SUVs and petrol heads have a funny relationship. For those with the means of running a multi car garage then many will have a Range Rover on the fleet as well as saloon/estate and a sports car of some kind. If budgets donât quite stretch that far, then most people who like to drive enthusiastically will probably stick to owning something thatâs a little bit closer to the ground than a SUV.
This has been the way of things for a good many years but now something has changed â compact SUVs are actually becoming more car like to drive.
This trend was probably started by the people who trail blazed the whole sector, Nissan, when they released the Juke Nismo RS. Now SEAT has taken up the challenge with their compact SUV, the Ateca.
While the Ateca is still waiting on a properly hot engine, SEAT is known as the VW Groupâs sporty brand for younger people and so the promise of a fun SUV was born.
Our SEAT Ateca was a XCELLENCE 2.0 TDI 4Drive 150 PS 6-speed manual with the XCELLENCE Pack (top-view camera, Park Assist, and electric tailgate with virtual pedal), SEAT Sound System (135W/six-channel amplifier,10 speakers, boot mounted subwoofer and 18-inch space saver spare wheel) and 19-inch âExclusiveâ machined bi-colour alloy wheels.
Although the Ateca does have a familiar look, if you are used to the VW Tiguan, SEAT have given it a slightly sportier edge. Itâs also slightly smaller too so I prefer to think of it as a raised up SEAT Leon.
The sporty intentions continue on the inside where thereâs a decent level of bolstering on the seats – more than youâd anticipate of a car in this segment. Other than that the interior is clearly well made but a tad bland. SEAT used to have a bit more flare with their interiors (not always in a good way) but they have played it fairly safe with this model.
The real differentiation for the Ateca is supposed to be the way it drives, so letâs concentrate on that.
While we were driving the 150PS 2.0l diesel with 4WD, you can get the Ateca in a number of other configurations from 1.0l â 1.4l petrol and 1.6l â 2.0l 190PS diesel. As with other VW Group cars that weâve driven that are of a similar size/weight, the pick of the range for drivers is usually a 1.4l 150PS petrol with a manual âbox.
If you are aiming for a compromise of MPG and driving fun then the 2.0l diesel is an OK choice. Clearly, going for the 190PS would be the correct choice in this scenario, as it makes very little impact on the MPG but gives a fairly significant increase in performance. As it is though, the 150PS diesel means you need to suffer the noisy engine without all of the potential poke.
If this all sounds a bit of a downer on the way the car drives then youâd only be partly right. If you choose a better configuration or just get out on a country road for some driving then you can concentrate more on how the Ateca handles.
Of the growing number of compact SUVs that Iâve driven, the Ateca can attack a corner with the least roll and without having a crashy ride. This model also had 4WD and this meant that it had enough grip that youâd really have to be in a hurry to ever bother it.
This took me to thinking about who is going to be buying the Ateca. When the family consensus is âweâre buying a compact SUVâ then this really is the best of the current options for the driver of the house who still wants to enjoy motoring. While the Ateca has space, gadgets and looks good, it handles better than its rivals and is good enough to still have fun with.
Thatâs almost the end of the story, except that SEAT has already announced thereâs an Ateca FR available to order from the start of July. While this is mostly an exercise is making the car look even sportier, thereâs also the addition of a new 2.0 TSI 190PS engine. This might just be a sweet spot that will tempt many families out of their hot hatches and into the world of compact SUVs. Weâre looking forward to driving it and finding out.
PRICE:Â ÂŁ27,960 (ÂŁ30,605 with options)
ENGINE: 2.0 TDI 4Drive 150 PS
POWER: 150 PS
TORQUE: 340 Nm
PERFORMANCE: Top speed 122 mph, 0-62 mph 9.0 secs
CONSUMPTION: 55.4 mpg (combined)
CO2: 129 g/km
TT Rating:Â 
