Cupra Ateca Review 2024

If you want a hot hatch but need the practicality of a small family SUV, the Cupra Ateca is the choice for you. It’s not quite as exciting to drive as its hot hatch rivals, but it still corners immensely well and has an incredible turn of pace. It’s also very versatile: not only has it got room for all the family, but it’s also very good at covering long distances in comfort. The biggest issue is the Ateca’s running costs: you’ll struggle to see 30mpg unless you drive very sensibly. Unless you go for one of the lower-powered versions, that is, but that kind of defeats the point of buying a Cupra Ateca in the first place.

For most of the Cupra Ateca's life, you didn't get a whole lot of choice, with just the 300PS engine on offer and a single high-spec trim level. There were a few option packs you could add, though. We think the optional Comfort and Sound pack is a desirable feature. This added things like a premium Beats sound system, a space-saver spare wheel, adaptive cruise control, electric tailgate and heated front seats. Keep an eye out for cars with this pack fitted when shopping on the used market.

Then in 2023, the lesser petrol engines were added to the range, and these were offered in V1 and V2 trim levels. If you want the most powerful 300PS engine (spoiler alert, you do...), then look for a car in VZ1, VZ2, VZ3 or VZN specification, as these will have it.

While there are a few hot small SUVs on the market, there’s nothing quite like the Cupra Ateca. The Volkswagen T-Roc R is probably the closest rival, sharing the same platform and engine, although it’s a bit smaller and not quite as practical. 

Audi’s take on the hot SUV is the Audi SQ2 - which is also smaller than the Ateca - while BMW offers the X2 M35i. You could also consider practical hot hatches like the Skoda Octavia vRS or the Volkswagen Golf R, both of which are also sold as estate models. 

While the standard Cupra Ateca scores pretty highly in terms of quality, we’d expect a little more from a car that’s up against premium rivals like the BMW X2 M35i.

There are lots of soft-touch materials in the cabin, but look around and you’ll soon find some hard, scratchy plastics on the lower surfaces. It all feels like it’ll stand up to day-to-day abuse from family life, though. Indeed, the standard Ateca has been on sale for several years now, and even early examples with high miles still have relatively fresh-looking interiors.

When it was first launched, the Cupra Ateca came as standard with a very good eight-inch touchscreen infotainment display that did everything you could possibly want aside from play your favourite CDs: navigation, full smartphone integration (including Apple CarPlay and Android Auto), DAB radio, a 10gb hard disc drive, voice control… the lot.

It works perfectly well. The graphics are clear, it responds quickly to inputs and all the menus are laid out perfectly logically. There are a few Cupra-specific functions, like the G-force meter and lap timer, but otherwise the system is pretty much identical to the one you’d find across the Volkswagen Group cars of the time.

In 2020, this system was replaced by a 9.2-inch display. While this looks a bit more modern, it replaces the old-fashioned buttons with touch-sensitive pads, which can be irritating to operate on the move (and quickly get covered in fingerprints).

As well as the main infotainment display, there’s a digital display in place of conventional dials. These are crystal clear and easily configured to prioritise whatever information you think is most important, such as your current speed or navigation directions. The digital cockpit does a very good job of lifting the otherwise slightly bland cabin.

As you’d expect, the Cupra Ateca is just as practical as the standard car, meaning it’s infinitely more versatile than a regular hot hatch like a Mercedes-AMG A35. It measures 4386mm long, 2078mm wide (including mirrors) and 1599mm tall. 

The driver and front seat passengers will be very comfortable, with a high seating position (which is easy to get into thanks to the Ateca’s raised ride height) and plenty of adjustment in the seats.

There’s loads of headroom, too, even for the tallest of passengers, meaning the Ateca feels far from cramped. The panoramic sunroof does eat into headroom slightly, but it’s still a desirable option on used models thanks to the amount of light it lets into the cabin.

Things are good in the back, too. Legroom is slightly less than impressive, and there’s an annoying lump in the middle of the floor for the transmission tunnel. This means the middle seat is for occasional use only. ISOFIX points are fitted on the outer rear seats for the easy fitting of child seats.

If you’re expecting to regularly carry rear-seat passengers, it’s probably worth looking for a car without the optional bucket seats. These cut legroom and make things feel a bit more claustrophobic in the back.

