Seat Ateca review

Just as the Xbox was Microsoft’s answer to Sony’s Playstation and Pepsi was created to take on Coca-Cola, the Seat Ateca arrived as the brand’s first SUV and a response to the class booming in popularity. Mind you, it was no slapdash cash grab: remember, the Ateca made its debut back in 2016 and has stuck around ever since.

The Ateca has, of course, had its fair share of updates over the years, including a 2020 facelift that ushered in a new front end and steering wheel, an upgraded infotainment touchscreen and more.

Thanks to Seat's membership of the VW Group, the Ateca is closely related to the Skoda Karoq and Volkswagen Tiguan but promises sharper handling over its more comfort-focused rivals. That being said, if you’re after sportiness, there’s also the Cupra Ateca.

Is the Seat Ateca still competitive by today’s standards? And does it rank among the best small SUVs, or are you better off with one of the rivals, which also include the Audi Q2, Lexus LBX and VW T-Roc? Let's find out...

We’re yet to sample the Seat Ateca’s entry-level 114bhp 1.0-litre petrol engine (badged 1.0 TSI 115) but its 0-62mph time of 11.0sec seems fairly leisurely. Indeed, it’s almost one second slower than the Skoda Karoq 1.0 TSI 116 and Volkswagen Tiguan Life. 

We’d stick with the mid-spec 148bhp 1.5-litre petrol with mild-hybrid tech (1.5 TSI 150), because it adds some much needed punch when getting off the line and up to motorway speeds. You can have it with either a six-speed manual gearbox or a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic, with the former sprinting from 0-60mph in 10 seconds on a damp day. 

For more power or four-wheel drive, you’ll want to take a look at our Cupra Ateca review. Meanwhile, those after a diesel engine will have no luck with the Ateca, with Seat dropping that engine in its most recent facelift, unlike the Karoq and Tiguan. 

The Ateca strikes a good balance between comfort and handling, but for the best ride you’ll want to go for the SE or SE Technology trim. They have 17in and 18in wheels respectively, meaning they’re more forgiving over bumps while retaining good composure.

Stepping up to FR Line adds 18in wheels, while FR Black Edition adds even larger 19in alloys. As a result, both amplify the effect of potholes and expansion joints far more than rivals, sending a more noticeable thud as you drive over them. 

Indeed, the Karoq is softer than any Ateca and feels slightly more comfortable as you drive along, especially at slow speeds. 

Tall SUVs don't handle as well as low-to-the-ground hatchbacks so the Ateca is never going to be quite the handling champion the Seat Leon is. Even so, the Ateca does prove surprisingly good fun to drive down your favourite stretch of road.

The suspension is firm enough to ensure you don’t get too much body lean when cornering, helping the Ateca's agility. Meanwhile, there's plenty of grip and the relatively sharp steering is precise and builds weight progressively, making it easy to place the nose just where you want it.

True, the Ford Puma is even more agile and will draw a wider smile on your face, but the Ateca is sharper to drive than the Karoq and Toyota Yaris Cross. Put simply, if you like driving and want to buy an SUV in this price bracket, the Ateca should be high up your list.

Put your foot down and the Ateca’s 1.5 TSI 150 engine can become a bit vocal, but that quickly fades into the background, ultimately making it a quiet cruiser. 

Road and wind noise are fairly well contained, too, and it’s more hushed on the motorway than a Puma. 

Put your foot down and, while the Ateca’s automatic gearbox can be a little hesitant to drop down a gear, it swaps through the gears smoothly when you’re driving normally. The manual gearbox’s short throw, meanwhile, adds a little extra engagement to the experience, while the clutch pedal has a defined bite point to make pulling away easy. 

“While I liked the sharp, sporty look of the FR Black Edition, I found that its big wheels made it less comfortable than a lot of its rivals.” – Oliver Young, Reviewer

In addition to being great to drive, the Seat Ateca has a good driver environment, with supportive seats that line you up perfectly with the steering wheel and pedals. Better still, to help you get comfortable, all Ateca’s come with driver's seat height and lumbar adjustment as standard, which is upgraded to electric-adjustment if you go for the top-spec FR Black Edition.

Every Ateca comes with a good quality digital driver’s display, measuring 8in in most versions or 10in in the FR Black Edition. The latter version is fairly versatile and can show you multiple views, including a large sat-nav map. 

We like the use of physical buttons for all the major dashboard features, which makes life easy when you're changing any settings on the move and less fiddly than the touch-sensitive pads in a VW T-Roc.

Thanks to its relatively high-set driver's seat, the Ateca gives you a great view down the road and its windscreen pillars aren’t so wide that pulling out of junctions becomes an act of faith. Over-the-shoulder visibility is less good because the rear-quarter windows are smaller than on the Skoda Karoq.

Fortunately, all Atecas come with front and rear sensors to help with parking, as well as reversing camera and a Park Assist function that steers the vehicle into a space for you. FR Black Edition has a bird’s eye view camera, which makes it easier to see how close you are to obstacles and kerbs. It's a shame that's not available as an option on the cheaper trims.

Full LED headlights and tail lights are standard-fit, as are LED front fog lamps. FR models and above have rear indicators that scroll in the direction you’re turning.

Entry-level SE trim has an 8.3in infotainment touchscreen as well as two USB-C ports front and rear, Bluetooth, DAB radio, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring, and controls on the steering wheel. You even get wireless phone charging as standard. 

SE Technology trim and above have bigger, 9.2in touchscreens and include sat-nav, online traffic information, voice control and wireless smartphone mirroring. The system responds to your prods quickly enough, but the menus take some getting used to and can be distracting when you’re driving along. At least there are touch-sensitive shortcuts on the side of the screen to help.

