Cupra Ateca review

Given the Cupra Ateca’s humble roots, its asking price seems pretty lofty. What's more, there’s no doubt that if you just want something fast, fun to drive and fairly practical, you’ll get better value from any number of conventional hot hatchbacks, our favourite being the Honda Civic Type R.
 
But if you want speed, acceleration and excitement packed in an SUV silhouette, the Cupra Ateca is actually your cheapest option. It costs thousands less than the Porsche Macan and the (admittedly slightly faster) Mercedes GLA 45 AMG, let alone the Audi SQ5. It's also considerably cheaper than the slower, less focused (albeit more practical) diesel-powered Skoda Kodiaq vRS.
 
Parent company Seat’s PCP deals tend to be competitive, too. Likewise, resale values should be strong, if not quite as rock solid as on premium-badged options like the Macan.
 
While you might be surprised not to see an even bigger price gap between the Cupra Ateca and Porsche Macan, it’s worth bearing in mind that the former comes much better equipped as standard. Keyless entry and start, adaptive suspension, digital instrument dials and a self-parking system all feature, so the only thing we’d recommend paying extra for are the optional bucket seats (if you can wait until mid-2019).

The Seat Ateca, on which the Cupra is based, scored five stars in its Euro NCAP crash test. The Porsche Macan also scored five stars, but under an older, less stringent set of criteria. The Ateca comes with automatic emergency braking as standard.
 
There are two optional packs. Comfort & Sound adds an upgraded sound system, several additional safety aids, heated front seats and an electric tailgate, and is well worth considering. Rather less compelling is the Design pack, which adds different (albeit the same size) wheels, Brembo brakes and a black interior styling pack.

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