After nearly three years the lease is up and the next car is nigh on the horizon. So here’s a bit of reflection for those thinking of an Ateca or have some form of vested intrigue.
Summary:
+ Great allrounder
+ Mostly problem free
+ Everyone seems to like it
- Fit and finish
- Expensive
- Not extensively exciting
Review
Before we start getting into any form of nitpicking this is in my top 5 cars owned and the range of cars have been a smorgasbord spanning over a couple of decades.
This ranges from 2000 pound runners to nearly new 5L V8 powerhouses, some didn’t last six months so there’s plenty to compare against.
Of course all of this is a matter of perspective but from my own personal view the car is hard to fault. The infotainment and climate control system has physical switchgear which is practically laid out.
The brakes are not too “bitey” but effortlessly strong, the ride comfort and refinement for a 300HP stiffly sprung car is surprisingly excellent. It’s spacious, practical and the Stereo is quite good, so what more does one need?
Well, it is a rapid car if you focus on the mph gauge flying up and down at a manic pace trying to keep up. I believe it can do 0-60 in 4.9 but the way the car is setup is progressive and linear as opposed to a contrasty mid range push.
There’s more to the feeling of power than just HP and torque though, transmission losses, weight, height, gear ratios etc. and if you drop a big engine in a small rwd car like the previous F30 1 series and set it up to maximise the fact then despite 0-60 times the experience is very different.
However it depends if one likes to blip the throttle and receive a mid range gut punch or not. In terms of overtaking the feel of it is somewhat irrelevant.
The handling I can only describe as fuss free, it goes round corners without having to worry. At of course legal limits there’s never any sign of understeer or oversteer, everything is handled in it’s stride.
We must factor in that this is an SUV not a hot hatch so the chances of it shifting the centre of gravity giving a surreal sense of handling is slim. That being said it handles far better than some supposed warm hatches I’ve tried and as far as SUV’s go I’ve yet to experience something better.
Add all of this up and it comes across as impressively competent but not anything specifically exciting per se. Then again I’ve done a 300 mile stint in a sportier car that presented every bump in the road, shot off like thunder at every traffic jam and droned on continuously.
So I’m not suggesting this is a positive or negative, pick your poison I suppose.
In terms of true negatives, the door cards went mouldy in the first six months. That’s new, even some of the decade plus old cars I’ve had never did this. The seat rails rusted, the driver side carpet frazzled and once in a blue moon the road assistance tech went haywire. Collision warning has popped up for no reason once or twice with no cars around me.
I don’t find the sports seats the most comfortable either, after about two hours I do tend to get a twinge in my lower back. Also it keeps struggling to find my keys on occasion.
It might sound like something to be weary of but they’re minor issues easily fixed. As for the seats they will affect people differently.
In terms of mechanical issues there hasn’t been any, besides from servicing I’ve topped up the coolant once.
I’ve not had any issues with the dealer network and holistically over 18,000 miles I’ve not had to think twice about the car. I get in and drive, that’s it..
The biggest issue and this comes down to someone’s personal situation of course is cost. Comfort mode is laggy, indecisive and barely returns better mpg so It’s lived in sport which suits the car perfectly. On a short run I get 16 - 18 mpg with a relatively light foot and on a long one 33 - 35, tax isn’t cheap, insurance has nearly doubled in the last 3 years without any claims.
Servicing is 300 for the first year, 500 for the second. Yes, I know a lot of the cost isn’t the cars fault specifically but it comes down to one question. Do you need an SUV? If the answer is yes then I’m hard pressed to recommend something better.
If not then there’s plenty of choices when it comes to practical allrounders with a bit of poke that are a bit cheaper. For me? I’m looking at a used 2.3 Focus ST or an F30 BMW 125i or maybe a 330i.
Summary:
+ Great allrounder
+ Mostly problem free
+ Everyone seems to like it
- Fit and finish
- Expensive
- Not extensively exciting
Review
Before we start getting into any form of nitpicking this is in my top 5 cars owned and the range of cars have been a smorgasbord spanning over a couple of decades.
This ranges from 2000 pound runners to nearly new 5L V8 powerhouses, some didn’t last six months so there’s plenty to compare against.
Of course all of this is a matter of perspective but from my own personal view the car is hard to fault. The infotainment and climate control system has physical switchgear which is practically laid out.
The brakes are not too “bitey” but effortlessly strong, the ride comfort and refinement for a 300HP stiffly sprung car is surprisingly excellent. It’s spacious, practical and the Stereo is quite good, so what more does one need?
Well, it is a rapid car if you focus on the mph gauge flying up and down at a manic pace trying to keep up. I believe it can do 0-60 in 4.9 but the way the car is setup is progressive and linear as opposed to a contrasty mid range push.
There’s more to the feeling of power than just HP and torque though, transmission losses, weight, height, gear ratios etc. and if you drop a big engine in a small rwd car like the previous F30 1 series and set it up to maximise the fact then despite 0-60 times the experience is very different.
However it depends if one likes to blip the throttle and receive a mid range gut punch or not. In terms of overtaking the feel of it is somewhat irrelevant.
The handling I can only describe as fuss free, it goes round corners without having to worry. At of course legal limits there’s never any sign of understeer or oversteer, everything is handled in it’s stride.
We must factor in that this is an SUV not a hot hatch so the chances of it shifting the centre of gravity giving a surreal sense of handling is slim. That being said it handles far better than some supposed warm hatches I’ve tried and as far as SUV’s go I’ve yet to experience something better.
Add all of this up and it comes across as impressively competent but not anything specifically exciting per se. Then again I’ve done a 300 mile stint in a sportier car that presented every bump in the road, shot off like thunder at every traffic jam and droned on continuously.
So I’m not suggesting this is a positive or negative, pick your poison I suppose.
In terms of true negatives, the door cards went mouldy in the first six months. That’s new, even some of the decade plus old cars I’ve had never did this. The seat rails rusted, the driver side carpet frazzled and once in a blue moon the road assistance tech went haywire. Collision warning has popped up for no reason once or twice with no cars around me.
I don’t find the sports seats the most comfortable either, after about two hours I do tend to get a twinge in my lower back. Also it keeps struggling to find my keys on occasion.
It might sound like something to be weary of but they’re minor issues easily fixed. As for the seats they will affect people differently.
In terms of mechanical issues there hasn’t been any, besides from servicing I’ve topped up the coolant once.
I’ve not had any issues with the dealer network and holistically over 18,000 miles I’ve not had to think twice about the car. I get in and drive, that’s it..
The biggest issue and this comes down to someone’s personal situation of course is cost. Comfort mode is laggy, indecisive and barely returns better mpg so It’s lived in sport which suits the car perfectly. On a short run I get 16 - 18 mpg with a relatively light foot and on a long one 33 - 35, tax isn’t cheap, insurance has nearly doubled in the last 3 years without any claims.
Servicing is 300 for the first year, 500 for the second. Yes, I know a lot of the cost isn’t the cars fault specifically but it comes down to one question. Do you need an SUV? If the answer is yes then I’m hard pressed to recommend something better.
If not then there’s plenty of choices when it comes to practical allrounders with a bit of poke that are a bit cheaper. For me? I’m looking at a used 2.3 Focus ST or an F30 BMW 125i or maybe a 330i.
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. Interesting times.
