Seat Alhambra review

The Alhambra’s defining characteristic is the eerie quiet at low speed, coupled to ride quality befitting a luxury limo. Added to its concert-hall-like space, this is the sort of car that, if it didn’t have the whopping big ‘S’ on the front, would make a perfect celebrity ferry. Its massive girth means it’s not the easiest thing to park for those without a Blue Badge, but that’s a price worth paying for so much usable space. And it has parking sensors, so get over it.

As you’d expect, the VW ergonomics scientists have done their calculations well, making sure that almost anyone can find a comfortable driving position. It even handles OK, for a massive cube, though it feels a lot more at ease when floating in a straight line. For that reason we’d go for a DSG gearbox – its computer brain is much better able to understand when to change up and down gears than it used to be, and it’s gotten smoother doing so.