All trim levels have the same eight-speaker sound system, which is decent enough but there's no option to upgrade it if you fancy something punchier and more immersive.

Inside, the Ateca feels a little bit outdated, but that isn’t a bad thing. You see, it means that everything feels tactile, sturdy and all of the physical controls well-damped. 

The Ateca's interior quality is better than many small SUV rivals', with soft-touch materials in all the key places, including on top of the doors and dashboard. Sure, there are some scratchy plastics dotted around, but they’re predominantly hidden low and out of the way. 

The rival Skoda Karoq – despite being a very similar car underneath – looks and feels plusher overall, but if you want a really classy interior, you'll need to look at the Audi Q2 or Lexus LBX instead.

“The Seat Ateca's interior design is a bit dated but I found it refreshingly user-friendly.” – Oliver Young, Reviewer

It’s unlikely that anyone will get into the Seat Ateca and find there isn't enough room in the front. It’s possible to slide the seat back a good amount to accommodate longer legs, and you can drop the driver’s seat low enough to provide good head room even if you're long in the body.

As for width, you certainly won’t be clashing elbows with your passenger. It’s a nice touch that all models come with a height-adjustable armrest. Storage is also good: there's a cubby under the front armrest, two large door pockets and a big glovebox.

The Ateca’s rear doors are a good size and open wide enough to make access easy. There’s plenty of leg room once you’re inside – even tall adults won’t find their knees pressed up against the seat in front – and no shortage of head room, either. There’s more space than inside a Ford Puma or Toyota Yaris Cross.

There is a high central floor tunnel for the middle passenger to straddle but even so, the Ateca is better at squeezing three in the back than many of its rivals, including the Yaris Cross.

The Ateca doesn't have sliding rear seats like the VW T-Cross and some versions of the Skoda Karoq (the Karoq's VarioFlex rear seats can even be removed to create a van-like load bay).

In the Ateca you also have to make do with 60/40 split-folding rear seatbacks, instead of the more flexible 40/20/40 arrangement a Yaris Cross offers. However, you'll find handy release levers just inside the tailgate opening that make it easy to drop the rear seats while you're loading. There's also a ski hatch for longer, thinner loads.

This is another area where the Ateca pips most rivals. Its 510-litre boot space is huge compared with a T-Roc and Yaris Cross. The load area is a useful square shape with a wide aperture for loading broad items and it fits up to eight carry-on suitcases below the load cover. That beats the seven cases we squeezed into a T-Roc and Yaris Cross, although the Karoq's boot fits nine cases.

The rear seats lie at a slight angle when folded but it’s not acute enough to be a nuisance when you’re loading longer items inside. However, it's a pity that the Ateca is not available with a height-adjustable boot floor, which is a useful facility the T-Roc has. FR Line and FR Black Edition trims get a powered tailgate as standard.

“Seeing as it’s on the bigger end of the small SUV spectrum, I wasn’t particularly surprised by how spacious the Ateca is.” – Oliver Young, Reviewer

If you’re buying outright, the Seat Ateca is closely priced to the Audi Q2, Skoda Karoq and VW T-Roc, but will cost you less than the Lexus LBX. 

The Ateca is predicted to hold on to its value relatively well, but it still often costs more than its rivals, including the Karoq, if you’re buying on PCP finance. If you’re a company car driver after low benefit-in-kind (BIK) payments, the Ateca’s lack of hybrid variant will mean that it costs much more than the LBX or Toyota Yaris Cross but it’s on a par with the Q2 and T-Roc.

When we drove the 1.5 TSI 150 manual on our efficiency test route, which combines everything from town driving to motorway driving, the Ateca managed 39.6mpg. That’s not bad and should mean it keeps running costs down. 

Reliability isn’t a strong area for the Ateca, placing towards the bottom of the small SUV category in our 2024 What Car? Reliability Survey, below the Karoq in petrol form. 

Seat as a brand didn’t fare much better either, claiming 26th place out of the 31 included manufacturers, that’s below rivals including Skoda, Ford and Lexus – the latter of which was way up in 2nd place. 

A three-year warranty, limited to 60,000 miles, comes as standard with every Seat. That’s typical of most car makers but not as good as Hyundai’s five years of cover, Kia’s seven-year deal or Toyota's warranty, which lasts up to 10 years with conditions. The Cupra Ateca is covered for up to five years or 90,000 miles.

The Ateca in entry-level SE trim is good value because it's very well equipped for the price – so much so that it's our pick. It comes with 17in alloys, cruise control, keyless entry, power-folding door mirrors, metallic paint and dual-zone climate control.

SE Technology doesn’t add too much to the price, but only adds 18in alloys and the larger infotainment screen with built-in sat nav. 

FR Line trim offers you a sportier look, both inside and out, including privacy glass, body-coloured wheel arches and suede seat trim. Top-spec FR Black Edition is hard to recommend, given its price, but it does get loads of equipment, adding 19in wheels, vegan leather, heated seats and a powered tailgate.

When the safety experts at EuroNCAP tested the Ateca, they awarded it five out of five stars for safety. The problem is that it was tested way back in 2016 so, because the testing gets more stringent every year,  the rating expired some time ago. 

Even so, all Atecas come with more than enough standard safety equipment, including automatic emergency braking (AEB), lane-keeping assist, traffic-sign recognition, a driver attention monitor and e-Call emergency response. Blind-spot monitoring is available only on top-spec FR Black Edition though, which is a shame given the price.

“I wouldn’t recommend the Seat Ateca as a company car but as a private buy I think it can make good sense.” – Oliver Young, Reviewer

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