If you have more than three children in your family, then you have no option but to buy a seven-seat people carrier-type car. Children under four years old must, by law, be carried in the rear of the vehicle at all times and for those that bit older the rear seats are always the safer option anyway.

For many larger rural families, the seven-seat people carrier is the only practical option for a family day out. So far this year, over 1,300 new car buyers have opted for the larger people carrier such as the Seat Alhambra, which we feature in this week’s test-drive report. That’s why we are now looking more closely at what the Spanish brand, which is part of the Volkswagen Group, has to offer.

Apart from struggling with the Iberian name for this car, Alhambra, which is derived from the Spanish brand’s origin, the relatively large people carrier is designed to suit the needs of the family with four or more children. It is imposing in its own right while being modern in terms of design and styling.

Our test car was the two-litre turbo-diesel version that delivers 150bhp and has lively acceleration pace and good seating options. There is a large and solid feel to the car and that was obvious when I took it over 800km of mixed road driving.

The overall car design is similar to the new-look Volkswagen Sharan. Seat, as part of the Volkswagen family, ensures that the Alhambra shares a lot of the mechanical and technical features as well as the performance of its near relation.

The popular Ford Galaxy is the obvious competitor and so too is the largest volume seller in this segment of the market, the slightly smaller and far more price effective Peugeot 5008. With its relatively competitive pricing, the Seat Alhambra is marginally behind the Ford in the sales charts. So it is no longer the cheaper option that we would have thought of in the past.

Styling

The Seat styling is modern and impressive. This is a people carrier that looks well and functions in a practical sort of way, with twin sliding rear doors and foldable middle and rear seats that are easy to use.

The driving position is high, so you can see the road and the seats are good, with good adjustment and armrests included up front. All seats in the Alhambra are individual, so everyone gets their own opportunity for adjustment and individual comfort. The test car came with leather seats, which add significantly to the base car price and that will be questionable if not outside the reach of most families.

Cars such as the Alhambra are all about space and that means good seating options and plenty of boot space. Pull down those two rear seats into action and the boot space evaporates in front of your eyes, while you will give third-row passengers a reasonable ride.

With all three seats in use, there is no load difference between the Alhambra, Galaxy and Sharon. With the seats folded up, the Galaxy has marginally more load space.

The overall performance of the two-litre Alhambra was good, with an acceleration figure of 10.3 seconds in an acceleration race. That’s a match for the new Sharan and Ford’s Galaxy when comparing the two-litre versions.

There is also little to separate them when it comes to economy. My test result delivered a figure way poorer than the official rating of 20km/litre (5.0/100km or 56mpg). I wondered if it was possible to even get to close to 60% of this figure based on my driving experience, with little thirsty town driving involved.

That means that our three-year running cost figure is probably a little less generous than the figure quoted at €0.46/km attached.

Where the Alhambra is scoring is that the Sharon has been absent from the market for a short while and the number of recent Seat cars is relatively strong, giving hints of reasonably good resale prices.The Alhambra pool of cars has grown enough to add value to those that are in the used car market. But the Ford Galaxy is still the real competitor and league leader, while the Peugeot 5008 is the true value competitor.

The Seat Alhambra may be catching up with an improved specification and a more modern look which is barely discernible from Volkswagen’s Sharon. What might tip the scales in its favour is the good towing ability, which at 2.4t with a braked trailer is the best in the class. It also has an impressive safety package with ISOFIX in the rear and seven airbags, but its Euro NCAP rating is slightly dated.

The entry price for this car is in the region of €44,000, or £29,000 in Northern Ireland, which is a huge chunk for any family to stump up. I think that Seat has pitched the Alhambra price too high. It simply does not have a Volkswagen badge, even if everything about the people carrier is steeped in VW pedigree.

That’s why if moving the children is the issue rather than towing trailers, the slightly smaller Peugeot 5008 option, now with a class-leading five-year warranty, is the better value choice with a €10,000 price difference, more economy and an equally smart design.

Peugeot unveils 3008

Peugeot has unveiled the new 3008 SUV (pictured) with its second- generation Peugeot i-cockpit design. The car is expected to arrive in Ireland in time for the 171-registration plate in January 2017.

