Seat Tarraco
Price £28,230
Top speed 131mph
0-62mph 8 seconds
MPG 38.7
CO2 166g/km
Eco score ★★★☆☆

It’s a cliché to say that being a parent is all about letting go. But there are some watersheds that are tougher to negotiate than others and, for me, I’ve found it very difficult to relinquish the role of “family driver”. Who drives in our gang has never been an issue: it’s me. My wife has never particularly enjoyed it, while I love the throb of the engine, the weightless bulk of the car and the wordless bond that exists between driver and machine. But this summer, that all changed. My eldest daughter finally passed her test and enthusiastically volunteered to share the load on a long drive through France. The car we took turns at the wheel in was the new Tarraco from Seat. Her first impressions were a pick’n’mix of: “Wow; OMG; this is easy; it’s an automatic; why did I bother learning gears; it’s sooooo posh; and what side of the road is it again?” She doesn’t have much to compare it to except the Ford Focus she passed her test in but, in essence, she was right on all counts.

The Tarraco – named after the Mediterranean city of Tarragona and chosen by popular vote in the model’s #SEATseekingName competition – is the final piece in Seat’s SUV jigsaw. It joins the smaller Arona and the midsize Ateca as a range-topping, rather glamorous, big brother. It comes with seven seats, loads of cabin room and a decent boot. It’s not quite as large as Seat’s bus-like Alhambra, but we travelled in comfort with six people, a ton of clobber and still had room to bring home plenty of French cheese and wine. It also gets the premium treatment from Seat: cabin materials, plastics, leathers, inserts and dials are all upmarket; driver aids are next-level; the sound system is epic. The car was designed and developed in Martorell, Spain, and built in Wolfsburg, Germany. It has been blessed with style and practicality.

You’ll find little to separate Seat’s Tarraco from Skoda’s Kodiaq. That’s not a surprise as both count VW as their parents and much of their underpinnings are identical. There’s also little to separate the Tarraco from Audi’s Q5 and VW’s Tiguan, such is the way Volkswagen’s model-hierarchy works. What is unusual is that Seat normally sits on the rung below Skoda, yet in this case the Tarraco is more expensive and slightly snazzier than the Kodiaq. You pays your money, you takes your choice.

Another choice you’ll have to make is between its two petrol engines – a 148bhp 1.5-litre and a 187bhp 2-litre – and two 2-litre diesels, 148bhp or 178bhp. My daughter and I drove the smaller 1.5-litre petrol unit. It was smooth and supple, though fully loaded it did have to bare its teeth to get up the steeper hills. But how often are you fully loaded and driving the length of France? The car has 4WD and a range of traction and drive systems. We stuck to “eco” and were happy to be getting around 36mpg. A plug-in hybrid version is due out next year. We drove for 10 days in great comfort and without a cross word. The bad news is that she’s looking forward to sharing the driving on our next trip…

Give your car some TLC

As of March 2019, over 40 million driving licences have been given out in Great Britain. For many drivers, that licence was granted a while ago – and some bad habits may have developed since. The team at CarShop, has revealed some of driving habits you probably didn’t know were damaging to your car. Take note and try and avoid them – your car will thank you in the end.

1. Flooring the accelerator in a high gear. Many cars have a gear-shift indicator that suggests when to change gears. However, this indicator is usually based on the assumption that you’ll be cruising at the same speed, and isn’t always accurate if you’re continuing to accelerate. If you find you’re having to floor the accelerator in a high gear, you should shift down a gear for more power. Flooring the accelerator in a high gear means your engine is working extremely hard, which puts a lot of strain on your motor.

2. Overloading your car. While this may seem obvious, you might not realise how easy it is to overload your car. If you’ve got four passengers and luggage, it’s likely your car is already overloaded. Overloading your car puts strain on your brakes, drivetrain and suspension. It can result in you having less control of your vehicle, and may also lead to costly repairs.

3. Resting your hand on the gear stick. In short, your gear stick is attached to what’s called a “selector fork” inside your transmission, which makes contact with rotating metal components every time you select a gear. However, when you rest your hand on the gear stick, this pressure may force the selector fork into the rotating components for a prolonged period, when you’re not even changing gear, causing it to wear out much more quickly than it usually would.

4. Riding the clutch. This refers to keeping your clutch partially pressed in. You’re most likely to do this when you’re in a queue of traffic, when you’re gently pressing and releasing the clutch to creep forward and stop rather than braking. The reason this is bad for your car is that it causes unnecessary friction between the clutch plate and flywheel, which could lead your clutch kit to an early grave, resulting in some costly repair fees.

5. Shifting into reverse before stopping. In manual cars, if you put your car into reverse whilst still moving slightly forward, you will have to use the clutch more for your car to begin reversing - which adds more wear to your clutch and drivetrain. However, this is an even bigger problem in automatic cars, as it’s problematic for the transmission and will wear the transmission band considerably more.

6. Driving your car before it’s warmed up. You shouldn’t turn on your car and immediately drive as it won’t have warmed up properly. This only takes a few seconds in modern cars, but in older cars this can take much longer. Once you turn your car on, you should watch your RPM gauge - your car will run at a high idle before dropping down to a lower RPM. Only after your RPM has dropped should you set off, as this means the oil has had time to properly lubricate the components in your car.

7. Keeping the clutch depressed when stationary. Many drivers will wait at a traffic light with first gear engaged and the clutch depressed, but this is causing unnecessary wear on your clutch. When you don’t need to use the clutch pedal, don’t. It’s much better to put your car in neutral and use your handbrake while you’re stationary.

8. Braking just before a speed bump. When you apply your brakes your car nosedives and compresses the struts in your car. While doing this, if you go over a speedbump, you run a high risk of the underside of your car grazing the bump. The bump also forces your wheels upwards which further compresses your struts, adding unnecessary strain. Adjust your speed well before approaching a speed bump to avoid this.

9. Forgetting oil changes. Not changing your oil regularly has a large impact on your engine as old oil becomes less and less efficient when it comes to lubricating its components. It’s recommended that oil, along with the oil filter, is changed every 3-6 months.

10. Forgetting to check tyre pressure. You should regularly check the pressure of your tyres. Over-inflated tyres decrease contact with road surface, which severely reduces control and handling. Under-inflated tyres cause too much friction and leave you at risk of your tyres popping or “blowing out”, which could cause a severe accident.

Email Martin at martin.love@observer.co.uk or follow him on Twitter@MartinLove166