It’s difficult to describe the Seat Altea: it looks like an MPV but has only five seats; nor does it have any of the lifestyle gadgets for carrying mountain bikes and surfboards. So it could be a sports estate, but then again it’s too tall.

Perhaps this is why Seat has had to invent a new phrase for it: a multi-sport vehicle (MSV). On the outside the Altea tries hard. Huge effort has gone into creating a showstopper of a nose, with some success. There’s clever detail here, too: the clap-hands wipers actually hide themselves upright behind recesses in the A-pillars. But the Altea loses its energy in side profile. Indeed, by the time you get to the rear the Altea has reverted to standard dumpy MPV mode.

So what wonderful tricks does it have to offer on the inside? Not much. The 60/40-split rear seats fold down flat, like any hatchback’s, but aren’t removable. However, the Altea does do one thing that’s a bit special, which is to offer huge space for four adults. Even 6ft-plus occupants will happily sit behind each other, while the boot space is still reasonable. Better yet, the rear seats deliver excellent under-thigh support. This is a very comfortable cabin.

Okay, so it doesn’t have seat-back dinner trays, but the Altea does make one concession to MPV-dom: it has no fewer than 30 storage spaces. These include drawers under the seats and storage beneath the boot floor. Even the rear parcel shelf has a secret bin.

And when you point it along a mountain road, the Altea claws back even more ground. There’s a Golf under that curvaceous Spanish metal, so the Altea has one of the best platforms in the business. And it’s good fun to drive, with reliable feedback through the steering system, really good balance and a ride quality that absorbs patchy road surfaces. So this is no floppy old MPV.

When it goes on sale in July the Altea will be offered with 102bhp 1.6 and 150bhp 2 litre petrol engines, plus 105bhp 1.9 and 140bhp 2 litre turbodiesels. The 1.6 is lively enough around town, but struggles to maintain a fast motorway cruise without frequent gearchanges. With their superior torque both the 1.9 and 2 litre turbo diesels allow for more relaxed motoring and plenty of low-rev punch when you need it. As a neat bonus, the 1.9 TDi returns excellent overall fuel economy of 52.3mpg.

The Altea is likely to offer more standard kit for less money than most of the competition. The entry level 1.6 model will cost around £13,000, and should have air-conditioning, remote central locking, six airbags, antilock brakes and traction control.

Whether the Altea can compete with genuine MPVs for practicality while still taking on traditional estates for driveability remains to be seen. As does the longevity of the term “multi-sport vehicle”.

VITAL STATISTICS

Model: Seat Altea 1.6
Engine type: Four-cylinder, 1595cc
Power/Torque: 102bhp @ 5600rpm / 109 lb ft @ 3800rpm
Transmission: Six-speed manual, front-wheel drive
Fuel/CO2: 37.2mpg (combined) / 182g/km
Performance: 0-62mph: 12.8sec / top speed: 112mph
Price: £13,000 (est)
Verdict: Spacious, sporting estate or sleek, stylish MPV? It excels at neither, but is very good to drive
Rating:

THE OPPOSITION

Model: Ford Focus C-Max
For: A cracking good drive, well built
Against: A little bit dull

Model: Renault Scénic
For: Versatile interior and funky good looks
Against: Not as good to drive as some rivals