FiestaST
Honorary Master
Cupra Ateca 2018 UK review
Should I buy one?
For those inclined to invest a pretty economical amount of thought and effort into their considerations, the Cupra Ateca may well represent a lot of things you might want in a modern family car. It’s affordable enough, and it’s also interesting to look at and (at least momentarily) a bit exotic. It has plenty of performance and four-wheel drive too, all accompanied with the usual crossover practicalities. It’s got the lot, right?
Well, yes and no. You’d certainly get more out of this car’s driving experience than you might have from any crossover you’ve owned before. But if you’re trading in a hot hatchback rather than a BMW X1 or Mazda CX5, and you’re hoping the Ateca will appeal to the driver in you just as powerfully as it might to the so-far-neglected-and-ignored family man, I’d say have a good try before you buy. Because maybe you can't have your cake and eat it; not yet, at any rate.
There is a chance the Cupra Ateca will be exciting enough to seal the deal and keep you interested in your daily motoring – but, at the rate that this segment is likely to grow in 2019, there’s a good chance that before long another crossover market player will meet that brief better.
The truth is, this new Cupra doesn’t have the immersive depths of a really good driver’s car – though it’s very far from being a bad one. And moreover, when you stand back and really think about it, you do wonder exactly how different it might have been if it had been a Seat Ateca Cupra, in the firm’s old-money performance parlance, after all.
My guess is, not very much. And, while it’s a start, I’m not sure that’s the most promising start for the Cupra brand to have gotten off to.
Cupra Ateca specification
Where Feltham, UK Price £35,900 On sale now Engine 1984cc, 4cyls inline, turbocharged petrol Power 296bhp at 5300-6500rpm Torque 295lb ft at 2000-5200rpm Gearbox seven-speed twin-clutch automatic Kerb weight 1615kg Top speed 153mph 0-62mph 5.2sec Fuel economy 31.7mpg CO2 201g/km, 37% Rivals Audi SQ2, BMW X2 M35i
https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/cupra/ateca/first-drives/cupra-ateca-2018-uk-review
Should I buy one?
For those inclined to invest a pretty economical amount of thought and effort into their considerations, the Cupra Ateca may well represent a lot of things you might want in a modern family car. It’s affordable enough, and it’s also interesting to look at and (at least momentarily) a bit exotic. It has plenty of performance and four-wheel drive too, all accompanied with the usual crossover practicalities. It’s got the lot, right?
Well, yes and no. You’d certainly get more out of this car’s driving experience than you might have from any crossover you’ve owned before. But if you’re trading in a hot hatchback rather than a BMW X1 or Mazda CX5, and you’re hoping the Ateca will appeal to the driver in you just as powerfully as it might to the so-far-neglected-and-ignored family man, I’d say have a good try before you buy. Because maybe you can't have your cake and eat it; not yet, at any rate.
There is a chance the Cupra Ateca will be exciting enough to seal the deal and keep you interested in your daily motoring – but, at the rate that this segment is likely to grow in 2019, there’s a good chance that before long another crossover market player will meet that brief better.
The truth is, this new Cupra doesn’t have the immersive depths of a really good driver’s car – though it’s very far from being a bad one. And moreover, when you stand back and really think about it, you do wonder exactly how different it might have been if it had been a Seat Ateca Cupra, in the firm’s old-money performance parlance, after all.
My guess is, not very much. And, while it’s a start, I’m not sure that’s the most promising start for the Cupra brand to have gotten off to.
Cupra Ateca specification
Where Feltham, UK Price £35,900 On sale now Engine 1984cc, 4cyls inline, turbocharged petrol Power 296bhp at 5300-6500rpm Torque 295lb ft at 2000-5200rpm Gearbox seven-speed twin-clutch automatic Kerb weight 1615kg Top speed 153mph 0-62mph 5.2sec Fuel economy 31.7mpg CO2 201g/km, 37% Rivals Audi SQ2, BMW X2 M35i
https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/cupra/ateca/first-drives/cupra-ateca-2018-uk-review
