Seat Altea Freetrack unveiled

By Tim Pollard

Motor Shows

08 June 2007 10:56

Seat Altea Freetrack: the lowdown

Bandwagon alert! Seat is the latest manufacturer to join the soft-roader club, with the Freetrack version of the Altea XL, unveiled at this week's Barcelona Motor Show. It joins a growing list of Skoda Scouts, Volkswagen Dunes and Renault Conquests as mass-market makers toughen up their regular models with the 4x4 look. Seat took centre stage at the Spanish show, on the doorstep of its Martorell factory. And the Freetrack, unveiled by president Eric Schmidt (above), is one of a growing number of new models planned by Seat as it hopes to double sales by 2018.

Take one regular Altea XL, the longer-booted version of the regular Altea, and send it to training camp. The makeover comprises: beefed-up new bumpers front and rear, blending into broad-hipped plastic wheelarches, metallic-effect chin spoiler, new 17-inch alloys and a ride height lifted by 40mm for a tip-toe stance and higher ground clearance. It even has four-wheel drive, unlike many of the new breed of faux-by-fours, and Seat claims it's 'the first Seat designed to be driven off-road', although officials admit they're talking about muddy fields rather than proper mountain hopping.

By Tim Pollard