Shropshire Star

The Seat Ateca continues to impress, but lacks a little heart

The Seat Ateca is proving to be a reliable, solid all-rounder. It’s just lacking a bit of soul. Jack Evans explains

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I’ve been living with the Ateca for a little while now, and it’s left me feeling – in all honesty – just a little cold.

I’m not for one moment saying that it’s a bad car – far from it. It’s returning around 47mpg on a long run, and it’s more than spacious enough for trips to the shops or weekends away. It’s also accomplished when cruising too, with the engine settling down to almost inaudible levels when at motorway speeds.

The issue is that the Ateca just doesn’t have much soul. Whereas the Ibiza Cupra we had previous to this car made you giggle when cornering, the big Seat just fails to replicate this – despite it sharing the same manufacturer. Of course, the Spanish firm is looking to address this problem – there’s a Ateca Cupra rumoured to be in the pipeline – but this isn’t that car, unfortunately.

The Ateca's puddle lights are a neat feature
(PA)

I’ve also been infuriated by the start-stop system – and I’m someone who is rarely riled by car foibles. It’s simply too sensitive, and will often cut in as you approach a stop rather than once you’ve come to a complete halt, leaving you drifting with no steering and no throttle. Which isn’t ideal in busy traffic, as I’m sure you can imagine. This is the case on quite a few modern cars, and is certainly something which needs addressing.

There’s also the ride. I previously wrote that it didn’t appear to be too bad, but in all honesty it simply is too firm for a car in this segment. Around town it feels unsettled and has a tendency to crash through potholes – something which, in all honesty, could be remedied by fitting a smaller wheel size with a larger tyre. However, it’s worth remembering if you’re planning on choosing an Ateca with large alloys.

One positive is an accessory I desperately wanted attached to the Ateca, and that’s a bike rack. As a keen cyclist, it makes sense to be able to fix a bike to the roof of the car – especially with a car like the Ateca. Fortunately, the Seat rack is simple and easy to fit, and doesn’t take too much thought to install.

Fortunately, the bike rack is easy to fit
(PA)

It helps that my road bike is quite light, and I feel that loading a heavier mountain bike to the roof bars could be a little trickier, especially with the Ateca’s lack of sidesteps. You have to open the doors and stand on the side plates in order to fit the rack properly, which is a little bit of a pain – though one you quickly get over. Plus, cars look a lot better with a bike rack fitted, don’t you think?

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Current mileage: 6,350
Model: Seat Ateca
Engine: 2.0-litre Power: 187bhp
Max speed: 132mph
0-60mph: 7.3seconds
Emissions: 135g/km
Mpg: 53.3 (combined)

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