SEAT has started production of the new plug-in hybrid version of the Tarraco, the Tarraco e-Hybrid.
Emissions as low as 37g/km
Going on sale in the first quarter of next year the Tarraco e-Hybrid has claimed CO2 emissions of between 37 and 46g/km, and a claimed 49km electric-only range when the battery is fully charged.
That battery is a 13kWh pack, which drives the 85kW electric motor. Combined with the 150hp 1.4 TSI petrol engine, that makes for a total of 245hp and 400Nm of torque. SEAT says that with a fully-charged battery, and a full tank of fuel, the Tarraco e-Hybrid has a range of some 730km.
S-Boost button for extra acceleration
The e-Hybrid gets three different driving modes - e-Mode, Automatic Hybrid or Manual Hybrid - and an 'S-Boost' button which allows the electric motor to deliver a little more peak power for overtaking manoeuvres.
The Tarraco e-Hybrid's official fuel economy figure is between 1.6 and 2.0-litres per 100km, which equates to 141-176mpg. You'll need to be plugging it in A LOT and maximising electric-only driving to get near to those figures.
Charges in 3.5 hours
It will charge efficiently from a low-output charger, though, taking just three and a half hours to top up the battery from a 3.6kW wall box, or five hours from a 2.kW charger (roughly equivalent to a three-pin socket). Needless to say, the Tarraco e-Hybrid can be linked to your phone through the SEAT Connect app, which allows you to monitor and control its charging behaviour.
The Tarraco e-Hybrid will be available in Xcellence and FR trims, but the catch is that because of the way the battery is packaged, it will only be available as a five-seater, not with the usual optional seven-seat layout.