60 Seat Alhambra: It delivers for value-conscious families

The biggest of the VW Group people carriers had, for quite some time, the market in Ireland all to itself as VW chose not to sell the essentially identical Sharan here. Why? Because the two cars were distinguished only by badges and some trim and the Seat was the cheaper of the two. Family buyers like value, went the theory, so only the Seat is needed. Now, VW has re-introduced the Sharan, because "for some buyers, only the VW badge is good enough". Fair enough, but those buyers are rather pointlessly paying more for a round badge. There's nothing that the Sharan does that the Alhambra doesn't and it does it for less. Big, roomy and very comfortable, the Alhambra's clever trick is its sliding side doors which are very handy indeed in tight parking spaces. Cabin quality is excellent and the 2.0-litre TDI diesel pulls well and is acceptably refined. The only black mark is that it's a bit ponderous and bus-like compared to Ford's dynamically sharper Galaxy.

Price range: €38,990 to €50,441

Co2 emissions: 132 to 137g/km

Which one? 2.0 TDI 115hp SE

PCP from €414 per month