Cupra Ateca 2.0 Eco TSI 190PS 4 Drive DSG  

A WHAT I hear you saying? A Cupra? I’ve not really heard of the brand…and perhaps at first you would be correct but when you then delve deeper and realise that it is in fact from Seat and that the word Cupra was derived by blending the words “Cup Racing” as homage to the company’s decorated past in rallying things start to become more familiar.

Now I am sure that the car designers and marketing teams spend months naming the cars and adding on the engine and gearbox type into the title but let’s stick with calling it the Ateca.

On pressing the button on the fancy Cupra key fob you get the “Knight Rider” left to right flicker of the indicators, almost like awakening the beast from its slumber, the doors open with a flair of sturdiness and then you climb down and in to a tub of a foot well sitting yourself comfortably into the Petrol Blue leather bucket seats (£1210 extra).

The seating position is excellent with a well presented and good quality cabin, everything is within reach and easy to understand and to operate. Great features on this Ateca with its “VZ2” trim level included the phone docking charger…these are a must, not only do they stop your phone from sliding around but they offer a high level of resistance for the temptation of illegally checking you phone at the lights etc.

Tyre pressure monitoring, heated seats and steering wheel, dual climate control, front and rear cameras all go to making this car value for money because, as tested, this Ateca would be £44,260. At first glance you may think is high it becomes more palatable when you take a look at the dial near the gear lever, on which it has a few settings, one of which is Sport and it definitely can move from 0-60 in 7.2 seconds and a top speed of 132 mph, but the other settings are even more useful. Adding traction to the 4drive system for snow or loose gravel etc and you really do notice the capabilities on mud tracks but being an SUV it’s not over tall and therefore ground clearance would be a stumbling block on anything more than a track or open field.

With a towing capacity of 2000kg the Ateca would be a useful addition to those with ponies or a caravan and with a boot capacity of 485 litres any camping trip or events would not see you travelling light.

Claimed fuel use is low to mid 30’s and this would be fairly accurate as tested with the gauge staying fairly stagnant even on opening up the throttle which for a car with a punchy approach is reassuring that it wouldn’t break the fuel card.

If you were to run this through a business the Benefit in Kind rate would be 37% and having an insurance group of 24E which isn’t too excessive compared to some brands out there.

As with most cars these days the level of driver safety aids is high, some of which are so practical such as Predictive Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane keeping system plus semi-automatic vehicle control in a medical emergency and traffic jam assist. There were some I didn’t know I needed such as High beam control and City automatic braking, but once used these features become a further asset without completely automating the driving experience.

So, on the road the Ateca is very good…it’s so easy to drive, the power delivery is smooth and rapid via the 7-speed auto DSG and the buckets seats really hold you in position. Again, the ride is smooth, whilst some monster potholes need to be avoided these days the car travels well without jolting your fillings, cornering is positive and provides confidence whilst maintaining a safe drive for yourself and your passengers.

There is plenty of room in the rear for adults and/or kids as well as luggage and a Labradoodle in the boot who will all arrive at their destination promptly and fresh thanks to the quality of the Cupra Ateca.