Wednesday, December 15, 2010
New Seat Alhambra MPV: VW Sharan's Twin Brother Officially Revealed
Today, Seat lifted the wraps off its all-new Alhambra people carrier that will go on sale across Europe this summer. If you've seen the latest generation Volkswagen Sharan that was unveiled at last month's Geneva Motor Show, then the Alhambra will come to no surprise.
In fact, aside from the Alhambra's unique fascia and tail lamp designs, the two MPVs are identical. Same goes for the interior as the only difference between the Alhambra and Sharan concerns the steering wheel hub.
Measuring 4.85 meters in length, the new Alhambra is 220 mm longer than its predecessor, while it is also wider by a full 90mm.
It features large sliding doors with optional electric operation and can seat up to seven passengers in three rows of seats.
When configured as a five-seater the Mediterranean-flavored Sharan has 885 lt of load space available, which grows to a cavernous maximum of 2,297 liters if only the front two seats are in use.
Unlike its predecessor if more storage room is called for the second and third-row seats need no longer be removed as they can be sunk into the vehicle floor using the "Easy-Fold" system.
In addition, the middle row seats can also be arranged longitudinally, with integrated child seats available as an option.
Underneath the skin, there's a new engine line-up with TSI petrol and TDI diesel units, all equipped with fuel injection and turbocharging as well as Start-Stop system and brake energy recovery technology.
There are two TSI units producing 150- and 200-horsepower, and two 2.0-liter TDI engines delivering 140HP and 170HP.