Cupra Ateca review

Category: Sports SUV

Section: Introduction

Cupra Ateca 2022 front cornering
  • Cupra Ateca 2022 front cornering
  • Cupra Ateca 2022 rear cornering
  • Cupra Ateca 2022 interior dashboard
  • Cupra Ateca 2022 interior rear seats
  • Cupra Ateca 2022 interior infotainment
  • Cupra Ateca 2022 right tracking
  • Cupra Ateca 2022 front left cornering
  • Cupra Ateca 2022 headlight detail
  • Cupra Ateca 2022 alloy wheel detail
  • Cupra Ateca 2022 badge detail
  • Cupra Ateca 2022 interior front seats
  • Cupra Ateca 2022 interior seat detail
  • Cupra Ateca 2022 interior steering wheel detail
  • Cupra Ateca 2022 boot open
  • Cupra Ateca 2022 front cornering
  • Cupra Ateca 2022 rear cornering
  • Cupra Ateca 2022 interior dashboard
  • Cupra Ateca 2022 interior rear seats
  • Cupra Ateca 2022 interior infotainment
  • Cupra Ateca 2022 right tracking
  • Cupra Ateca 2022 front left cornering
  • Cupra Ateca 2022 headlight detail
  • Cupra Ateca 2022 alloy wheel detail
  • Cupra Ateca 2022 badge detail
  • Cupra Ateca 2022 interior front seats
  • Cupra Ateca 2022 interior seat detail
  • Cupra Ateca 2022 interior steering wheel detail
  • Cupra Ateca 2022 boot open
What Car?’s Ateca deals
New car deals
Save up to £3,321
Target Price from £39,506
Save up to £3,321
or from £454pm
Swipe to see used and leasing deals
Nearly new deals
From £35,900
Leasing deals
From £432pm

Introduction

What Car? says...

If you’re looking at pictures of the Cupra Ateca sports SUV and wondering why it looks like a Seat Ateca with a badge like a superhero logo, we can explain.

Just as Citroën and Fiat have sub-brands for special models and derivatives (under the skin, an Abarth 595 is actually a Fiat 500, for example), Seat decided a few years ago to create Cupra for its performance models. The Ateca was the first model to wear a Cupra badge and it made an impact right out of the gate.

To keep the Ateca fresh in the face of those upstarts, Cupra has given it a facelift. There are no truly performance-enhancing alterations, sadly, but it does benefit from a bunch of eye-catching cosmetic improvements. They include a more aggressive rear diffuser, full LED headlights, a new front bumper, a sportier honeycomb grille and some copper-coloured exterior highlights as standard.

So, what else does the new-look Cupra Ateca get, and does it make the best use of all the upgrades? Read on through this full review to find out the answers, along with everything else you could possibly want to know – including what the performance is like, how it compares with main rivals and what it's like to live with.

If you decide to buy one, or any other new make and model of car for that matter, remember that our free What Car? New Car Deals service could help save a small fortune – it features some mouth-watering new sports SUV deals.

FAQs

  • It should do. The Cupra Ateca is predicted to depreciate more slowly slower than rivals including the Audi SQ2 and VW T-Roc R. Read more here

  • Yes. Every Cupra Ateca comes with the 4Drive all-wheel drive system. Despite the power on offer, the system does a good job of ensuring that you gain traction in all weather conditions. Read more here

  • We don’t have reliability data for Cupra, but parent company Seat placed toward the middle of the 2022 What Car? Reliability Survey, claiming 15th out of the 32 included manufacturers. Read more here

  • No. There’s only one engine choice available and it doesn’t feature any kind of electrification. If you want a hybrid car, you might want to consider the Cupra Formentor. Read more here

  • With an official 0-62mph sprint of 4.9sec and a top speed of 153mph, it's no slouch. In fact, those figures are comparable to the BMW X2 M35i, VW T-Roc R and even the Porsche Macan GTS. Read more here

At a glance
New car deals
Save up to £3,321
Target Price from £39,506
Save up to £3,321
or from £454pm
Swipe to see used and leasing deals
Nearly new deals
From £35,900
Leasing deals
From £432pm
RRP price range £42,725 - £48,530
Number of trims (see all)3
Number of engines (see all)1
Available fuel types (which is best for you?)petrol
MPG range across all versions 31.7 - 31.7
Available doors options 5
Company car tax at 20% (min/max) £3,042 / £3,471
Company car tax at 40% (min/max) £6,084 / £6,943
Available colours