SEAT Altea Freetrack 4 Review.
The Altea Freetrack 4 is a curious animal; it combines traditional family transportation, off-road capability and typical SEAT sportiness, all in one package.
Based on the Freetrack concept car shown at the 2007, Geneva Motor Show, the production version uses the SEAT Altea XL as a starting point. However, it is easily distinguished from the donor car by the charcoal grey, plastic guards that make up the front and rear bumpers, chunky wheelarches and, to a lesser extent, the sills.
The Altea Freetrack 4 is a curious animal; it combines traditional family transportation, off-road capability and typical SEAT sportiness, all in one package.
Based on the Freetrack concept car shown at the 2007, Geneva Motor Show, the production version uses the SEAT Altea XL as a starting point. However, it is easily distinguished from the donor car by the charcoal grey, plastic guards that make up the front and rear bumpers, chunky wheelarches and, to a lesser extent, the sills.
The design is sneakily sleek in parts and blatantly rugged in others but it is pure SEAT and bears the distinctive swage lines that are now a familiar characteristic of the Company’s vehicles. The Freetrack 4 comes from the sketchpad of SEAT’s Design Director, one Luc Donckerwolke, a name you probably won’t recognise but the fact that he joined SEAT from Lamborghini is evidence of his credentials.
Strangely, although the Freetrack 4 was launched in October 2007, you don’t see many on the road. In fact, I can’t remember seeing one at all. Of the eight colours available, including five metallic’s, the Crono yellow paintwork (as on the test car) makes the vehicle stand out from the crowd and you would spot it easily.
As an example of its scarcity; whilst travelling along a motorway during the test, I was aware that I was being trailed by a standard Altea and when it drew alongside I could see that the Freetrack was being photographed by the passenger of the other car - clearly a SEAT fan.
The protective cladding isn’t merely for show. The Freetrack 4 has a Haldex four-wheel-drive system, which under normal circumstances, is purely front-wheel-drive. Should the various sensors detect a change in grip, it will transfer up to 50 per cent of the available power to the rear axle, as required. One of the benefits of an on-demand system such as the Haldex is that it isn’t as heavy as a full-time 4WD system. However, it does take up more space than a standard drive and SEAT had to adapt the rear axle and suspension to accommodate the extra mass.
The Freetrack 4 has 40mm more ground clearance than the XL, to allow for off-roading adventures. Although it is by no means, able to take on the ‘big boys’ of the 4×4 world, it is very capable. That said, the front and rear scuff-plates could well see some action, if you try to tackle very deep ruts, as the approach angle is only 17.6 degrees and the departure angle is almost 23 degrees. The twin tailpipes are positioned quite low down and, despite the rear scuff-plate, they are relatively unprotected. Nevertheless, farm tracks and green lanes shouldn’t be a problem.
The exuberance of the Crono Yellow exterior is somewhat muted by the interior colours. The design, ergonomics and feel are fine; it is more the odd combination of colours that seems incongruous. SEAT tells us that the brown, ‘bark-coloured’ centre console and various trim panels, provides “links with the great outdoors”. For me, the mix of perforated brown and grid-patterned, black materials just doesn’t gel.
There is a single equipment specification, as the Freetrack 4 is more or less, a stand alone vehicle. The list contains more than enough for family travel, with a few extras thrown in for good measure. With families on board, storage is a big issue; one that has been thoroughly addressed by way of under-seat drawers, capacious door bins and a two-tier armrest at the front, slightly smaller door bins in the rear, plenty of cupholders and an overhead storage console, with four compartments of varying sizes.
The rearmost compartment opens up to reveal a 7-inch screen, so when the children become bored of ‘colouring in’, on the flip up aircraft-style tables, they can plug in a portable DVD player, games console or MP3 player, instead. Alternatively, the same RCA connection can be used for a laptop.
