It’s the end of October and we’ve travelled over to the roads of Barcelona to drive the first ever car from the new CUPRA spin-off brand from SEAT. Before we get into the review let’s recap on the features of the car.
Engine and gearbox
The CUPRA Ateca takes the popular Ateca from SEAT and puts a fire under the bonnet in the form of the four-cylinder 2 litre TSI Petrol engine producing 300PS of power and 400Nm of torque. Combined with 7 speed DSG transmission and an all-wheel-drive system the car reaches 60mph in 5.2 seconds. The CUPRA Ateca’s top speed is 153mph.
The seven-speed gearbox is newly engineered to provide faster, smoother and more precise changes than previous sporty models produced by SEAT. The car also has launch control for those that want it.
Chassis
The car has independent front suspension and a multilink rear, with SEAT’s adaptive suspension system as seen in the Leon CUPRA, known as “Dynamic Chassis Control”. The car features the following modes “Comfort”, “Sport”, “Individual”, “Snow”, “Off-Road” and “CUPRA”.
The 4Drive system offers all-wheel drive that adjusts in real-time to road conditions, the speed of the car, steering position and driving mode. As mentioned above it helps provide the necessary traction to get the car off the line in a quick time.
The CUPRA Ateca also features an upgraded braking system with 340mm discs at the front and 310mm at the rear. You can also specify the Performance Pack option that comes with 18” Brembo brakes.
Exterior Styling
The well-known honeycomb styling from previous SEAT CUPRA models has translated over to the new CUPRA brand and this can be found on the front grille, at the centre of which is the new CUPRA logo. Gone is any sign of SEAT badging, which is to be expected.
The CUPRA name is written into the lower grille in matt aluminium, reminiscent of the “Quattro” lettering seen on high-performance Audis.
Elsewhere on the exterior gloss black is used on the mirrors, side mouldings, wheels, front grill and both front and rear diffusers. The rear of the car features a set of quad exhaust pipes and of course another CUPRA badge in copper at the centre of the boot.
The car is available in the following colours “Energy Blue”, “Velvet Red”, “Brilliant Silver”, “Rodium Grey”, “Black Magic” or “Nevada White”.
Interior
From opening the door you will be greeted by illuminated CUPRA door sills. The CUPRA logo is featured on the steering wheel, the gear knob, as well as being embossed on the floor mats.
The pedals as to be expected are aluminium and the cabin features more gloss black touches around the dash frames and the central console.
The car features a digital dashboard as well as the 8-inch touchscreen as seen in the newer SEAT models as an option.
The sports seats are upholstered in Alcantara, in black with copper stitching, a carbon fibre effect can be seen on the sides, the same as the facelifted Leon CUPRA.
As expected, the car features Apple Car Play and Android Auto.
As standard, you also get Keyless Entry, Wireless Charger, Signal Booster, a 360 degree top view camera and park assist.
Thoughts on the car
Watch the following videos to find out what we thought of the car and to find out more.
Ordering and pricing
The car is available to order now and costs £35,900 with the additional pack costing £3345 which gets you the bronze wheels, and Brembo brakes.
The first 7000 customers will receive a limited edition welcome gift in the form of a CUPRA member box made from real carbon fibre. Included inside will be a carbon fibre CUPRA key cover, and a carbon fibre CUPRA bracelet.
Photo gallery
A big thank you as ever to the team at SEAT for having us over for the launch.