A Spanish SUV

A Spanish SUV

SEAT enters the SUV "war," with Ateca, starting from 19.000 Euro. The first SEAT model in the increasing SUV market, Ateca, is finally here. 

The rival of Renault Kadjar and Nissan Qashqai may now be ordered and will be in showrooms starting from September. 

Ateca will be the third pillar of the Spanish brand together with Ibiza and Leon. Thus, we will have the first Ateca model of the SEAT SUV series, with at least two other models in the following months. According to SEAT chief Luca de Meo, Ateca will help the brand take another step forward, further improving its image. 

SEAT Ateca is a medium SUV, 4.36 meters long, with a dynamic design, based on the success of SEAT Leon and with a lot of last generation technological novelties. 

A new range of efficient diesel and gasoline engines, combined with a 4x4 traction system and automatic gear DSG, will bring SEAT into a new territory for the Spanish brand. 

"We adapted our design language for our first SUV, - says design chief Alejandro Mesonero. - This car will be like the bigger brother to Leon, but stronger changes will ensue in the next 18 months with the new models." 

The feeling you get once you step into the car is that of ample space and a trunk space with a capacity of 510 liters. 

The 4x4 variants reduce capacity to 485 liters, but still leaving behind the 430 liters of Nissan Qashqai and the 472 of Renault Kadjar

Inside, Ateca has a similar look as Leon, with the large screen mounted at the center of the dashboard. It will be a fiveinch display in the basic version, but 6.5-inch and 8-inch screens will also be available. Options will include "SEAT Full Link", which incorporates smart phone connectivity, with applications Android Auto or Apple CarPlay, as well as wireless charging. 

The entry-level gasoline engine will be a 1.0-liter three-cylinder turbocharged unit producing 115bhp. It is a small engine but with sufficient power for those customers who have no specific exigencies. Then comes the 1.4 EcoTSI with 150 bhp, the same we have seen in VW and SEAT LEON, able to close down two cylinders to save fuel when in city traffic. 

Diesel engines are expected to be the big sellers, starting from 1.6 TDI with 115 bhp with front-wheel drive to move to the 2.0 TDI that comes with 150 and 190 bhp. The engines are all EURO6 Plus and the most powerful emits only 131g/km. 

The four-wheel drive models will be called "4Drive" and will be offered in the 1.4 TSI and the 2.0 TDI models as well as in automatic gear. 

Ateca will also have a long list of safety elements, including the ability to drive itself in heavy stop-start traffic and monitoring of the driver and can bring the car to a halt if they are inattentive. Traffic sign recognition, a 360- degree view camera and blind spot detection will also be offered.

Ateca, which will be built alongside the new ŠKODA Yeti in the Czech Republic, is the first of three SEAT SUVs that SEAT will introduce in the coming months. The second will be based on the Ibiza model, going up against the Nissan Juke and Renault Captur, while the third will be based on the 20V20 model presented at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show.