Named after a small village of two thousand inhabitants in northern Spain, the Ateca has entered the market with a strong presence and has received a lot of positive feedback in various reviews.

We tested the most powerful version in the range, with a two-litre diesel and four-wheel drive.

In terms of looks, the different makes and models are starting to look very much alike and the Ateca is no exception. Like other new Seats, the lines are very sharp-angled and straightforward. In terms of looks, the Ateca is very close to the much more expensive VW Tiguan, which is part of the same group.

The closest rivals to the Ateca are the Tiguan, the Q3 and the Qashqai, which is hugely popular in Finland. Newcomers include the Kia Niro and the Toyota C-HR.

The starting price for the Ateca range is €24 027.

Good cabin ergonomics

The instrument cluster is clear and the red and white colour scheme adds to the sportiness. The dashboard is well designed with a red-painted dashboard and the dashboard is well-appointed with a red-painted dashboard.

In terms of driveability, the Ateca performed well during the week-long test drive. The driving dynamics are very good and not too shabby compared to more expensive models. The steering is tactile and the cabin ergonomics are good.

The test car’s two-litre 190hp/400Nm engine worked very nicely with the seven-speed automatic. Combined with four-wheel drive, the package is very comfortable in Finnish winter conditions.

There’s enough power in every situation, and the car’s driving dynamics with its stability control keep the car nicely on the road.

Despite the fact that there was quite a lot of touring during the test drive, the fuel consumption rose to around 7 litres instead of the advertised 5.3 l/100km.

A smaller 150bhp 1.4-litre turbo would certainly be a very sensible option. The price of the car also comes with a drop of between two and six thousand euros depending on the equipment package, four-wheel drive and a possible DSG automatic gearbox.

Starting with the model, the engine is a one-litre three-cylinder petrol with 115 horsepower.

Seats could be improved

The Ateca’s very good, feel-good ride is, however, diminished by the car’s Alcantara/light leather upholstered sports seats, which come with the Xcellence trim level.

Despite the sport seat name, the support provided by the seats in all directions is disappointing, and the lack of seats can quickly catch you by surprise.

Comfort was also slightly diminished by the fact that the car’s interior took an exceptionally long time to warm up, even at zero temperatures.

The turning radius, on the other hand, was a positive surprise and, despite the four-wheel drive, it was nice to see the car’s agility in parking spaces.

Well-functioning lane-keeping assist

The standard equipment list is not overwhelming, but fortunately, the options list can be adjusted with a number of choices. The test car was equipped with Xcellence, which includes LED headlights (low and high beam), cruise control, keyless central locking and starting, and a reversing camera.

Among the optional extras, the Advanced Comfort & Driving Pack Plus is an almost essential choice, with an ex-works price of just over €1,100.

It may sound high, but it’s great value for money. It comes with lots of comfort and safety features such as lane-keep assist, adaptive cruise control, high beam assist and traffic sign recognition.

The lane-keep assist in particular was a positive surprise. It helps the driver to keep the car in the lane by steering the car himself. The device was good at detecting lane lines in the snow and actively made the necessary corrective manoeuvres.

The Lane Keeping Assist’s green lane symbol at the bottom centre of the instrument panel was well within the field of vision and indicated that the device was active.

The feel of a big car

Overall, the Ateca has not been praised in vain. Although the Ateca is not large in terms of dimensions, it clearly has the feel of a large car and the interior space is evenly distributed. Drivability is good and the optional extras add a little premium to the car.

The test-driven Ateca 2.0 TDI 4Drive DSG Xcellence has a starting price of just over €42,000, with optional extras bringing the price up to just under €47,000.

Pros

• driving dynamics
• styling (not so different from the others but simple contemporary design)
• lane departure warning worked well even on snowy and dark roads, clear green sign in the middle of the instrument panel

Cons

• consumption
• warming of the car in winter conditions
• seat comfort