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Car news: Economical diesels and an £18k starting price should make SEAT's new crossover SUV competitive
A wide range of efficient diesel and petrol engines - with optional 4x4 and DSG - will take the SEAT Ateca family crossover SUV into new territory for the Spanish brand. The new model will reach UK dealers in September 2016 priced from £17,990, following its launch at the 2016 Geneva Show
The Ateca kicks off the SEAT SUV story, with at least two other models due before the end of the decade. According to boss Luca de Meo, it'll help the brand "take another leap forward", and return the company to "sustainable profitability".
The SEAT Ateca is a mid-sized SUV that’s 4.36m long – or around 10cm shorter than a Renault Kadjar. Its styling is pretty conventional, with a front grille and headlights clearly derived from the seat leon a roofline that tapers down at the rear, squared-off wheelarches and a pronounced window-line kink at the C-pillar.
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Design chief Alejandro Mesonero told Auto Express: "We adapted our design language for the SEAT SUV. This car had to be like a big brother to the Leon, but we will introduce stronger evolutions over the next 18 months."
The tail-lights are also broadly similar in shape to the Leon’s, although they have sharper creases and a more complex lamp design.
Although it sits on the same platform, the SEAT Ateca is slightly smaller than its VW stablemate, the Tiguan. That’s mainly because of a shorter rear overhang – which also makes the Spanish model’s boot space a little smaller. It still looks respectable, though, at 510 litres on models with front-wheel drive.
Adding the mechanical parts to enable four-wheel drive cuts into the Ateca’s load space a little, reducing it to 485 litres – but this is still clear of the 430 litres on offer in a Nissan Qashqai, and the Renault Kadjar’s 472-litre capacity.
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SEAT Ateca interior design
Inside, the Ateca has a look that will be familiar to any Leon owner, with the infotainment screen mounted high up in the centre of the dashboard. It’ll be a five-inch display in base-spec versions, but 6.5-inch and eight-inch screens will also be available. Options will include SEAT Full Link, which incorporates MirrorLink smartphone connectivity along with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, and wireless charging for compatible phones.
Engine range for the SEAT Ateca
The entry-level petrol engine will be a 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbocharged unit producing 114bhp – and probably offered with front-wheel drive only. It’s an interesting choice for SEAT because VW is known to have considered using the same unit in the Tiguan, but decided against it. The other petrol at launch will be a 1.4-litre motor with 148bhp; it’s the same unit that we’ve see in the VW Golf and SEAT Leon, and is able to close down cylinders to save fuel when they’re not required.
The diesels will be the big sellers in the UK, though. There’s a 1.6 with 114bhp and CO2 emissions of 112g/km – again, likely to be a front-drive model only – and a 2.0 that’s offered in two states of tune: 148bhp and 187bhp. Even the most potent diesel with four-wheel drive emits 131g/km.
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However, big boss Luca de Meo assured us there were no plans to scale back the introduction of new Cupra models. “FR and Cupra will continue,” he said. “I will help the team nurture this” – meaning a racy Ateca Cupra isn't out of the question.
Four-wheel drive will be offered on most models across the range, and is likely to be the only set-up – in conjunction with a DSG dual-clutch automatic gearbox – on higher-end editions.
The Ateca should also get a comprehensive line-up of safety kit, including the ability to drive itself in heavy stop-start traffic situations (called Traffic Jam Assists) and Emergency Assist, which monitors the driver and can bring the car to a halt if they remain inactive for a dangerously long period of time. Traffic sign recognition, parking sensors, a ’top-down’ 360-degree view for parking and blind spot detection will also be offered.
Prices to start around the £18k mark
SEAT is desperate to play catch-up in the family SUV market, so it’s likely to price the Ateca pretty aggressively. We’d expect entry-level editions to start at around £18,000 – or around £500 less than the most basic Nissan Qashqai – with the range-topping four-wheel-drive diesel automatic in Xcellence trim costing just shy of £30,000.
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The Ateca, which will be built alongside the next-generation Skoda Yeti at Mlada Boleslav in the Czech Republic, is the first of three SEAT SUVs that are in the pipeline. The second is likely to be an Ibiza-based crossover that will go up against the Nissan Juke and Renault Captur; the third model is a seven-seat flagship that was previewed by the 20V20 concept at last year’s Geneva Motor Show.
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