Seat occupied the compact SUV segment late. Doesn't matter, the Ateca is also a success.
¡Hola! The rustling of leaves was great when Seat officially presented its first SUV to the public at the Geneva Motor Show in 2016. The Ateca pleased with its shape and dimensions. The first vehicles of the compact SUV have now arrived at the TÜV. Do the examiners say top or flop?
Body and interior
The Spanish subsidiary Seat of the VW Group attaches great importance to an appealing design, which is certainly allowed to underline the brand's sporty claim. The Ateca looks more elegant than rustic. He also renounces martial tin work. It is based on the same technology kit as the VW Tiguan, but is significantly shorter. At 4,38 meters long, it is roughly as long as the first generation of the Tiguan. The space available in the five-door is decent, but whether the back seat should be occupied by three people depends on the individual cuddle factor level. Unlike the Wolfsburg relatives, there is no sliding back seat with the Spaniard. The trunk volume is between 510 and 1.604 liters, depending on the seat configuration; with the all-wheel drive models it is 25 liters less. The interior comes up with good workmanship. The cockpit is functionally designed with a good mix of analog and digital control elements. At the end of 2020, the Ateca received a facelift. The lifted versions can be recognized above all by a modified front with now standard LED headlights.
Motors and drive
The engines are familiar from the large corporate shelf and include gasoline and diesel with front-wheel and all-wheel drive. Entry-level petrol is the one-liter three-cylinder with 85 kW / 115 PS, which should be suitable for undemanding drivers. With a torque of 200 Nm and a top speed of 180 km / h, it is enough to get from A to B. The average consumption is 5,6 liters. If there should be something more tasty, the 1,4-liter four-cylinder TSI with 110 kW / 150 PS is the right one. In addition to the manual six-speed gearbox, it is also optionally available with a dual clutch gearbox (DSG). In combination with front-wheel drive it has 7 gears, with all-wheel drive it is 6. The maximum speed is specified at 200 km / h, the consumption with values between 5,3 and 6,3 liters.
Always with four-wheel drive and a seven-speed DSG, the top petrol engines, which have been expanding the range of engines since 2017 and 2018, respectively. The 2,0 TSI has an output of 140 kW / 190 PS (320 Nm), while the Cupra has 221 kW / 300 PS and 400 Nm on the technical data sheet. The top model can go 249 km / h, the 190 PS reaches 214 km / h. Between 6,8 and 7,7 liters flow through the fuel lines.
Also on offer: a 115 hp 1,6-liter entry-level diesel. The range is completed by two 2,0-liter diesels with 110 kW / 150 PS and 140 kW / 190 PS. The latter is always coupled to all-wheel drive. In terms of pulling power (250 to 400 Nm) and consumption (4,4 to 5,3 liters), the diesels are ahead. Depending on the engine, manual six-speed gearshifts and dual-clutch transmissions with seven stages are available for power transmission.
In the course of the facelift, all engines were brought up to the emissions standard 6d. Since then, the basic gasoline engine has only made 81 KW / 110 PS, the 1.4 TSI has been replaced by an equally powerful 1,5 liter TSI.
Equipment and safety
The compact SUV is available in the classic Seat equipment lines Reference, Style, Xcellence and FR. The basic level of comfort includes air conditioning, central locking with remote control and a touchscreen audio system. If the vehicle is to look good, it is better to use at least the second line. 17-inch alloy wheels, painted exterior mirrors and door handles, such as automatic air conditioning, multifunction steering wheel and a better multimedia system, are part of the standard specification. In addition to LED headlights, "Xcellence" also has the top multimedia system on board. The Ateca in the FR version is an eye-catcher. The roof rails and window frames are painted black here. The radiator grille has an independent design in gloss black. 18-inch, aluminum door sills and sports steering wheel with FR logo as well as Alcantara seats are part of this equipment line. However, first-time owners were able to customize their vehicle thanks to many additional options such as leather, connectivity, GPS and rims. The Ateca achieved five stars in the NCAP crash test. In addition to a city emergency brake assistant, assistants such as blind spot detectors, lane departure assistants or adaptive cruise control are available.
Quality
In the meantime, the first vehicles have been presented to the TÜV for the main inspection (HU). The TÜV inspectors, however, find little to do and wave the test subjects through with almost no complaints. The Ateca completed the first general inspection with an average rate of 94,3 percent without defects. The average of all vehicles tested reached a rate of 91,2 percent. Only the brake discs give a little cause for criticism.
Conclusion
The Seat Ateca offers plenty of space, is technically up to date and looks good. Those interested in used cars have to invest around 13.000 euros for older models.