The new 3008 is longer than the previous version while it is slightly lower. This model looks like a true SUV, with a more vertical front end, a long flat bonnet and a high waist line. It comes with wide protective side bands and larger wheels than in the past to raise its ground clearance.

Peugeot claims that the new 3008 has genuine off-road capability, thanks to its advanced grip control. This traction system utilises a combination of equipment: optimised traction control with five grip levels (normal, snow, mud, sand, ESP OFF) controlled from a knob on the centre console; 18in mud and snow tyres; and hill assist descent control (HADC). Prices and equipment for the full range will be announced for the Irish market closer to launch.

SsangYong delivers new engine for Rexton range

SsangYong Motors in Ireland has introduced a 2.2-litre engine option for the new Rexton range. Entry prices start from €37,495, including VAT and VRT.

This new Euro 6 diesel engine comes with improved transmission options, either a six-speed manual transmission or a new, smoother seven-speed automatic transmission.

The diesel engine claims to combine more power and fuel efficiency at the same time.

The engine power has been increased to 178bhp and maximum torque jumps to 400Nm, up by 14.8% and 11%, respectively, compared with the previous two-litre engine. The CO2 emission level drops by 5%.

SsangYong claims that the wide torque band is delivered from a low rev range of 1,400rpm and maintained up to 2,800rpm for progressive driving from the start. The Rexton’s towing capacity remains unchanged at 2,600kg with a braked trailer. The Rexton comes as standard with part-time 4WD, shift on the fly and a low-range gear box.

Ford discounts prices in 162 registration ‘real deal’ offers

Ford Ireland has announced a range of discount car price offers to entice 162 registration car-buyers as part of its ‘‘real deal’’ summer promotion with offers running until June 30. The offers include substantial discounts on a range of new Ford models including Fiesta, B-MAX, EcoSport, Focus, C-MAX, Mondeo and Kuga.

The 162 promotional discounts range from €2,750 on Fiesta models and go right up to €4,750 for the Kuga Titanium, which is available from the ‘‘real deal’’ price of €28,595. Other reductions include discounts of up to €3,500 off B-MAX; €3,000 off EcoSport; €4,500 off Focus; €3,500 off C-MAX; and €2,250 off Mondeo.

Women@SIMI driving change within the motoring industry

The Society of the Irish Motor Industry recently hosted its third annual Women@SIMI event to provide a platform for professional females from a variety of counties.

The women were representing different sectors such as the heavy goods vehicles, vehicle body repairers, franchise retailers, distributors, etc, and met to network and share their experiences in what is otherwise viewed as a traditionally male-dominated environment.

The Women@SIMI event was attended by over 160 professional women. It recognises the dynamic role played by women who are leading the way for the next generation of women in helping to driving the industry forward, both in terms of business strategy and career progression.

New 1.0 TSI petrol Skoda Octavia is a diesel alternative

Skoda has announced prices for the new 1.0 TSI, 115bhp petrol engine version of the Octavia due in Ireland this July. Prices start from €22,880 with 0% finance available on orders taken up to the end of July.

Skoda will be the first brand within the Volkswagen group to utilise the 1.0 TSI unit in the larger cars. The new engine will replace the 1.2 TSI 110bhp unit that has been used up to this point.

Despite a reduction in engine capacity, the new engine is claimed to deliver superior performance in every area, including power output (+5%) acceleration time (-3% from 0-100km/h), fuel consumption (-7%) and top speed (+1.5%).

Golf gives more options in new 162 offers

Volkswagen is offering special deals for the country’s most popular car, the Volkswagen Golf, for the 162 registration period. Volkswagen Ireland has released details of its 162 offers on the Golf and Golf estate, which now comes with three trim levels, the Trendline and Highline, while the Comfortline range is replaced by a new trim level called Allstar.

The entry-level Trendline itself has been improved, with the addition of composition media radio, cruise control, leather multi-function steering wheel, media in Ffunction for iPod /iPhone, multi-function display and rear electric window on a five-door model. The Golf Trendline starts from €20,385.

Volkswagen powers Amarok with six cylinders

Volkswagen is raising the bar in the 4x4 pick-up market with the announcement that it will be fitting the Volkswagen V6 engines to the Amarok from later this year.

The new engine will deliver 550Nm of torque and has an output of 224bhp. Some versions will have a towing capacity of up to 3.5t.