New Seat Ateca vs Audi Q2 vs Ford Kuga

Space and practicality

Front space, rear space, seating flexibility, boot

The Kuga is the longest and tallest of our trio, so surely it trounces its rivals for interior space? Surprisingly, it doesn’t, because the Ateca does a fine Tardis impression by being slightly more spacious in the front than the Kuga and a lot roomier in the rear. Taller adults sitting in the back will particularly appreciate the extra knee room.

Unsurprisingly, the Q2 is the most cramped inside. Four six-footers will fit, but the two in the back will probably have to put up with their knees rubbing against the seats in front. The Q2 is the worst choice if you regularly need to carry three in the back, too; the Ateca is best for that particular job, thanks to its extra elbow room.

None of our contenders is available with sliding rear seats, even as an option, although the Kuga’s can be reclined by a few degrees – handy when one of your rear passengers fancies an impromptu snooze. Meanwhile, a central rear armrest comes as standard in the Ateca and Kuga and costs £250 in the Q2.

It’s another win for the Ateca on boot space. We managed to squeeze eight of our carryon suitcases below the parcel shelf, compared with seven in the shallower load bay of the Kuga. However, the Q2’s boot is shallower still and could swallow only six suitcases.

The rear seats in all of our contenders can be folded down in a 60/40 split. The process is easiest in the Ateca, because you simply pull handles conveniently mounted inside the boot, while in the other two cars you need to release the seatbacks from the rear seat area. However, dropping the rear seats in the Q2 and Kuga leaves a virtually flat extended load bay, whereas there’s an annoying step in the Ateca unless you pay £120 for a false floor to iron this out.

Audi Q2

Q2 is the most cramped in the back, with a lot less knee room than its rivals. It has the smallest boot, too, although it is the only one here available with 40/20/40 split-folding rear seats (for £250)

Boot 405-1050 litres Suitcases 6

Ford Kuga

Kuga may be the biggest car on the outside, but rear space isn’t as copious as you might imagine. Slide-across tonneau cover (instead of a solid parcel shelf) is a handy feature, though

Boot 456-1653 litres Suitcases 7

Seat Ateca

Ateca is easily the most practical of our protagonists, with the biggest boot and the most room for rear passengers. Handy levers on the walls of the boot allow you to easily fold down rear seats

Boot 510-1604 litres Suitcases 8