Is Seat’s first SUV a more appealing used buy than a Volkswagen Tiguan or Nissan Qashqai?
A stylish alternative to the mightily successful Nissan Qashqai, the Seat Ateca plugged a conspicuous SUV-shaped gap in Seat’s line-up when it arrived in 2016 and helped to turn the tide for the cash-strapped Spanish marque.The introduction of a crossover was crucial for the future success of Seat. The marque had been absent from the class for far too long and needed a high-riding Leon alternative to recapture the attention of European buyers.Closely related to the Volkswagen Tiguan, the super-smart Ateca was an instant hit, not only for its looks but also for its capable handling, practical interior and affordable price – and now you can buy one for around £6000. And you should.For starters, the Ateca was the class leader in terms of ride and handling, offering an engaging yet comfortable drive that makes it feel like a Leon on tiptoes – and that’s no bad thing.The Ateca takes full advantage of its lighter weight and stiffer chassis to offer an impressive level of handling precision, which is uncommon in this segment, where cars typically struggle to find the right balance between soft-roader and agile hatchback.Its engaging feel is helped by its tactile steering, which adds an extra layer of character to its drive.Its body movements highlight that it’s a crossover, but it grips well through corners to keep you involved when pushing on.If you’re more geared towards ride quality, though, we’d direct you towards the diesels, which can be had with four-wheel drive and benefit from the Tiguan’s multi-link rear suspension, which is a little more forgiving on UK roads than the standard front-wheel-drive car’s torsion-beam set-up.With the oil-burners, there are 113bhp 1.6-litre and 148bhp and 187bhp 2.0-litre four-cylinder units. The 1.6-litre is by no means sluggish and is more than up to handling daily duties. If you’re after a proper mile-muncher, though, opt for the 2.0-litre diesel.The peppy 1.0-litre petrol should serve urban dwellers well, but our all-round pick of the range is the 1.4 TSI. With 148bhp, it has more than enough grunt and it will do around 40mpg.The 1.4 was replaced by a 1.5 TSI in 2018, when a more potent 2.0-litre TSI was also added to the line-up.Being a well-packaged compact SUV, the Ateca is both spacious and practical inside. There’s room for adults in the rear, and the 510-litre boot is bigger than the Qashqai’s, making it ideal for school runs and family holidays.The Ateca’s cabin is light and airy, but understandably it comes across as slightly less affluent than the Tiguan’s, being the cheaper of the two. Still, there’s a pleasing robustness and sense of durability to all the cabin fittings, which is reminiscent of the Skoda Yeti that was briefly built alongside the Ateca.In terms of trims, we’d avoid the entry-level S and the stiffly sprung FR and go for the modestly equipped SE with smarter alloy wheels, cruise control and an 8.0in touchscreen.If you’re after luxuries like heated seats, the Xcellence model (called Xperience after the 2020 facelift) is the one to go for.But regardless of the flavour you pick, the Ateca’s capable handling, clever proportions and handsome exterior make it a highly useful – and, crucially, capable – family companion.
Source: Autocar
