To many, a car is just a means of getting from A to B, more convenient and luxurious than the bus, yet still just an inanimate object that performs a specific task. If you're a regular reader of CompleteCar.ie then you'll know that we don't think that way, but despite our enthusiasm for the car, we live in the real world too. For me that real world includes a wife who works hard and two children of pre-school age. To say that life is busy in an understatement.
You may have noticed that there's an unending line of new cars for us to drive, but through all that it's massively useful to have just one vehicle that's always there. For the past few months, that has been the SEAT Alhambra. In case you've not familiar with it, it's a seven-seat people carrier sharing its underpinnings (and a lot more besides) with the Volkswagen Sharan.
In spite of SEAT's desire to be seen as the passionate Latin alter ego to Volkswagen there's no getting away from the fact that the Alhambra is sensible family motoring. Sure, it looks quite good for such a big car, and its 16-inch five-spoke alloy wheels are quite sporting, but that's where it stops. And yet, it was undoubtedly one of the best cars we've ever 'owned' in the O' Donoghue residence.
Now, if you're any good at maths you may be wondering why a four-person household needs a seven-seat car and of course, you're right to wonder, but a few months later we're hooked. As usable as the rear-most seats are, the only time we used them was when we came out of Ikea (yeah, I'm a walking, typing cliché) with a piece of flat-pack furniture that was way too long for the boot. We considered sending the kids into the Ikea crèche before realising that we could move their car seats around to be one in front of the other (over the rear two rows), hence creating a long flat area in which to store our new purchase. It worked and the kids thought it was huge fun.
But apart from that, the very back seats were folded flat permanently, creating a huge load space. It was such a luxury to throw bikes, scooters, buggies and shopping in with abandon, not worrying about whether it would fit in. We managed to fill the space a few times on long weekends away, but 'economical' packing went out the window.
Speaking of economy, our Alhambra was powered by the 115hp version of SEAT's 2.0-litre TDI diesel engine. That's not a high power figure, admittedly, but thanks to 280Nm of torque produced from just 1,750rpm it always felt up to the job and has a relaxing gait on a long journey. The soft suspension and refinement helped with that too. Over our time with the car we probably spent more time in and around Dublin than we did on the motorway, but even so we averaged 6.1 litres/100km (46.3mpg).
Right now the Alhambra starts from €38,995 for the car we had on loan - a 2.0 TDI Exclusive 115. Emissions are 146g/km, which means an annual tax bill of €390. Buyers can upgrade to the 140hp version of the same engine for a premium of €3,395 and then to an automatic gearbox on that car (the excellent DSG dual-clutch unit) for an additional €2,865. All variants feature the seven-seat layout.
Standard equipment is generous too, reflecting the price point. Along with the alloy rims mentioned above, the Exclusive trim level features front fog lights with a cornering function, roof rails, front and rear parking sensors, three-zone climate control, electric windows all round, Bluetooth and stereo controls on the steering wheel. Thanks in part to standard fitment of seven airbags and stability control the Alhambra scored a full five stars in the Euro NCAP safety tests. The only thing we missed was leather trim for the otherwise quite pleasant steering wheel.
SEAT now has the Alhambra back in its possession and we've replaced it with the company's impressive new Toledo. Like the MPV this car is the sensible side of the brand, though admittedly the side that most Irish buyers are going to be attracted to right now. Will we be as sad to see it go?