What is it?

As new vehicle launches go, this was pretty cool.  From a trendy hotel in Manchester with a roof top terrace, to a drive through its bustling city centre, this is exactly what the brilliant PR team at SEAT was looking for when they decided to celebrate the launch of SEAT’s new urban SUV, the Ateca.

Described as one of SEAT’s most crucial cars ever to be launched, the Ateca is the Spanish marques first ever SUV and becomes their third ‘brand pillar’ next to the Ibiza and Leon.  

Although it’s built on the same platform as the VW Golf and Audi A3, and underneath the Ateca you’ll find the same mechanics as the VW Tiguan, but at a lower cost, the Ateca has been fully designed and developed by SEAT.

On the road

Taking the Ateca XCELLENCE 2ltr Tdi, 4Drive out for a long drive around Knutsford, Macclesfield and south Manchester, this 150ps version with 6-speed manual box it was an absolute blast.  Although I didn’t push it - much - it behaved well on all types of roads, from winding country lanes, small villages to motorways.  It’s worth mentioning at this point that it’s only the 4wd Ateca that comes with the multilink rear suspension which makes this a very enjoyable SUV to throw around corners.

Visibility is great too, as you would expect from an SUV, as it appears to have slimmer pillars which makes for easier manoeuvres at junctions and whilst parking.  On the subject of parking, even the worst parker can be an expert in an Ateca, as, depending on which model you go for, you can have a top camera, reversing camera, front and rear parking sensors, Rear Cross Traffic Alert and of course, Park Assist in which it does it all for you.

Later on in the afternoon I took the 1.4ltr TSI petrol out for a short spin.  I’ll be honest, I wasn’t expecting much - but oh’ how I was wrong!  With 150ps on tap through its 6-speed manual gearbox, this thing flew, it gave me the biggest smile of the day.  It was really smooth and you wouldn’t need much encouragement to gain points on your licence.  

I didn’t get to drive the 1ltr unfortunately, but a colleague muttered something about having to push it a little to get it going, which is expected really, especially as he'd just got out of the 187bhp 2ltr diesel.

Off road

Like most SUV’s, SEAT don’t think that many Ateca owners will venture far off the beaten track, but in case they do, SEAT believe it will be more than capable.  Unfortunately I didn’t get the opportunity to test its off-road credentials, but I have no doubt that with all the usual electronic wizardry it will perform mosts task with ease, tyre dependant of course.

Interior

You get 5 levels of trim with the Ateca: S, SE, 1st Edition, SE Technology and Xcellence.

Although I found the seats a tad short in length when compared to its VW and Skoda siblings, they did offer plenty of lumber support and not once throughout the day did I feel uncomfortable.  The seats and steering wheel adjust well for every size and shape, so it’s unlikely that anyone will feel claustrophobic the Ateca, even if you’re sat in the back with log legged front passengers.

You get a lot of storage areas too, and on certain models you have a wireless phone charging functionality.  My only criticism was that the Sat Nav system in the main glovebox reduces what you can put in there, but apart from that, the Ateca is a wonderful place to be, especially for long interminable journeys.

Engines ’n’ transmissions

It’s worth noting that all the figures below are trim dependant, the more goodies you add, the less it performs, but only by a smidge!

Petrol 2wd

1.0ltr - 113bhp - 54mpg combined - 114mph - 0-60mph = 11 seconds & C02 = 119 g/km
1.4ltr - 148bhp - 53mpg combined - 125mph - 0-60mph = 8.5 seconds C02 = 122 g/km

Diesel 2wd

1.6ltr - 114bhp - 65mpg combined - 114mph - 0-60mph = 11.5 seconds C02 = 113 g/km
2.0ltr 148bhp - All figures yet to be confirmed

Diesel 4Drive

2.0ltr - 148bhp - 55mpg combined - 129mph - 0-60mph = 9 seconds C02 = 129g/km
2.0ltr - 187bhp - 53mpg combined - 135mph - 0-60mph = 7.5 seconds C02 = 135g/km

Gearbox wise, depending on engines and trim, there’s the super slick 6-speed manual box and equally nice 7-speed DSG auto.

Conclusion

Have SEAT done a good job?  No, they’ve done a fantastic job!  With a starting price of £17,990 SEAT have a cracker on their hands.  

So far, Auto Express magazine has voted it 2016 Crossover of the Year, and I suspect the awards won’t stop there, there’ll be plenty more to come.  It’s stylish, affordable, well put together and great to drive, and I suspect that it'll be a thorn in the side for its competitors!