Capable of carrying up to 485 litres of luggage, the boot is significantly bigger than that in the Audi SQ2 and marginally bigger than the BMW X2 M35i’s. An electric tailgate is available as part of the comfort and sound pack, or in later cars, from V2/VZ2 trim upwards. It’s not something everyone will want, because manually opening the boot is often quicker, provided you’re not juggling the weekly shop.

The rear seats are easily dropped (although not entirely flat), and there’s also a ski hatch allowing you to feed longer items between the rear seats, if required.

For the vast majority of the Cupra Ateca's life, there was just one engine available: a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol producing 300PS. It’s combined as standard with a seven-speed DSG automatic gearbox and 4Drive all-wheel drive.

It’s the same engine that appears in many hot Volkswagen Group models, including the Volkswagen Golf R, Volkswagen T-Roc R and SEAT Leon. As you’d expect from a turbocharged petrol engine producing 300PS, it makes the car very rapid, taking the Ateca from a standstill to 62mph in just 4.9 seconds. On-the-move acceleration is just as brutal, so there's plenty of excitement to be had at all times.

The four-wheel-drive system ensures there’s loads of grip and traction, so you won’t find the wheels scrabbling if you boot it off the line. There’s a launch control function for the ultimate in quick getaways, although this is a bit of a gimmick that you’ll probably never use once the novelty’s passed.

The Cupra Ateca is well suited to the DSG transmission, which provides rapid gear changes and seems to provide the right gear for the situation without hesitation. All models come with paddles behind the steering wheel should you wish to change gears yourself. This does add a degree of excitement when you’re pressing on but, like the launch control function, you probably won’t bother most of the time.

If you do decide that 300PS isn’t enough, German tuner ABT Sportsline offers an upgrade that adds an extra 50PS and boosts torque to 440Nm (up from the standard Cupra’s 400Nm). This shaves 0.2 seconds off the Cupra Ateca’s 0-62mph time. If this appeals, any SEAT dealer should be able to perform this upgrade, and it won’t affect your warranty.

In the latter part of 2023, the engine range was broadened, although arguably in the wrong direction for what's supposed to be a high-performance SUV. Cupra introduced a 1.5-litre TSI petrol with 150PS and front-wheel drive, and a 2.0-litre TSI with 190 PS and four-wheel drive, both with the seven-speed dual clutch DSG automatic gearbox. Their 0-62mph times are extended to 9.3 seconds and 7.2 seconds, respectively.

In the interests of absolute accuracy and fairness, we've not tried these versions, so we can't tell you with absolute certainty how much - if indeed any - of the performance appeal is lost. However, looking at the performance data, and knowing how central the 300PS engine is to the Cupra's character, we'd predict a markedly different experience. It's worth noting, too, that the lesser versions don't get the adaptive suspension, so the driving experience could well be compromised in other ways.

One of the most impressive features of the Cupra Ateca is its Jekyll-and-Hyde personality. It can ‘do’ refinement surprisingly well. Leave it in Normal or Eco mode, and the exhaust note is surprisingly hushed, allowing it to happily bimble along at low revs like any other Ateca.

One of the biggest issues is road noise from the wheels. The standard-fit 19-inch alloy wheels are fitted with low profile tyres, which create quite a din, even when cruising on the motorway. It’s nothing that can’t be drowned out by turning up the stereo, but it is something that goes against the Cupra compared to a standard SEAT Ateca.

The Ateca’s bulky dimensions means there’s also a bit more wind noise compared to a low-down hot hatch like the Volkswagen Golf R.

If you do want a bit more theatre, the Sport and Cupra drive modes ramp up the drama, with more noise from the exhaust and through a sound actuator in the cabin. It does sound the business but, for the ultimate in aural delight, look for a car with the noisier Akrapovic exhaust system.

If you’re going to carry your family in a car as rapid as the Cupra Ateca, you’re going to want all of the safety systems possible. Fortunately it doesn’t disappoint.

Highlights include a front assist system, which uses radar to monitor the cars ahead of you. If it detects a potential collision, it’ll alert the driver, and will also automatically apply the brakes to mitigate an impact. With city emergency braking, this’ll bring the car to a complete halt to prevent a crash in stop-start traffic.

There’s also a tiredness recognition system, which watches out for things like erratic steering wheel inputs and lane movements, before telling the driver to take a break if it suspects you’re tired. Other handy safety features include a hill hold control system, which will hold the car for two seconds after you lift off the brake pedal, preventing it rolling back into other traffic. 