The cabin is spacious, with plenty of legroom for the three, rear passengers. The centre seat doubles as an armrest table, when not in use. The seat backs recline and there is a 60:40 split and fold function. What is more, the seats can be moved up to 14cm forward or 2cm back for extra legroom or more luggage space.
The Freetrack 4 has a little less boot capacity than the XL with between 490- and 593-litres available, depending on the rear seat positions; this increases to 1,562 when loaded to the roof. Not only is the boot fitted with a cargo net and hooks, as standard, but there is also a partition net, which can be used to separate the luggage or the dog, from the cabin area.
Another standard feature is the partial leather seat covers, which, together with the fabric areas, provides a mixture of practicality and luxury. The rear seats are well contoured and supportive but the front seats are of a Recaro style with heavily bolstered sides to keep you firmly in place when off-roading or making the most of fast country lanes. Both the driver and front passenger have height and lumbar adjustment, while the sports steering wheel lives up to its name in superb style.
But that’s not all. Here is a quick rundown of the other standard goodies: integrated window blinds for the powered rear windows, dual-zone climate control, automatic wipers and headlights (with washers), heated washer nozzles, rear parking sensors, integrated front foglights, heated, folding mirrors in the same grey colour as the bumpers, auto-dimming rear-view mirror, rake- and reach-adjustable steering column, cruise control, tyre pressure monitor and pre-installed towbar electrics. Quite a list.
The imposing centre console is angled slightly towards the driver and houses a large information screen, through which various functions can be controlled. These include the standard CD/radio with MP3 compatibility, with secondary controls on the steering wheel. A Bluetooth communications pack is available as an option, as is Satellite Navigation but strangely audio CDs cannot be played when it is in use.
There are two engine options; a 2.0 TSI (as tested) or a 2.0 TDI. Both are mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox and automatic transmission is not an option. The turbocharged TSI petrol unit is both faster and quicker than the diesel with a top speed of 133mph and a 0-62mph time of just 7.5 seconds as opposed to 127mph and 8.7 seconds. That said, neither of them are slow.
The TSI’s sprint time is more in keeping with that of a hot-hatch but this engine thinks it is a diesel. Ignore the power output of 200PS at 5,100rpm and focus on the 280Nm of torque. Not excessive in itself but it is available in a broad band between 1,800- and 5,000rpm, and that makes a huge difference to the flexibility, with plenty of low-down torque and a quick burst of speed available, in all gears, at a squeeze of the organ-pedal accelerator.
Thanks to the sports suspension, the Freetrack 4 gets gold stars for handling and ride quality on highways and byways - it is simply a joy to drive. Unlike some of its competitors that have a tendency to lumber through bends, the Freetrack 4 is focused and balanced.
Unfortunately, the diesel-like qualities don’t apply to fuel economy. The official figures of 22.1-, 38.2- and 30.1mpg for the urban, extra-urban and combined cycles aren’t as good as they might be these days and 223 grams of CO2 escape from the chromed tailpipes every kilometre.
As for safety, the Freetrack 4 comes with front and side airbags for the driver and passenger with two curtain airbags to complete the set. That is unless you add the optional side airbags for the rear seats. Based on the EuroNCAP results for the Altea, SEAT expects the Freetrack 4 to have the same comparable ratings of 5 stars for Occupant Safety, 4 stars for Child Protection and a very good, 3 stars for Pedestrian Protection.
All of this only becomes an issue if the electronic wizardry fails to help you avoid an accident. Every Freetrack 4 is fitted with TCS traction control and the latest generation of ESP together with something called Driving Steering Recommendation (DSR), which checks the amount of braking at each axle and transmits an impulse to the steering wheel to help keep the car on course. It is particularly effective in strong side winds. The ESP system also comprises a Trailer Stability Programme (TSP), which does what it says on the label, and finally, the usual suspects are on board; ABS with EBD.
Considering the equipment levels the £20,495 asking price for the test car doesn’t seem unreasonable; after all, you do get three cars for the price of one and distinctive styling thrown in for good measure.