SPANISH car maker SEAT is broadening the appeal of its Tarraco large SUV with the introduction of a semi- automatic gearbox on its entry level model.

The new version is slightly quicker than the manual 1.5-litre Tarraco and only marginally less fuel efficient.

It's rated at 9.5 seconds 0 to 60 with a fuel return of 35.3mpg under the new WLTP tests compared to the 9.7 seconds and 36.7 to the gallon of the manual Tarraco fitted with the same Evo TSI turbo petrol engine.

Emissions for the new DSG version are 164g/km and the front wheel drive vehicle is priced from £29,900 in SE trim and £31,990 for higher specification XCELLENCE grades - a premium of some £1,400 over the manual Tarraco.

The top speed of the new DSG variant is 124mph.

SEAT says the new version should appeal to fleet buyers where all-wheel drive technology is not as critical.

Until now, the Tarraco has only been available either in front-wheel drive mated to a six-speed manual gearbox, or in 4Drive all-wheel drive configuration paired to the seven-speed DSG automatic transmission.