When the standard SEAT Ateca was crash tested by Euro NCAP in 2016, it received an impressive five-star safety rating (out of five). It performed particularly well in the adult and child occupant tests, for which it achieved 93 and 84 percent, respectively.

SEAT’s pedestrian protection features - including deformable front wings and space left between the bonnet and engine - contribute to a 71% rating for pedestrian safety. The Ateca scored 60% for its safety assist features, losing points for not having a lane assistance system as standard (it is fitted as standard to the Cupra Ateca).

The Cupra brand doesn't feature in HonestJohn.co.uk Satisfaction Index, but SEAT does. It's last performance in the 2023 study wasn't hugely encouraging, coming 22nd out of 29 manufacturers, the same position it achieved the previous year. 

In that study, the SEAT Ateca scored an average of 8.89 out of 10 for reliability. As the Cupra Ateca is based on the SEAT Ateca, the Cupra model should follow suit with decent reliability. 

Go for the full-fat 300PS version, as we'd advise you to, and you be paying insurance premiums based on groupings of between 31 and 33, depending on the specification of the car you buy. It won't be cheap to cover, then, but that's no surprise on a flashy SUV with 300PS.

The lesser versions will be more affordable to insure, naturally. The 1.5 has a group 17 grouping in V1 trim and 18 on the V2, while both versions of the 190PS 2.0-litre sit in group 24.

All petrol and diesel cars registered since April 2017 are charged a flat rate of car tax after the first year. This flat rate currently stands at £190 a year.

That's not the full story, though. Cars with a list price of more than £40,000 (including optional extras) when brand new are subject to a premium car surcharge payable between years two and six of the car's life, and the liability for this surcharge get passed to subsequent owners of the car. That surcharge currently stands at £410, leaving owners of qualifying cars with £60 to pay during that five-year period.

In the case of the Cupra Ateca, the only cars with a low enough price to escape the surcharge are the 1.5s. And even then, you're not guaranteed exemption because adding a few cheeky options could push the price of the car over the threshold. It's always a good idea to perform an online search with the registration of any used example you're considering to be sure of what you're letting yourself in for.

For the first several years of its life, the Cupra Ateca was available in a single standalone trim that came loaded with kit. Standard equipment included 19-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels, full LED headlights, metallic paint, adaptive suspension, twin exhaust pipes, digital cockpit, smartphone integration (Apple CarPlay and Android Auto), Navigation Plus with 9.2-inch display. The list goes on.

The Comfort and Sound pack added a space-saver spare wheel, BeatsAudio sound system, adaptive cruise control, electric tailgate, heated front seats and high beam assist. The Cupra Ateca Design pack, meanwhile, featured Brembo brakes, 19-inch copper wheels and black interior styling.

There have been a few special editions offered since the Cupra Ateca’s launch in 2019. These include the catchily named Cupra Ateca Special Edition of 2019, which featured 20-inch copper alloy wheels, copper carbon fibre exterior elements (including the door mirrors and rear spoiler), and an Akrapoviç exhaust system. Inside, there’s blue Alcantara covering the front bucket sports seats, rear seats and door panels. Limited to just 100 units in the UK, the 2020 Cupra Ateca Limited Edition was available with or without the Akrapoviç exhaust system, as well as bigger Brembo brakes, 20-inch copper alloy wheels and copper carbon fibre exterior highlights.

In 2023, however the range was extended. The 150PS and 190PS versions of the car were offered in V1 and V2 trims. V1 had cruise control, a wireless phone charger, front and rear parking sensors, automatic lights and wipers, keyless entry, dual-zone climate control, four electric windows, and a heated leather steering wheel. V2 trim added leather upholstery, a powered driver's seat, heated front bucket seats, a reversing camera and a powered tailgate with virtual pedal.

The 300PS car, meanwhile, now comes in VZ1, VZ2, VZ3 or VZN trims. The equipment specs for VZ1 and VZ2 are similar to those just mentioned, except VZ2 also adds adaptive cruise control and a few other electronic driver aids. VZ3 adds copper-coloured wheels, uprated brakes and a revised steering wheel, while VZN has bigger 20-inch copper-coloured wheels, a panoramic roof, and an uprated BeatsAudio sound system.