Splash And Dash

9:42am Monday 3rd December 2007

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SEAT's first foray into "soft-roading" is rather good.

The company's current Altea XL model is an enlarged version of the standard Altea and is certainly a more practical and roomy family proposition, with a sort of semi-estate car layout.

Now the firm has produced a four-wheel drive version, after delving deep into parent company VAG's parts warehouse.

Utilising Audi quattro-derived running gear and Golf GTI engines, the Freetrack 4 is a serious all-round proposition.

With the choice of a potent 170ps diesel or 200ps turbo petrol unit and a kerbweight of a moderate 1600kg, the Freetrack is fun to drive and, importantly, can comfortably put that considerable grunt on to the road. This makes for safe and forgiving power control and little torque steer.

The good grip - from decent-width 17-inch wheels wearing sensibly profiled tyres - complements creditably little body roll, firmish suspension and a good six-speed gearbox, and should inspire confidence in most drivers.

It's another factor which makes the Freetrack the fine family machine that SEAT set out to create.

Inside, the car is roomy and comfortable with good quality, though a little dark, materials and decent finishing.

Despite the car's relatively sleek look, there's plenty of headroom and plenty of elbow and legroom, too. In fact, a lot of thought has gone into rear passenger comfort, with airline-style fold-down seat-back tables and a central armrest/table with cup holders.

The rear seats have adjustable backrests and can slide forward for a more relaxing or soporific posture, and there are no less than 30 storage spaces around the cabin, including three in the roof, as well as a drop-down video screen to which you can connect a portable DVD player.

Much thought has also gone into the boot space - the multipositional rear seats combine with a two-tier boot floor, nets and hooks to create storage options to suit almost anyone.

The Freetrack is an all-round user-friendly package and its looks are pleasing too.

It doesn't appear as tall as you'd expect for a soft-roader and clever design has given quite a low-profile effect.

A purposeful front grill, large black mudguards and a raised chassis show that the car means business both on and off road.

The intelligent four-wheel-drive system ensures plenty of traction if the going gets a bit dodgy and the electronic stability control will apply braking to the appropriate wheels as necessary.

Off-road the Freetrack is a rewarding drive. With a moderately-challenging forest course set up, we media folk were urged to get stuck in.

"It's mainly second gear but you'll need to drop to first along the way," said the man from SEAT leaning in through the passenger window.

"We'll see about that," muttered my colleague who was first in the drivers' seat as we screeched off into the woods.

I was then treated to the rather lively experience of an off-road course being driven like a rally stage as we slid, bounced, rattled and thumped through the trees, never going near first gear. Fortunately, capable suspension, good grab handles and decent seating ensured I wasn't sent through the roof or, worse, into my colleague's lap The car coped admirably with some pretty rough stuff that would have had many a vehicle broken. But the SEAT man looked surprised to see us back after completing the 15-minute course in about seven minutes.

The Altea Freetrack has a vast list of standard gear which includes dual zone climate control, auto headlights, auto dimming mirror, cruise control parking sensors and all-round electric windows.

Safety features are in abundance, with six airbags, pre-tensioned seat belts, rear ISOFIX points, active headrests, tyre pressure monitoring, electronic stability control, brake assist and traction control.

It's a very impressive package, and at £20,495 for the petrol and £21,395 for the diesel it's pretty impressive value too.

SEAT's Freetrack 4 is available now.