SEAT Ateca Review 2021
The SEAT Ateca is a fun-to-drive, stylish and practical SUV. It is a popular choice with families due to its in-car technology and safety features.
The latest generation Ateca also comes with a wide range of punchy and efficient engines, making it a viable alternative to rivals such as the Peugeot 3008, Nissan Qashqai, Skoda Karoq, Renault Kadjar, Kia Sportage and Hyundai Tucson.
Our SEAT Ateca review covers:
- Stylish exterior design with sharply sculpted body
- Generous interior space with 60:40 split rear seats
- 510-litre boot, which expands to 1,604 litres with rear seats down
- Range of turbocharged TSI petrol and TDI diesel engines
- Six trim levels, including SE, SE Technology, FR, FR Sport, Xperience and Xperience Lux
With two chiselled parallel lines running from its headlights to its rear, the SEAT Ateca looks and feels like a bigger and chunkier SEAT Leon. Its extended cabin design, sharp, sporty styling, and handwritten script on the Ateca badge, make it one of the smartest-looking cars in its class.
Inside, there's a decent amount of room for all passengers to ride comfortably, offering as much room as its rival, the Nissan Qashqai. However, if you are after more space, the Renault Kadjar is slightly larger inside and offers more room for back seat passengers.
At the back, the rear seats split in a 60:40 formation, expanding the boot size to 1,604 litres. There are also some clever storage features in the Ateca, such as the shallow yet wide storage area hidden beneath the boot floor.
As for boot space, the SEAT Ateca offers 510-litres of space, which is considerably more than the Qashqai's 430 litres. However, models fitted with four-wheel drive have a reduced capacity of 485 litres to the mechanics beneath the car - still, that’s more room than the Qashqai in front-wheel-drive form.
The SEAT Ateca's interior feels and looks great, with an easy-to-use and well laid out infotainment system. While it doesn't feel as expensive or comfortable as some of its rivals, the Ateca's interior is solidly built. Entry-level SE models also offer incredible value for money thanks to its USB C functionality and an 8.25-inch touchscreen as standard.
Six trim levels models are available, including SE, SE Technology, FR, FR Sport, Xperience and Xperience Lux.
The entry-level SE model is the best value version with its eight-inch infotainment screen, dual-zone climate control, front and rear parking sensors, black roof rails. It also gets a leather-wrapped steering wheel, tinted keyless entry and 17-inch alloy wheels.
The SE Technology model receives in-built satellite navigation, a nine-inch infotainment system with a built-in sat-nav with proximity sensor.
The sporty FR model gets a grey front grille, aluminium pedals, Alcantara sports seats and ambient lighting for the interior. You also get automatic headlights, rain-sensing wipers and 18-inch alloys.
The FR Sport model is essentially the FR trim but with some extra visual upgrades. You get tinted windows, black leather-upholstered sports seats, an electric driver's seat, digital driver's display, black roof lining, LED headlights and huge 19-inch wheels.
With the Xperience models, you get black plastic cladding on the exterior, making the Ateca's look a bit more off-road. You also get an Alcantara interior, adaptive cruise control with speed limiter, a blind-spot detection system and autonomous emergency braking.
The Xperience Lux model receives a 12-inch digital drivers display, a leather interior with heated front seats, a top view 360-degree camera, and 19-inch alloy wheels.
Under the bonnet, there’s a choice of five engines, including a punchy 1.5-litre petrol and a 2.0-litre diesel with two different outputs. A six-speed manual is standard on entry-level engines, with a seven-speed DSG automatic gearbox available on more powerful engines.
All-wheel-drive variants are also available but are limited to the more powerful versions with the automatic gearbox, such as the 2.0 TSI DSG petrol and the 2.0 TDI 150 DSG diesel.
On the road, the Ateca is great to drive thanks to its raised ride height. Its sharp gearshifts make the SUV enjoyable to drive along twistier roads. It also performs well on the motorway producing little noise at higher speeds.
Shame then, that compared to its rivals, you feel more of a road surface when on the move than you do with the Peugeot 3008 due to its firm suspension. That said, the Ateca makes for a great all-round and an excellent family car leasing option.
Prices for the SEAT Ateca start from £27,020.00 OTR* or to lease from £240.97 per month.
Want to know more about leasing the SEAT Ateca? Nationwide Vehicle Contracts is one of the UK's largest car leasing providers. All of our lease deals include the full manufacturer's warranty, road tax for the duration of the contract, breakdown cover and free mainland GB delivery (exclusions apply).
What's more, with fixed monthly rentals, a low initial outlay and flexible mileage and contract terms, leasing a SEAT Ateca could be cheaper to lease than you think.
*'On the road' price is correct at time of publication and includes one year's road fund license, DVLA first registration fee and number plate fee. Prices are subject to change. Always check with your nearest retailer.
