Interior
The interior layout, fit and finish
If it wasn't for the copper-coloured Cupra emblem in the middle of the Cupra Ateca’s steering wheel, you could also almost be driving a regular Seat Ateca.
In many ways, that’s no bad thing; the driving position is excellent, the standard digital instrument dials are clear, the dashboard is user-friendly and visibility is reasonably good in all directions, and is boosted by standard-fit front and rear parking sensors and a 360-degree bird’s eye view camera.
Like the posher versions of the standard Seat Ateca, and as we mentioned earlier, the Cupra Ateca gained an upgraded 9.2in infotainment system as part of its 2021 update. The new system features sat-nav, online traffic information, voice control and a wireless phone charger as standard, but like so many new touchscreen-based systems, its small on-screen icons can be hard to use on the move. At least there are some touch-sensitive shortcuts on the side of the screen to help, but we still prefer the X2 M35i’s iDrive system with its brilliantly intuitive software and rotary controller.
However, you can bypass Seat’s system entirely by using the car’s Apple CarPlay/Android Auto smartphone mirroring instead. The former can even be done wirelessly and works brilliantly.
