifts were almost seamless, with little rpm noise to convey that and best shown by the tachometer. 

There was one notable and impressive feature with this vehicle.  When the accelerator is pushed to downshift, the uptick in rpms seemed almost “restricted” and not that pronounced like it can be in some automatics and in CVTs, but it’s enough to get the job done – pick up speed, pass, etc.  That was probably programmed into the car’s electronics.  Given that it was heavy and a diesel, I still didn’t take any chances with tight passes on 2 many lane roads and in the mountainous areas inland from the coast.

The car’s seats were firm, and finish was good, but not something one would remember.  The seats were flatter and the minimal bolstering gave a lot of latitude to drivers and passengers.  The seating surfaces were also fairly flat and didn’t have much sculpting.  The car had a lot of legroom up front and in the second row of seats, and there was even a third row that was pushed down and which the retractable cover concealed.  The third row would obviously reduce the generosity of the trunk space.

The Tarraco reminded me a lot of the Toyota RAV4 more so than something like a Chevy Traverse or other vehicles of this type that I’ve driven.  The RAV 4 has a larger 4 cylinder engine (in the U.S.) sending power through Toyota’s slick shifting 8 speed automatic while this unit has 7 gears.  The RAV4’s  basic shape is probably what reminded me of the Tarraco.  Someone at a service area, all of which seem to have an Autogrill (sort of a Denny’s with a mini-market), saw me taking some photos of it and commented that it was a nice car.  It’s obviously a matter of context, given the typically smaller vehicles over there.  I had it for a week and, frankly, I found it too big for what I needed and for the conditions, even though I managed.

Finally, the Tarraco’s shining star was its fuel economy.  I drove it for about 1,000 km, so about 600 miles, and, when I was ready to return it, there was a little less than 1/8 of a tank and the low fuel light had just come on.  The week long rental included city driving, autostrada driving, and driving into the lower altitudes of the Apennine range. 

I’m sure that, since VW, Skoda, and Seat are producing increasingly popular and reliable products, it can be recommended, assuming you can deal with its size and want its capacity.  It isn’t that thirsty, but with a bigger vehicle and more features, repairs and maintenance will likely be more costly than in smaller cars like VW Golfs and SEAT Ibizas.  If this car, or the related VW Tiguan, have good reliability ratings, I believe I’d be inclined to choose it over the Toyota RAV4.

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Photos forthcoming

[trinacriabob]

EXTERIOR PHOTOS

Side view - close to 110" of wheelbase

Angled front view

Angled rear view

SEAT has its historical roots in Spain, so as you hit the key fob, it sends out this "hello" greeting from under the outside driver's side mirror.

It does the same for the passenger side.

I was at a laundromat doing a wash and dry and the this is how the Tarraco, at the right, compares in size with most of the cars I was sharing the road with.  I'd say the car at the very left was about the norm.

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INTERIOR PHOTOS

An overall look at the dashboard, the console, and the front seat space.

This navigation system is front and center on the IP cluster.  The tach is at the left and the speedo (km) is at the right.  Very readable gauges for temperature at the left and fuel at the right are vertical.  There is also info on time, weather, the gear you're in (including D1 through D7, a digital speed readout, and both the trip and regular odometer.  It was easy to live with.  The navigation function is operated from the infotainment screen.

Here are the different toggles and switches on the leather wrapped steering wheel.  They took a little more getting used to than the IP.

This is the infotainment center, which is mostly engaged on the dash.

As for its graphics,  I wasn't going to disappoint anyone.

Climate controls are easy to use and, next to the lever, there is the new style parking brake, a hill hold button, and a button that turns off the auto stop-auto on feature, which annoys me.

The seats focus more on being roomy than ergonomic, but they worked well.

 

This is what the rear seat looks like.

This shows the boxy and utilitarian shape of the rear seats, the rear legroom, and some convenient functions for rear seat passengers at the back of the console box.

The bulky front headrest was a little bit of a chore to contend with for visibility.  I just slid the seat forward to improve the view.

The rear pillar wasn't that bad, like it would be on a Buick Envision, for example, and that last "opera window" was somewhat helpful.  The rear cargo cover remained and hides contents from sight.

Trunk capacity is fairly generous with the third row seats folded down.  Here, you can see the top of the retractable cargo cover.

I had stepped into a multi brand dealership:  Mercedes - Smart - Opel - Subaru.  This outfit was more professional than most I've seen in the states.  I didn't think sharing any Subaru jokes would have been appropriate, so I just took photos ... and these brochures.

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MECHANICAL PHOTOS

It's a 2.0 liter (2,000 cc) turbo diesel engine.

Even as you go up in price point, the Europeans often keep the prop rod over hood struts.  I don't like that.

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"BONUS PHOTOS"

Here is the town of Sulmona, Italy.  It might have some medieval aspects.  Behind the archway is the town square, and there was plenty of parking around it.

The sign means "slow down, speed kills,"  A few months ago, a brown bear that is rare and specific to this region was killed one night while crossing the highway.  It wasn't just any bear, but one that had become an area mascot.  They'd relocate him and he'd keep coming back.  He just wanted food.  He didn't bother the people and didn't get into fights with the local dogs.  He even had a name - Juan Carrito. (1) (2) 

The cars in the ski town of Roccaraso tend to be nicer, so such an accessory for this ugly car is to be expected.

(1)  article

Italian bear famous for bakery break-in dies after being hit by car | Italy | The Guardian

(2) video

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END OF PHOTOS

Edited April 25, 2023 by trinacriabob