HOW does a big versatile people carrier capable of 62 miles per gallon and decent performance sound to you?

Quite honestly, until I drove it, I did not realise the SEAT Altea Ecomotive was so good.

The 1.6 TDI engine has enough urge for most needs and is up to the very latest specification but add stop/start to save fuel when stationary in traffic and you have one of the top economy mid-size MPVs on the market.

It is also good to look at and immensely practical - of which more later.

The VW group 1.6 TDI is not the most powerful, but it provides quite reasonable performance and is much quieter and more refined than the 1.9 it replaced.

The stop/start system works perfectly, restarting the engine as soon as the clutch is depressed and in less time than it takes to get the car into gear.

The ride is excellent over most surfaces and road-holding is also up there with the best, as it should when the chassis comes from the VW Golf.

There are storage cubbies and pockets all over the place and the rear seats slide for more legroom or boot space. Headroom is vast and visibility excellent.

: VW Touran