Seat Ateca - long-term test
Seat’s all-new Ateca is very late to the SUV party. James Foxall finds out whether it can make an impact
Our car: 2.0 TDI 4Drive Xcellence List price when new: £27,425 Price as tested: £29,155 Official fuel economy: 55.4mpg (EU Combined)
March 10th, 2017
The successor to a VW Passat Alltrack is Seat’s first attempt at an SUV. However, it’s already won awards and has undoubtedly been given a bit of a leg-up by employing the same oily bits as the Volkswagen Golf and Tiguan.
Our version is the 2.0-litre TDI with 150PS (148bhp), a 4Drive four-wheel drive system and a six-speed manual gearbox. With a 0-62mph time of 9sec and claimed economy of 55.4mpg it promises a sensible combination between performance and efficiency.
Its top-of-the-range Xcellence trim means it sits on 18-inch Performance alloy wheels, has satellite navigation and features the Keyless Enter and Go system. In addition, it has the Convenience and Winter Packs as standard, which provides little luxuries such as rain-sensing windscreen wipers, adjustable ambient interior lighting and heated front seats.
Our model also features the £1,210 Xcellence Pack. This includes the top-view camera, which uses lenses in the door mirrors, windscreen and at the rear to beam a bird’s eye image of the car to the central screen. And there’s an electric tailgate with the strangely named Virtual Pedal. This pack includes the wireless charging point for a mobile phone plus the connectivity hub.
With its non-metallic Passion Red paintwork (£250), plus a boot divider net (£155) and double floor (£115), that puts the total price at £29,155. This is a way off the Ateca’s base price of £17,990 but you do get a very well-equipped car. More importantly, you get a model that’s cheaper than the like-for-like Tiguan.
First impressions are very positive. I like the way you sit in it rather than on it: high sides make the driving position feel sporty and low. And although it gives away 40bhp compared with its predecessor the Passat, it doesn’t feel that much slower.
Its handling is also remarkably reassured, although the trade-off is a rather firm ride. Am I going to learn to live with that, or will it prove a pain in the backside? That’s what this test is all about.
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