SEAT is sailing into uncharted waters with the Tarraco, its first 7-seat SUV. And it seems they want to try new things as well, including a plug-in hybrid.
The Tarraco is mechanically very similar to the Skoda Kodiaq, which will probably be the first Skoda to receive a PHEV variant. Not surprisingly, SEAT wants one too.
In an interview with Auto Express magazine, the head of research and development, Dr Matthias Rabe, revealed that the Tarraco eco version would arrive in 2020, and he even went into specifics.
“FR Tarraco will be about the design and styling, and the chassis, instead of more power,” Rabe said. “We have 190PS petrol and diesel versions, and then there’s the 210PS hybrid, and these all have enough performance for FR. So yes, there’s every reason why FR can be a hybrid, and we will certainly do that.”
That's 210 metric horsepower, a number that differs from the Golf GTE. Based on the fact that Volkswagen has pulled all its PHEVs from the European lineup, we believe this could be a new system, using a 1.5 TSI in place of the 1.4 TSI.
Volkswagen has previously said it's playing with a new, compact electric motor mounted between the rear wheels instead of sandwiched between the gasoline engine and DSG gearbox. The system has been tested on the Tiguan and was even presented as a concept, the GTE.
While the Leon FR used to be a hot hatch that matched the Golf GTI for power, FR has become a trim level, a sporty body kit. In the case of the Leon, it's still the version you want, but that might not be the case for a rugged car like the Tarraco.
That's why the PHEV system will also be available on other models. Something tells us the 2.0 TDI will still be the most popular choice for the FR, though. And a sporty but heavy plug-in SUV... that sounds like something only Porsche can pull of.
In an interview with Auto Express magazine, the head of research and development, Dr Matthias Rabe, revealed that the Tarraco eco version would arrive in 2020, and he even went into specifics.
“FR Tarraco will be about the design and styling, and the chassis, instead of more power,” Rabe said. “We have 190PS petrol and diesel versions, and then there’s the 210PS hybrid, and these all have enough performance for FR. So yes, there’s every reason why FR can be a hybrid, and we will certainly do that.”
That's 210 metric horsepower, a number that differs from the Golf GTE. Based on the fact that Volkswagen has pulled all its PHEVs from the European lineup, we believe this could be a new system, using a 1.5 TSI in place of the 1.4 TSI.
Volkswagen has previously said it's playing with a new, compact electric motor mounted between the rear wheels instead of sandwiched between the gasoline engine and DSG gearbox. The system has been tested on the Tiguan and was even presented as a concept, the GTE.
While the Leon FR used to be a hot hatch that matched the Golf GTI for power, FR has become a trim level, a sporty body kit. In the case of the Leon, it's still the version you want, but that might not be the case for a rugged car like the Tarraco.
That's why the PHEV system will also be available on other models. Something tells us the 2.0 TDI will still be the most popular choice for the FR, though. And a sporty but heavy plug-in SUV... that sounds like something only Porsche can pull of.
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