IT might have come late to the SUV party, but Seat - the Spanish arm of Volkswagen - has gatecrashed it with a champagne entrance.
The Ateca, based on a widely-used VW Group platform, is not just a good-looking car with distinctive Seat features and a neat profile.
This first foray into the SUV segment is spacious and well-designed with an interior similar to that of the Leon that is roomy enough for four adults to travel in comfort. And the boot can hold a massive 510 litres of luggage.
Seat’s is probably the least prominent badge of the Volkswagen Group, but it’s a young, fun brand, and offers something different to the increasingly ubiquitous Germans. Hence you can have the sharp-suited Ateca in a striking body colour or with equally striking wheel and wing mirror options.
For instance, my test car came resplendent in metallic white with golden orange wheels and wing mirror covers.
A range of petrol and diesel engines is offered between 115PS and 190PS. Interestingly, the Ateca is also available with a tiny 1.0-litre petrol engine – unusual in a car this size and shape.
Built on a similar platform to the excellent Leon, the 4.36-metre SUV is compact and shares the distinctive front styling of its hatchback cousin.
The extra height versus a hatchback brings more space, but it is also one of the lightest cars in its segment, boosting driver engagement and efficiency.
There are two and four-wheel drive versions, manual and DSG automatic gearboxes and high-end infotainment systems with eight-inch touch-screens.
These are paired with three trim levels, which fall into line with other Seat ranges. A sporty FR line model is likely to make it to production, but the range-topper for now is the Xcellence.
The Ateca certainly lives up to the company's promised "light-footed, precise handling", making it ideal for an urban motoring. The tested 1.4-litre petrol engine provided a warm hatch driving experience with an acceleration time of 8.5 seconds from 0 to 62mph.
Priced from £17,990 for the entry-level S trim with the 1.0-litre TSI engine to £23,905 for the Xcellence version matched with a 1.4 TSI and up to almost £30,000 for the top-of-the-range, the 2.0TDI DSG with four-wheel-drive, there's an Ateca to suit most pockets in this fiercely competitive sector.
The S trim comes with air conditioning, a five-inch infotainment touchscreen and 16-inch alloys. The SE trim - from £19,590, is expected to be a bestseller in the UK and adds dual-zone climate control, upgraded infotainment, eight speakers and Bluetooth audio streaming.
The awkwardly-named Xcellence, which incorporates adjustable driving modes for on-road enjoyment and off-road practicality, also boasts a premium interior with leather seating and exterior styling tweaks.
Historically, Seat's most popular products in the UK have been small hatchbacks and compact family cars - which have generally been lower-priced than key rivals. The Ateca's entry-level model undercuts its cousin, the Tiguan, and key rival the Nissan Qashqai.
While space is a key feature for families with children, so are driver assistance and infotainment options – anything that can make life that little bit easier. Notable features include a wireless phone charger, seamless smartphone connectivity, a 360-degree parking camera and a virtual pedal, which allows the boot to be opened, and closed, hands-free simply by waggling a foot underneath the rear bumper.
The numerous options across the line-up include full LED headlights, traffic jam assist and emergency assist. Among the plethora of model-specific touches are puddle lamps that project the Ateca logo down on to the ground in the dark.
Seats’s first compact SUV is exceeding all expectations and is a crucial model for the brand. Its late arrival was worth the wait.
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