SEAT has had to come up with a whole new range of names after entering the SUV/crossover market.

In the case of its largest foray into what has become the most competitive part of the modern automotive market it has gone for Tarraco.

The name was actually selected after a public vote and it's the old name for the Spanish city of Tarragona.

Volkswagen Group's three mainstream marques have all been turning out SUVs and crossovers of varying shapes and sizes and in line with modern automotive industry practice models share underpinnings across the marques.

The Tarraco therefore has much in common with the Skoda Kodiaq and Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace.

Styling-wise there's enough to set it apart and make it very much identifiable as a SEAT and on the inside there are plenty of SEAT design elements to ensure it feels familiar.

It's a splendidly family-friendly SUV that, in the UK at least, is only available in seven-seat form.

As with many seven-seaters the two rearmost seats are only really suited for children or small passengers, though can accommodate adults ably enough for short journeys.

Impressively, even with all seven seats in use there is still 230 litres of boot space.

To turn it into a five-seater those third row seats fold flat quickly and easily and the Tarraco then becomes the equivalent of a fairly sizeable estate car.

There's 700 litres of space, which increases to 1,775 litres with all the rear seats folded.

There are six trims, four engines and prices range from just over £28,500 to almost £40,500.

The 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol unit fitted to this car - the 1.5 TSI Evo - is the entry-level engine and like many of the smaller petrol engines around these days it's a decent enough all-rounder.

If you're carrying a full load its limitations might become more apparent but for everyday use it pulls well enough and delivers impressive economy.

The popularity of diesel might be diminishing but I'd imagine many Tarraco buyers are likely to opt for one of the two oil-burning options.

There's two versions of a 2.0-litre unit offering either 148bhp or 187bhp and the fourth engine option is a 187bhp 2.0-litre TSI petrol.

As SUVs become more commonplace four-wheel-drive has become far less of an essential and in standard form the Tarraco is front-wheel-drive and the transmission is a six-speed manual.

Four-wheel-drive and a seven-speed automatic gearbox are optional.

It's a big-ish vehicle but doesn't feel too bulky or cumbersome to drive.

The ride was commendable and comfortable and the handling decent enough for an SUV.

SEAT likes its ‘sporty' elements and in the Tarraco one of the manifestations of that means you get 18-inch wheels as standard.

This Xcellence model features larger 19-inch wheels and there's even the option of 20-inch wheels.

The Tarraco's interior is nicely done out and spacious and equipment levels are generous whatever the spec.

An entry-level SE comes with an eight-inch central touchscreen and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone matching.

You also get the Seat digital cockpit with its 10.25-inch multi-mode instrument panel.

Other standard features include lane departure warning, emergency braking, rear parking sensors, automatic lights and wipers, metallic paint and LED headlights.

All Tarracos come with a multi-mode drive selector offering Eco, Normal or Sport modes - along with an individual setting.

Extras on this Xcellence model included dual-zone climate control, sat-nav and a rear camera.